About The Irish Whip Writers

Ben Zeidler: "My interest in MMA started recently as I happened upon some of the better pieces of video footage which have ever been recorded: specifically, the fight between Hughes and Trigg at UFC 52 and the famous Bas Rutten self-defense video. Since then, I made it a point to catch as many events as possible and started compiling a very respectable UFC DVD collection. I've since moved onto PRIDE shows (and anyone who knows where I can find a legit copy of Final Conflict 2003 should email me ASAP). The site, which started as a pet project with my good friend Drew Arnold, has since blossomed into one of the most respected MMA sites on the web. I've been able to parlay my experience with Irish Whip Fighting into two jobs: writing daily for the website martialbase.com and writing bi-monthly for FIGHT! Magazine."

Expert of: UFC 40-Present, fight card development, writing html code for the site

Doug MacEwan: "As the newest member of the Irish Whip team I plan on sharing my passion for MMA and Boxing with the masses. Living in gloomy Portland Oregon I am firmly planted in one the hotbeds of the American MMA scene and bring a distinct NW flavor to the group. When I am not leg kicking my roomates to offset their rent you can find me at the gym or online engaged in heated debates like who has the largest head in the UFC. At the ripe old age of 26 I am the senior citizen of the group but still manage to catch every MMA and boxing event out there (unless my hip and/or back is acting up). I have an eye for up-and-coming fighters so look for my articles on the hottest young MMA prospects that I plan on contributing in the very near future. If you have any questions or comments you can e-mail me at dougmacewan@gmail.com."

Expert of: new and young fighters, boxing, advertising

Jordan Arnold:Although I've been a writer here from the beginning, I'm a relatively new MMA fan. I get my love for fighting from wrestling...and I finally got tired of people saying how much WWE sucks and how MMA is awesome, so I checked it out. I watch as much MMA as I can (usually whatever is on tv for free). I basically live on wikipedia, sherdog, and Irish Whip Fighting due to the huge amount of content on each site (wikipedia is my homepage). I think I'm finally starting to get a good grasp on MMA, and I look forward to becoming further educated by the great articles written on Irish Whip Fighting.

Danny Acosta: Danny Acosta's love for combat sports precedes his love for literature and writing. Growing up, Julio Cesar Chavez was a name that brought excitement and pride to the native Californian. But boxing seemed to die for him when Mike Tyson ate its heart. Waiting in limbo--pushing through the boredom of school and adolescence--forced Acosta to develop a Chute Boxe attitude toward life. Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" was the catalyst. A love for the written word occupied the San Franciscan.

He spent the next few years balancing life as a roadie, social worker, and stand-up comedian in the Bay Area. In between toying with laughter, lugging drum sets, and balancing academia, he rediscovered a sport he formerly knew as spectacle: mixed martial arts. Since then, fighting--including a renewed passion for the Sweet Science--has matched his infatuation with writing.

Acosta's work has appeared on Sherdog.com, ESPN.com, and FIGHT! Magazine. He hopes to continue working in the MMA community in addition to training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. A return to stand-up comedy is also in the works. Acosta resides never too far from the Golden Gate.


Masson Liang: "Hello guys and gals. I'm the MMA/UFC specialist of the site, which is probably easily seen through my articles. I've been a follower of martial arts from way back, further than I care to dig out of my memory bank. I've been watching good ol' Hong Kong Kung-fu cinema, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan films since I entered this world. As an early child I was always obsessed with ninjas, like all children are at some point of their lives and fascinated with any children programs with any aspect of marital arts behind it, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and/or Power Rangers. That's right, I went there. Everything just progressed as the years went on I suppose. I trained in Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate for four and a half years and picked up on some boxing and Muay-Thai, as a personal hobby. My liking, or obsession as it has evolved into, was inevitable and only natural. I was soon the owner of 90% of the MMA DVDs on the market, ranging from Pride FC, UFC, KOTC, Grappler's Quests, Cage Rage, and anything else I could get my hands on (Thanks Netflix!). I stopped training in Karate after I moved up to Gainesville for college, at the University of Florida, but continued my pursuit in martial arts through MMA at a local gym in Gainesville. In Miami, I train at the Freestyle Fighting Academy. If I'm not spending five hours Sherdogging, and browsing every MMA website/forum for the latest scoop on the sport, I am spending my time in the gym. I'm usually the man to come to when you want to know about fight results, previous fights, fighter records, and the latest MMA news. Enjoy my future articles, email me at massonl@gmail.com," and stay classy."

Expert of: MMA training, UFC and PRIDE history, obscure fighters and videos, MMA DVDs

Jagjit Sidhu:In all honesty, I can’t really say that I am a hardcore fan that has been there since the beginning. I am a relatively new fan, but ever since I first saw MMA it has pretty much turned into a everyday thing for me. My favorite fighters include GSP and Shogun, whom I'm very excited to see make his UFC debut. Ever since then, I have just been picking up more and more knowledge about MMA. I don’t consider myself an expert or anything however I do consider myself to know a whole hell of a lot.

15 comments:

The Wrestling Bros said...

i look like im 10

Lee Clayton said...

Aww, its the hat i think :p

Darth Nihlist said...

The WWE has been surpassed by the UFC. Please refrain from talking about the WWE here. UFC is all that needs to be discussed. It is real, WWE is NOT!! Thank You. The writers here are obviously juveniles that pander to the WWE.

Benjamin Zeidler said...

In PPV numbers, sure, it has. But that doesn't mean that some fans, like myself (and millions of others) still go to the WWE each week for some violence and entertainment.

There are things that I like better about the UFC. The reality of it all is certainly on my list, and you mentioned that.

However, there are things that I like better about the WWE. First, I enjoy having new programming every week compared to the UFC, of which the majority of their shows are PPVs. Second, I enjoy the entertainment value of it all. It's a big, well-planned soap opera with women and fighting. What's not to love.

Moreover, if you don't like that our site covers BOTH the WWE and the UFC, don't come here. We make it very clear that this is a place where fans of all fighting disciplines can come together for some quality shit. Hell, I plan to add boxing one day. We're going to discuss it all, and there's no reason that the WWE and the UFC can't learn to live together. We never compare the two, we never make judgments about which is better, and there's no way in hell I'm going to choose between two things I love.

Finally, as for your calling us juveniles, I won't speak for the other writers (they'll shut you up later), but I will speak for myself and Drew. I'm a Government major at Georgetown University (#23 in the country). After I graduate, I plan to go for either my Masters, my J.D., or and MBA. Drew's also at Georgetown and is in the highly-prestigious McDonough School of Business. He'll graduate soon too, and then go on to do just about whatever he wants. Juveniles...nope. Loyal to what we love...absolutely.

Oh, and we got two words for ya...

The Wrestling Bros said...

SUCK IT

Lord Vader, I hate to say it, but a WWE wrestler has just as good of a chance of getting injured as a UFC fighter does...if not a better chance. Injuries are REAL. That means you can consider part of wrestling REAL.

Let me share with you the injuries that a Mr. Mick Foley had sustained just 13 years through his long 21 year career:

torn meniscus, torn abdominal, broken right wrist, bone chips in elbow, two herniated discs, second-degree burns on arm and shoulder, separated right shoulder, broken cheekbone, four front teeth knocked out, two-thirds of ear ripped off...shall i keep going?...okay i will...eight concussions, nose broken twice, broken jaw, dislocated left shoulder, more than 325 stitches, fractured left shoulder, broken left thumb, five broken ribs, bruised kidney...and a broken toe...

as far as WWE being surpassed by the UFC...like Ben said, in ppv numbers maybe...but WWE has been in the top 5 of yahoo searches for some time now (it is currently number 1 i believe)

Darth Nihlist said...

If you sheep want to keep following a pre-determined outcome form of entertainment, so be it.I like my sports to be REAL and not scripted. Yahoo searches and all that are just proof of the idiocy that is ruining this country. How many searches does yahoo get about the idiot president and his pointless war????

Darth Nihlist said...

silence speaks volumes.

Benjamin Zeidler said...

Go tell Bret Hart that wrestling is pre-determined. I hope he puts you in a Sharpshooter.

Also, you seemed to miss our points. We know it's pre-determined. But it's as dangerous as MMA, more frequently televised, and is just as entertaining.

Benjamin Zeidler said...

I can't think of an MMA moment as incredible as The Montreal Screwjob. Why don't you get on wikipedia and educate yourself?

Darth Nihlist said...

Wikipedia to educate myself????? That might be the funniest statement in the history of the intertrons!!!!! Al Gore invented the internet. LOL!!!!!

Benjamin Zeidler said...

For a term paper in your religion class, wikipedia might not be the best. But we're talking about MMA and WWE history -- I think that wikipedia is just fine for that.

Again, if you can't enjoy our MMA coverage and respect our WWE coverage at the time, please don't be among one of our readers.

Drew Arnold said...

good points ben and jared...darth fag needs something better to worry about.

Darth Nihlist said...

where is this MMA coverage of which you speak??? Did you people send flowers to the McMahon family???

Benjamin Zeidler said...

I find it hard to believe that you couldn't find our MMA coverage. 7 of our last 10 articles were MMA-related. Also, there's a bunch of tabs at the top that say MMA on them (MMA archives, MMA rankings). In site links, there's an MMA section. The poll section features polls about MMA. The store section features reviews of MMA DVDs. So again, I don't really know what you're talking about.

Please stop posting here and please stop visiting our site. I'm thankful for every single one of our 525 daily visitors (on average...and rising daily), but if having one less means I don't have to deal with you, I'd gladly accept that.

Masson Liang said...

LOL, wow. When did all this happen...I love me some good ol' MMAness.