March Madness and UFC 259 Predictions (SOme NHL Too)

8-3 on College Football this season Up 25.99 units

Haven’t written an article since I predicted the Bama/OSU National Title game perfectly. Won 26 units on college football this past season. It was a fun ride. Shoutout to Iowa and Bama.

Gambling has become legal in more states since last time I wrote (like Virginia), BTC keeps going up, Trump is no longer President, Hornets have the best player in the league in LaMelo Ball. Panthers are gonna get Watson I hope. Good time to be a North Carolinian living in Virginia besides all this COVID shit. Going to start posting my plays religiously like I used to when I was a younger better man. I am no longer going to use working at a hospital during a global pandemic as an excuse.

70-62-2 on NCAAB in 2019 up 8.95 units

46-38-1 last season up 13.96 units

0-0 this season

Haven’t wrote about College Basketball in 366 days right before shit hit the fan with COVID. March Madness will always have been crawling back. One of the best tournaments in all of sports. Let’s get this Bitcoin, USD, or whatever you bet with nowadays.

Miami -4 at -110 for 3 units. Gotta take advantage of trash teams like BC this time of year.

North Texas -5.5 at -110 for 3 units. North Texas

Loyola Marymount +2 at -110 for 3 units.

NHL

Lightning -1.5 at +130 for 3 units. Score in first 10 at -185 for 3 units.

Avalanche -1.5 at +110 for 3 units. Score in first 10 at -145 for 3 units.

Knights -1.5 at +115 for 3 units. Score in first 10 at -170 for 3 units.

UFC

Casey Kenney expects LFA 'champ-champ' status to lead to UFC call - MMA  Fighting

6-1 on UFC/MMA in 2018 up 9.90 units

16-11-1 in 2019 up 3.93 units

2-3-1 in 2020 down 2.46 units

Casey Kenney -135 for 3 units.

Aleksandr Rakic at -160 for 3 units.

I’m Back

I know all 7 of my readers missed me greatly. I have not written an article for 25 days, which is the longest I have gone since I started this website a couple of years ago. Corona will do that to ya. I have had dreams about betting on the Raptors/Nationals in the playoffs and all the money I won last year. I will find more angles. A global pandemic can stop a lot, but it can’t stop me from being a degenerate. I just took a little hiatus. Let’s get back to winning money. Mini retirements are good. Winning money is better.

UFC Fight Night 170 Predictions – Corona Can’t Stop Me

6-1 on UFC/MMA in 2018 up 9.90 units

16-11-1 in 2019 up 3.93 units

0-0 in 2020

Charles Oliveira at +127 for 2 units. Kevin Lee didn’t make weight. Huge fight for both guys if they want to have a title fight again. Oliveira hasn’t had a title fight in about 5 years. Oliveira will have to control the fight and time his attacks well. I like Oliveira’s motivation, Muay Thai/jiu-jitsu background, and experience to get him the win in this main event.

Johnny Walker at -140 for 2 units. I think the Brazilian will be ready. He had a hiccup last time out. He wins tonight.

Aleksei Kunchenko at +115 for 2 units. The guy is 20-1 at plus money. Take it. He has never been knocked out or submitted in UFC. I like him to win a decision here.

Dvorak/Silva under 2.5 at -110 for 2 units. Dvorak has won in his last 13 fights all before the final bell. Good odds on this one. Value.

Enrique Barzola at -198 for 2 units. A guy I like to fade on twitter has Rani Yahya wining this one. Fade engaged.

New Sportsologists Podcast

Our New Podcast: Thoughts and Locks by Sportsologists

There is an intro episode posted above. Episode 1 is below. The sound quality is below-average, but the content is there. Neal and I will be recording our picks on there so stay tuned. We will be purchasing better equipment. Even NPR started somewhere… and our gambling picks are already way better than theirs..

 

UFC Fight Night 153 Prediction – Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson Vs. Anthony Smith

6-1 on UFC/MMA in 2018 up 9.90 units

16-9-1 in 2019 up 9.93 units

Gustafsson at -290 for 2 units.

Gustafsson/Smith under 3.5 rounds at -120 for 4 units. Smith is on a short turnaround. He has the power to knock Gustafsson out early, but I think The Mauler’s chin holds up and he gets the win in the second round. Smith went the distance against Jon Jones a few months ago. Gustafsson lost in the 3rd round to Jones in his most recent bout. Gustafsson is the more technical striker and is 4th all-time in UFC light heavyweight knockdowns. If Smith wins, it will be in the first 3 rounds, but I think Gustafsson takes it.

Darren Till/Masvidal UFC Fight Night 147 Preview

6-1 on UFC/MMA in 2018 up 9.90 units

14-6-1 in 2019 up 13.28 units

Nad Nariman/Mike Grundy under 2.5 at +220 for 1 unit. Neither of these guys have anything to lose in this one. This is Nariman’s 3rd UFC fight (2-0) and Grundy’s first. Grundy is the “bigger” guy for their weight class, but both are around 165-170 lbs. If Grundy can get this fight on the ground, he will win. I just think Nariman will come out swinging and Grundy will be aiming for takedowns. That combo will lead to the under hitting more than these odds imply. 

Dan Ige at -136 for 2 units. Ige has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and brown belt in Judo. Ige’s nickname is dynamite. His opponent’s nickname is hatchet. Dynamite explodes hatchets, everyone knows that. Don’t let Ige get on top of you…

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Joseph Duffy/Marc Diakiese under 2.5 at -104 for 2 units. Marc Diakiese looks better at fighting than his results indicate. He has lost 3 in a row and had this to say when asked about his recent slide..

“I still feel the passion for it. Now I know it’s not just about being tough. It’s about being smart in the cage, as well, and having a team around you, which I’m doing.”

The man is a beast though. Duffy, on the other hand, has submitted or TKO’d his opponent in the first round in half of his UFC fights. Duffy is a black belt in taekwondo, purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and a black belt in Ju-Jitsu. Diakiese has his back against the wall in this one because if he loses, it’ll be tough to book another UFC fight. Diakiese comes out swinging and either gets caught off-guard or gets the win.

Darren Till at -221 for 5 units. Darren Till is the much more consistent fighter when compared to Jorge Masvidal. Till impressed me in his win over Stephen Thompson. This is his first fight back in England since he beat Thompson. Masvidal has a kickboxing background and Till has a muay thai, luta livre background. Till has to win this one if he wants to stay in the welterweight title picture. Masvidal hasn’t won since he beat Cerrone in January of 2017. Till has the power and Masvidal has the pace when it comes to the stand-up game, which is where I think the majority of this fight will take place. Siding with the consistent power on this one.

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UFC 235 Predictions – Jon “Bones” Jones Vs. Anthony “Lionheart” Smith

6-1 on UFC/MMA in 2018 up 9.90 units

12-3-1 in 2019 up 17.79 units

I’ve got a serious UFC problem. TOO MUCH WINNING. The Champ is here.

Polyana Viana at -260 for 4 units. Hannah Cifers is from Oxford, North Carolina. I am from North Carolina, so I like her, but Viana is Brazilian and you always go with the Brazilian. Nah, but really, a guy tried to jump Viana while she was waited for an uber. This is what happened to that guy. Not going to lie, I’m throwing training/experience/record vs similar fighters/grappling advantage and other factors out the window. She fucked that guy up. That’s badass and enough for me to side with her in this one.

Alejandro Perez at +175 for 3 units. Perez hasn’t lost since June 2015. Cody Stamann is a 5-foot-7 beast monster, but I like the value in the experienced Perez.

Zabit Magomedsharipov at -254 for 5 units. ZaBeast is 16-1. Zabit has some of the best striking in the UFC. Sorry Jeremy Stephens. You ain’t winning this one. Here is their intense beef. 

Image result for zabit magomedsharipov gif

Tyron Woodley at -170 for 2 units. Kamaru Usman is a scary man. His nickname is the Nigerian Nightmare. Usman is the “value” play, but I’ll take the guy that has already defended his title 4 times.

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Jon Jones/Anthony Smith over 1.5 rounds at -159 for 4 units. I either get an awesome Jon Jones knockout in the first or I win my bet. Win/Win situation.

 

UFC on ESPN – Ngannou/Velasquez

6-1 on UFC/MMA in 2018 up 9.90 units

9-1-1 in 2019 up 14.46 units

Renan Barao at +130 for 2 units. Going with experience.

Benito Lopez/Manny Bermudez under 1.5 rounds at +110 for 5 units. These guys are going to come out firing. They do not like each other. Strong hunch.

Paul Felder at -104 for 4 units. I love Charles Oliveira and Felder beat him. That is my main reason for this play. James Vick is long and a solid takedown artist, but so is Oliveira.

Cain Velasquez at -186 for 4 units. Cain is the man. Francis Ngannou is a beast-monster and has some advantages in this fight. If Cain can keep it tight and land his jabs he will win. Every time Cain gets a decisive win, it is with powerful punches. Francis Ngannou has never been knocked out in the UFC. This is an intriguing matchup. Ngannou has never attempted a takedown in the UFC, but he does have the reach advantage. Velasquez is the much more accurate striker.

UFC 234: Whittaker vs. Gastelum Preview – Lando Vannata Gets Back to Winning

6-1 on UFC/MMA in 2018 up 9.90 units

6-1 in 2019 up 8.52 units

Lot of plays on heavy favorites tonight. I usually like betting underdogs with value in the UFC, but this seems like an “easy” card to read for the favorites. Not going to overthink it.

Montana De La Rosa at -243 for 3 units. The Fort Worth native, Montana De La Rosa, has won her last 3 fights all by submissions. Her opponent, Nadia “187” Kassem has only 1 UFC win in her career and it was an unanimous decision against the struggling Alex Chambers. Not saying Alex Chambers is struggling to take away from Kassem, just a fact. De La Rosa’s superior experience, ground game, and grappling get her the win.

Lando Vannata at -346 for 10 units. First of all his name is Lando. That’s a plus from the start, shoutout Donald Glover. Vannata is a purple belt in Jiu Jitsu and is trained by Greg Jackson. Jackson has trained Bones Jones, BJ Penn, Holly Holm, and many others. He’s legit. Lando’s last 4 fights have all gone the distance and he drew two and lost two of those 4 fights. He’s hungry for a win. Marcos Mariano is making his lightweight debut tonight, partly because he is Anderson Silva’s friend. ”Groovy” Vannatta is an exciting fighter and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets performance of the night.

Vannata/Rosa under 1.5 rounds for 2 units. If Vannata wins (I think he will), it will most likely be by a TKO or submission. I expect the more experienced Vannata to take advantage of his opponent’s weaknesses early.

Robert Whittaker at -229 for 4 units. Whittaker is a Black belt in Hapkido,
a black belt in Goju-ryu Karate, and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Hapkido is a badass form of self defense that involves locking people’s joints. The guy is a damn savage. His nickname is “the Reaper” for Christ’s sake. Whittaker hasn’t lost a fight since February of 2014. Kelvin Gastelum does have the small Jiu-Jitsu advantage, but that is where it ends for me. Kelvin doesn’t have the length, experience, or takedown defense to keep up with Whittaker IMO. Gastelum won the Ultimate Fighter 17, but he doesn’t have much of a chance tonight.

 

UFC – Fight Night 144

6-1 on UFC/MMA in 2018 up 9.90 units

3-1 in 2019 up 1.66 units

Charles Oliveira at -119 for 5 units. Oliveira has 3 performances of the night in a row. He has the most UFC submission wins all time with 12. Jim Miller was like what’s happening to me and then rear-naked choke time. Clay Guida was like what’s happening to me and then guillotine choke time. Charles is a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu. Charles says he will fight 5 times this year. He is an animal. Oliveira deserves a top 5 fight if he wins this one against David Teymur. Oliveira’s grappling and flexibility get him the win. If you want to see Charles take someone bigger to the ground… Scroll/Look up.

Livia Souza at -217 for 3 units. Souza’s opponent came in 7 pounds overweight. The bout will proceed as scheduled though, with Frota forfeiting 40 percent of her purse to Souza. Souza called her opponent unprofessional. This is Sarah Frota’s first UFC fight. She may not have many more sadly.

Magomed Bibulatov/Rogerio Bontorin over 2.5 at -209 for 3 units. If Bibulatov can defend against Bontorin’s rear naked choke, this will go over. Bibulatov got knocked out in the first round of his last bout, but Bontorin doesn’t have the punching power. I am betting Bibulatov’s chin holds up here. Submission defense will be the key to this over and the fight for Magomed.