Sucker Punch Pro Series (Unrestrained) Opens in Sydney

[HareRumpler]

Hello out there Sucker Punch Fans!  Hare Rumpler here with you and we have something a little new that we’re trying this week as was recently discussed in a mailing I sent out.  While our ongoing Previews for Sucker Punch events will continue status quo, we’re going to try out a more informal weekly style recap for the review process.  For that, we’re going to turn the majority of things over to Suzy Sucker Punch as our media specialist along with Donkey “Dan” for much of the fight and divisional standing analysis.  Of course, I’ll still be the one guiding things behind the scenes so if you want to take issue with the standings, who’s sitting where or where your guy happens to be…well, your beef is with me and I say ‘bring it!’…this is Sucker Punch after all!

You can expect a little bit of everything with this new format!  While we won’t be focused so much on a fight by fight analysis of things, Suzy and Donkey will still be taking a look at the fights that happened over the course of the discussion. But in addition there will be more focus on the divisions as a whole to help give a feel for where our…and by our, I mean my…thoughts are with regards to progress up and down the ladder and who is in position for what.  Also, as time allows and when divisions have had enough action and change to warrant it, we’ll be providing some updated divisional rankings as part of this review.  At least for the Top 10 or so in each division. 

Being that it’s been just about two weeks since I’ve slacked off and not provided previews/reviews for our events this one will be a bit more lengthy than normal as it includes three events for SPPS 81-83 with span the period from August 25th to our most recent event a day or so ago on September 8th.  Suzy and Donkey won’t always run through the divisions in order from Featherweight to Heavyweight but today that’s likely the way this is going to flow, again, due to the number of events that are being discussed at once here.

Now, I can’t promise that this format will be the final format we stick with.  It’s just something I’m trying out to see if it provides a bit of a change of pace while still being fun, worthwhile and having some value for you folks, our amazing managers.  But, it also has to be something that can help me at least not add on more time to the already time-consuming process for reviews.  I’m hoping that maybe I can even get to the point where I can produce these in about half the time it would take me to do individual ones for each event while at the same time hopefully not failing to provide the type of value in the org that I know you folks have some to expect…and deserve!

Let me know what you guys think about this format and whether I should continue with it or not?  Obviously this first time is not a time saver for me as I have to figure out formatting, etc.  Most weeks also wouldn't be quite this long as there would be less to go over and not as much "setting of the table" so to speak.  Should I post them all together in a single post or perhaps follow one after the other in separate posts as I go?  I've started with just the Featherweights to get some feedback from ya'all!

Now, I’ll turn things over to Suzy and Donkey!  Take care and enjoy all!

Suzy: Hello everybody!  I cannot begin to tell all our fans out there how excited I am to get out of the back office and have a chance to really show people what Sucker Punch is all about again!  It’s been a while since I’ve been actively involved in the direct communications with you all out there in Sucker Punch Land so yes, I’m a little hopped up today and it’s not all due to the coffee.  Donkey, how about you, are you excited for this change of pace with the Sucker Punch reviews?

Donkey: Very much so Suzy.  Absolutely.  I liked the other format as well and while Hare can be trying at times with his over-exuberance for some aspects of the fight game and corny jokes it was still great working side by side with him weekly.  But this new format I think is going to allow me to go into a little more detail about the divisions as a whole and where things stand.  I think that’s a great thing for our managers and fans out there!  And, of course, I get to work with you and that’s easily an upgrade over Hare.

Suzy: Well, that’s flattering Donkey...I think.  Let’s move into our first division tonight to see where things stand ok?  Hare mentioned we’d be going through these a bit more in order than we might going forward.  He’s right, each division had a huge amount of activity so there’s no reason for us not to jump right into the Featherweights!

Suzy: Donkey, the Featherweight division was well represented over the past two weeks and three events here at Sucker Punch!  In our most recent party over at the Bondi, SPPS 83, there were five Featherweight bouts alone which represented half the card.  The top fight on the card, a contest between Greg Connor and Destin Craven, even took the Main Event spotlight despite there being a Welterweight title fight on the line in the Co-Main Event slot!  But it was probably the two fights from SPPS 81 that mean the most in the division.  Would that be accurate Donkey?

Donkey: Well, I don’t know if I’d say that they mean the most, Suzy.  With the title on the line at SPPS 81 between defending champion Chulalongkorn and the challenger, returning, former champion Jean Baptiste, you definitely have “immediate impact” value there.  But all of the fights, especially several of those five from SPPS 83 will have consequences and effects upon the division for months to come.  None more so potentially than the Jihadi Joseph/Michael Aalto contest that sat in the middle of the Main Card leading into the Main Events.

Suzy: Ok, let’s talk about that fight then.  What did you see and what makes it so impactful for the Featherweight division?

Donkey: The fight between Michael Aalto and Jihadi Joseph was a Top Contender battle that Hare put together to give both men a shot at a title fight.  Aalto because he was the former two-time Featherweight Champion until he lost the belt to Chulalongkorn in July and with a win would deserve a chance to regain the belt.  Joseph was on a five fight winning streak since arriving at Sucker Punch and had sliced through the competition which included guys like Skywalker, Cabrera and Drake.  Guys who were generally considered to be near or at the top of the division as contenders or potential contenders. 

Suzy: Did the fight go as you expected Donkey?

Donkey: If I’m being honest, not at all Suzy!  Now, I don’t mean to say that I disrespect Joseph in any way, he’s a skilled striker and he’s proven he’s one of the best in the division.  Even prior to this fight.  But you’d have to understand that I was leaning towards the two-time champ in this one and his knowledge of how to get the job done.  Aalto is an extremely skilled ground specialist who can strike with his opponents as well when needed.  But in this fight, he really needed to get it to the ground and make good on the opportunities against a striker of Joseph’s skill and talent. 

Suzy: If I recall, Aalto did get it to the ground, right?

Donkey: He did, but it took him until the third round.  Up till that point his attempts to get it to the mat were rejected by Joseph both in and out of the clinch.  And Joseph had really worked him well up to that point with his striking and kicks.  Aalto was slowed down by close to a dozen leg kicks and frankly by the third didn’t really have much left in the tank thanks to a balanced striking game between the head and body from Joseph.  Once Aalto got it to the ground he was able to start working a combination of ground and pound and submission attempts, but I just don’t think he had the gas to finish things and Joseph proved to have a more than formidable ground defense, controlling from the bottom and preventing Aalto from capitalizing. 

Suzy: In the end it looked like it was a fairly easy call by the judges and I think some folks were surprised that Judge Ben Watson gave the third round to Aalto, the only nod the former champ got on the scorecards, Donkey.  So if I understand correctly, this means that Aalto has some work to do to start climbing the ladder again towards a third run at the title and Joseph is now preparing for a title fight next month against current champ Jean Brady Baptiste!  Let’s talk about his fight from SPPS 81 next?

Donkey: Absolutely!  Baptiste came into the title fight at SPPS 81 as the former champ.  He lost the belt when Aalto submitted him with an americana in early July.  After that, Chulalongkorn came along and bested Aalto at his own game, ripping the belt from his hands via a kimura submission at the end of July.  At the time there weren’t really any other contenders in position yet to have proved themselves worthy of a title shot and the one fight that was made for Baptiste fell through.  The decision was made by Hare to give Baptiste an immediate chance back at the belt rather than create a waiting game.  So that’s how Baptiste ended up right back in the title picture, albeit with the belt changing hands in between.  So this really wasn’t an ‘avenge the loss’ scenario for Baptiste, but it was certainly a shot at redemption against an arguably even better ground specialist in Chulalongkorn.

Suzy: So Baptiste returns to the title picture, this time against Chulalongkorn who was making his first title defense.  We know that Baptiste ended up winning via decision.  Were you surprised by the result?

Donkey: I actually was Suzy!  These first two fights we’re discussing certainly aren’t making my instincts look too good, huh?  But Baptiste had previously had his Jiu Jitsu defenses exposed in his loss to Aalto so my gut feel was that he may struggle even more against Chulalongkorn.  To me, this looked to be a ready-made situation for Chulalongkorn to exploit the same ‘weakness’ that Aalto had taken advantage of.

Suzy: So how did Baptiste avoid the same or similar outcome this time around?

Donkey: Chulalongkorn didn’t attempt to shoot in for his takedowns.  Instead, he was intending to utilize the clinch to get the fight to the ground.  He spent a good amount of energy trying to get into the clinch.  He got into it, but only five of seventeen tries were successful.  Once there though, he just couldn’t get Baptiste to the ground.  Clearly the combination of Baptiste’s sensational wrestling and Muay Thai were topping Chulalongkorn’s exceptional ability in both of those areas.  In between things, he just wasn’t able to match Baptiste strike for strike, both in and out of the clinch, as Baptiste is an elite technical striker who will sting you all night long.

Suzy: Chulalongkorn did get the fight to the ground eventually in the fifth round though.  Too late?

Donkey: Yeah, pretty much Suzy.  I mean, there’s always a chance once you’re in your element down there.  But there was only about a half minute left in the championship round, both men were drained of energy, slippery and there just wasn’t enough time to get a good opportunity.  Baptiste came in ready to defend and succeeded and in between scored the points he needed towards a decision that was a five round sweep with all three judges.

Suzy: I think we’d be doing the Main Event from SPPS 83 a disservice here if we didn’t get into it a bit as well, wouldn’t you say Donkey?

Donkey: That’s a big one and certainly needs to be discussed.  It doesn’t have immediate impact on the title picture but it certainly has set up the action for the next month or two potentially!  This was the Connor/Craven fight and with Connor coming into the org on an eight game winning streak it was simply a matter of getting him some SPPS action first before he was crowned Top Contender.  That’s certainly true as he’d previously been the champ over at BBFC and had bested Chulalongkorn twice already over there!

Suzy: But this fight was a back to back repeat of his first fight here at Sucker Punch against Craven?  What do you make of that?

Donkey: You want me to be honest here?  Without getting us fired?  Ah hell, who am I kidding, let Hare try to fire us, he can’t!  Anyway, Hare’s an idiot.  That’s what I made of it.  Connor dropped Craven in under a half round the first time these two met in July.  Clearly Hare must have had some trouble getting things matched back up again for Connor and then lost track of the notes indicating that Craven was next…and not updated that!  So what did he do?  He blindly went by his notes and put him against Craven again!  I’d love to tell you that there’s more rhyme or reason to it than that, but there isn’t.  Hare’s just a damned fool is all.  Now, Craven was a good test being he’s a former Top Contender here as well but I don’t know that I’d have done it twice.  And clearly Connor felt the same as he made a statement the second time around!

Suzy: You’re talking about the TKO this time around in forty-two seconds?  But it wasn’t a clean KO like last time, right?

Donkey: Technically it wasn’t called a KO but it really was Suzy!  It was forty-two seconds like you said.  And it was a display of punching power as it only took two shots to put Craven down.  The ref should have called it when Craven hit the canvas, it was all over at that point.  Letting Craven take an extra shot of abuse was just unnecessary.

Suzy: So what’s next for both of these kids, Donkey? 

Donkey: Well, Connor’s case is simple for the most part.  He’s established himself at the top of the Featherweight division among contenders and sits waiting for a final contest to determine if he gets a title shot.  Frankly, if Chulalongkorn and Petsuwan Sitsongrit weren’t already lined up for a Top Contender battle with the winner getting a title shot next after the Baptiste/Joseph title fight then Connor would already be the next challenger for the title. But we can’t have him sit for two months waiting again like that.

Suzy: Who do you see Connor fighting then before the next title opportunity?

Donkey: Honestly, it’s a shame that Jake Drake and Connor are managed by family members in the dynamic duo of Andrew Wittig and his father J W Hardman.  That prevents any crossover in fights and such for us.  But that’s a fight I’d love to see honestly.  The same obviously goes for Dismantle and Connor, as both are managed by Wittig, yet, both are right up there in line and are deserving of being considered right away.  No, right now the likely fight is probably against the winner of Tyson Thompson and Luke Skywalker which happens in just under a week from now!  Skywalker is 2-0-1 over his last three and 4-1-1 going back further.  It’s probably his time if he can get the win over Tyson Thompson who is 7-2-1 in his career. 

Suzy: Well, we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves here, but since we’re on the topic why don’t we look at who you see coming up behind them?

Donkey: I can give you my view on it Suzy but remember, Hare does the rankings.  So for anybody who has a bone to pick after they come out, Hare is the target for your anger folks!  But right now taking a quick look you have to see Godefroy Courtial as an up and comer as he continues developing.  He’s got three in a row recently and is taking on a technically more skilled Craven next.  If he wins that fight, he’s arrived in the upper range of the division. 

Donkey: Aalto is always a threat as well.  Yes, he lost the belt and then lost his opportunity to get back to it, so he has two losses in a row.  But if he can start stringing them for a few fights in a row again he’ll be right back in the picture. 

Donkey: Nagashima is also right there and with another win or so could put himself squarely into the contender conversation.  He’s 4-1 over his last five fights.  A win over newcomer to SPPS, Ecce Homo, in early October could be what he needs to push him up the ladder but prior losses to Skywalker and Thompson leave him with a few things to prove still before he can be given serious consideration again.

Suzy: What about Count Dankula?  He had an amazing run with Sucker Punch his first time through and is back with a new manager now?

Donkey: Yep!  The Dank man is back in town under new management.  But unfortunately he’s not in quite the same form he was on his prior run when he was 5-0 and undefeated on his career.  When he left, he was the Featherweight Champ here at Sucker Punch and looked to be poised to stay there for quite a while!  Unfortunately, he’s struggling to recapture his place in the division as he’s gone 1-2 upon his return to us, with the two losses coming most recently.  We’ll have to see if this is just a matter of shaking off the rust or not!

Suzy: So back to business here before we get to Hare’s rankings for the Featherweight division.  Shall we take a quick peek at the other four fights that took place, three at SPPS 83 and one other at SPPS 81?  Donkey, tell us what you saw and anything of note?

Donkey: Yep!  Let’s go back to SPPS 81 and then work our way forward from there.  The fight that opened the card two weeks ago was the contest between Carlos Villarreal and Apophis Kalmisto.  Villarreal took a tough, hard fought loss which makes it three in a row, each under a different manager as he’s bounced between teams a bit lately.  Next month he’ll get a chance to mix it up with Count Dankula who as I just mentioned is coming off two losses of his own.  He comes to the table with equal skills to Villarreal and it’ll be a solid test with both of them only 1k apart in registered ID.  One of them will get a win and move forward again, barring a crazy draw or something!

Donkey: Kalmisto started out his career with two QFC losses under former management but was dropped, picked up by Marky Mark and his team and slowly built into a brand new machine!  After joining Sucker Punch two months ago he was ready and primed for a rebirth and has made good on this effort with two wins in a row.  He’ll be tested next month against Yellow Belt Casey, a fighter who has split a loss and win against Villarreal with the win for Casey being most recent.  Clearly it’s another step forward in challenge for Kalmisto and it’s a big next step as he continues his movement up the ladder!

Suzy: So that does it for SPPS 81 and brings us forward to SPPS 83.  There were three more fights on that card earlier in the evening that we haven’t discussed yet.  Anything you’d like to note about those, Donkey?

Donkey: The Cabrera/Dismantle fight that went to a split decision was just a crazy one Suzy!  When you talk split decisions you couldn’t be any more split than that one!  Dismantle clearly took the first round with his striking which left Cabrera behind on the scorecards and needing a big comeback or a finish on the ground.  He was up to the task in the second round but it was the third round that had everybody wondering…and arguing…over the logic behind it!  Cabrera controlled most of the round and appeared to be able to pull off the victory but the judges appear to have given it to Dismantle based upon a few strikes at the very end.  This one is still being grumbled about and I’m told the Cabrera camp is eager for a rematch.  It’d love to see the rematch also as I’m sure the fans would too!

Donkey: Before that, you had Drake and Plugger go at it.  Plugger is one of those “ground gimmick” guys as I like to call them, not much in terms of well-rounded MMA but if they can get you on the ground you’re in a lot of trouble.  Drake can hold his own on the ground to say the least, so that made this one interesting.  We didn’t know if Drake would try to impose his will in Plugger’s wheelhouse or if he’d go another approach.  We found out!  Drake showed that he could take on Plugger even in his area of strength and come out the victor with a solid submission victory in the second round!  Impressive and just goes to show why Drake is considered one of the top fighters in the division.  He’s likely to see Yellow Belt Casey next while Plugger gets tested against a different style of competition with Danny Rand on tap.

Suzy: And last but certainly not least, we’re left with the Courtial/Rand fight from SPPS 83?  I’ve been told that this one came very close to stealing ‘KO of the Night’ honors due to the explosive highlight reel action?

Donkey: It was absolutely looking like a lock for the award Suzy…right up until Greg Connor stole it with his forty-two second TKO over Craven in the Main Event!  But Courtial put on a show, stopping this one just shy of the halfway point in the first round.  He rocked Rand early before the minute mark with a right and then put Courtial in dreamland with a nasty head kick to end things! Rand was never able to get the fight to the ground where he wanted it and Courtial just wasn’t pulling any punches or kicks, loading each one up with some serious power.  It wasn’t Rand’s night, and he’ll get a chance to bounce back against Plugger next month.  We’ve already discussed it, but Courtial will see Draven next month and that is a HUGE opportunity for him to show if he’s ready to be part of the elite in the Featherweight division!

Suzy: Ok Donkey, well, I guess that leaves us with no way to delay any longer here.  We’re going to have to toss Hare’s Featherweight Top 10 out there and let the dust settle where it may!  Remember folks, don’t shoot the messengers…please?

145 – SPPS Featherweight Top 10:
C – Brady Jean Baptiste (11-2-1) (7-1-0 SPPS)
2 – Jihadi Joseph (8-1-0) (6-0-0 SPPS)
3 – Magnificent Chulalongkorn (12-5-0) (2-1-0 SPPS)
4 – Petsuwan Sitsongrit (7-1-0) (6-0-0 SPPS)
5 – Greg Connor (14-1-0) (2-0-0 SPPS)
6 – Mickey Dismantle (11-4-1) (11-4-1 SPPS)
7 – Jake Drake (11-3-1) (5-3-1 SPPS)
8 – Michael Aalto (11-3-0) (10-3-0 SPPS)
9 – Luke Skywalker (9-6-2) (9-6-2 SPPS)
10 – Tyson Thompson (7-2-1) ( 1-1-1 SPPS)

Suzy: We’re moving right along here Donkey!  On to the Lightweights!  Now, these boys weren’t quite as active over the past three Sucker Punch events with only four fights over that period.  But do you know that that means Donkey?

Donkey: Well Suzy, unfortunately I don’t think it means what you think it does!  My guess is that you’re assuming that that means this division must be super active over the next few cards.  That’s just not the case though.  Our Lightweight division here at SPPS has historically been one of our more shallow divisions for one reason or another.  That’s the bad news.  The good news?  We have brought on a few more new faces of late and over the next month or so they’ll start getting into the mix!  That just won’t happen over the next week though as we only have three Lightweight fights between the 15^th and 18^th this month.

Suzy: Well, that’s a little disappointing in the short-term, but you know me Donkey, something to look forward to!  Alright, so we have just four fights to look at here and I guess we can spend some time looking at the division as a whole as well, if that’s ok with you Donkey?

Donkey: That sounds great Suzy.  This division may be somewhat shallow as I mentioned but it still has a lot going on with some highly skilled fighters!  Did you know that just about all of the kids in this division, minus just a small few, are 4.0 or 4.5* skill rated?  That’s really solid and makes for a division where nobody is ever safe!  Even the first, and for the longest time, ONLY Lightweight Champion that SPPS had seen learned that lesson recently in July when Guy River finally relieved him of the belt.  Logan had literally been undefeated over the course of ten fights here at Sucker Punch, including an incredible eight title fights!  So no, nobody is ever safe!

Suzy: A fair warning to all comers Donkey!  Now, I think it’s safe to say that there weren’t any high profile fights included in the four we’re about to discuss?  Correct?

Donkey: Well, high profile?  No.  But fights that are going to play into the mix very quickly and are, as I like to say, helping to ‘set the table’?  Absolutely.  And let’s just cut right to the chase…we’re talking about the Dominguez/Hazuki fight from SPPS 81 and the Cobain/Nichols fight from SPPS 82. 

Suzy: Those are the fights I thought you’d focus on Donkey!  So tell me about the Lightweight battle from two weeks back between Montesh Dominguez and Ryo Hazuki.  What made that one special or important?

Donkey: Well, Dominguez has really picked up the pace of late, Suzy.  For a long time here at Sucker Punch he seemed to simply be drifting back and forth between wins and losses, never quite establishing consistency.  But lately he and his manager, Gunnar Pleysa, seem to have really focused in on things and he’s on a three fight winning streak!  Part of that streak includes defeating hard hitting, multi-time Top Contender Kurt Cobain via decision.  This fight with Hazuki was a chance for us to see him challenged in a different way against a solid ground game and Dominguez came through with flying colors in yet another decision victory. He prevented a ton of takedown attempts in that fight, especially outside the clinch, but even when taken down he managed to get back to his feet every single time.  Hazuki was never able to capitalize and never had any quality opportunities. 

Suzy: So where would you say this leaves Dominguez in the mix of things?  And even Hazuki?

Donkey: According to Hare, Dominguez will see Akara Kongsangchai next.  Now, understand, I don’t really agree with that fight, Suzy.  I feel that Dominguez needs to be truly tested to determine if he should be in the Top 10 or even possibly higher in the Lightweight division.  And I don’t mean to disrespect Kongsangchai, but he’s on a losing streak like I’ve never seen before.  He has skills, but right now, he’s just not in the right headspace to be considered a serious test for Dominguez.  If I had it my way, he’d be seeing somebody like Yip Man lii or Pablo…um…well, I can’t pronounce it but it’s something like Itchy-palinkus or something like that.   

Suzy: Well, maybe in the next fight after this if Dominguez gets past Kongsangchai?  I think we all know that the worst thing you can do is to overlook your next fight though!  Hazuki?

Donkey: Hazuki has certainly suffered some setbacks at 2-5 on his career, all here at Sucker Punch.  But the thing to remember with this kid is that he’s just that!  A kid.  He’s young, talented, and I wouldn’t be surprised one bit if suddenly things click in for him and he goes on a beastly tear at some point soon.  He’s got a solid 3.5* skill rating at a very young age.  He’s just going to get better and better!  Later this month he takes on Timmy Flowers, a fight that pits him against competition closer to his age and experience as well as current skill level.  It’s a solid test where he could walk away with a win and along with it, renewed confidence that he’s going to be just fine!

Suzy: The other fight you mentioned was the Kurt Cobain and Andrew Nichols fight from SPPS 82 I believe. What is it about this fight that makes it worth a closer look?

Donkey: Well, it’s not even so much the fight itself that is of interest, it’s what it means for both fighters going forward.  The “Front Man” Cobain was a machine of pure destruction for a long time here at SPPS and was in the title hunt twice, once at Featherweight and then here at Lightweight.  Following that most recent belt opportunity and the loss to Logan, he faltered a bit with subsequent losses to Ramon Rabbit and yes, Dominguez who was just spoke about.  If we are going to see Cobain turn things around and return to form, it needs to start with a win.  This one here, where he got the TKO in the first round, may be just that type of jumpstart!  So really, it’s more about what happens next for Cobain?  Does he start building momentum and confidence again or does he stumble?  His fight in early October against Dee Devon, an 8-3 career ground specialist with submission skills, will certainly tell us if Cobain is ready to continue competing with a more well-rounded ID range as everybody has improved!

Suzy: Wow, that’s a lot thrown out there on Cobain!  But considering he has seventeen career fights, all here at Sucker Punch, he deserves it, for sure.  What about Andrew Nichols?

Donkey: Well, it’s about finding out exactly what Nichols has under the belt and in his heart here at Sucker Punch.  He joined SPPS two fights back after a brief hiatus from the cage.  Prior to that break he’d been with BBFC and had left with a three fight losing streak.  His first fight here he won, but, not to belittle a win…it was against a less than prepared Alex Martens who was since sacked by his manager.  Nichols has a fairly high MMAT registered ID for this restricted range and should be able to take on just about anybody 355k+ at this point.  And we’re going to see just how he responds to being called out!  Conor Aldo actually stepped to Lightweight specifically so he and his manager could call out Nichols.  They saw his ID, they saw his record, they saw his skill ratings on paper…and they still feel that Aldo can take him.  If that doesn’t light a fire under your ass to train like hell for a month, I don’t know what will!

Suzy: That’s incredible Donkey!  If the Dibiase camp sees this there’s no doubt they will be fired up to come in at their very best come October 2^nd for that fight!  There were two other fights in the Lightweight division over the past three events, care to touch on those?

Donkey: Let’s do that!  The Kira Yoshikage fight from SPPS 82 went exactly as you want to see a fight go.  Alex Martens had been coming in a little less than prepared and frankly underperforming for his MMAT ID and skill levels.  When you get a chance against somebody like that it’s your job to put them away!  Yoshikage did exactly that after he got into the clinch and then put this Martens on his back.  Initiate ground and pound!  Game over.  Martens had no defense and Yoshikage controlled the fight on the ground, landing a large number of shots and eventually got not only the win, but the pleasure of forcing an opponent to tap out due to strikes!  That’s brutal. As a fighter, or the manager of one, you never want to see a guy’s heart shrivel up and die and that’s what happens when you submit to strikes.  It’s not surprising that Martens was sacked.

Donkey: SPPS 83 gave us the last of the four Lightweight battles early on midway through the Undercard.  Paetmar versus Barnes.  When Venali Paetmar first arrived at Sucker Punch I admit I wasn’t impressed.  Not even a little.  Yes, he was relatively young at the time compared to some of the others but his losses to Chester, Hare’s own Revorg who was considerably younger at the time, and Pure Striker were concerning. But then something seemed to click for this kid!  Maybe he just needed to be punches in the face a certain number of times before he got angry, who knows!  But he’s gone 4-0-1 over his past five fights and even though the level of competition isn’t at the top of the ladder you can only win against those you’re schedule to fight.  Now, that said, I will say that the draw against Alex Martens is a little concerning considering what we’ve already discussed tonight with him. 

Suzy: Some really great insight there Donkey!  Now, before we look at Trevor Barnes who fell to Paetmar by decision in this last fight, how do we find out which Paetmar we’re really dealing with?  The one who struggled early?  The one who has now found success?  Or one who is simply profiting off ‘lesser’ competition? 

Donkey: Simple.  We throw him out there against some real competition that should push him.  The first stop on that tour will likely be in late October against Ryo Hazuki after he completes his already scheduled fight on September 29^th.  Hazuki isn’t ‘top tier’ competition yet, but he has a quality ground game and that should tell us a few things about Paetmar. If he succeeds, we’ll step it up a notch again in another way!

Donkey: Now, a quick note on Trevor Barnes here before we move on.  He’s struggled with on and off performances since joining Sucker Punch.  But it’s not really his fault to be honest.  He does well when he has the full support of his camp.  The problem is simple.  His manager keeps leaving him out to dry on a regular basis and goes MIA, leaving Barnes to fend for himself and sadly, coming to the cage unprepared far too often especially of late.  He has tons of potential, but he needs consistent management if he’s going to fully realize it.  We’ll probably set him against Timmy Flowers next month in a fight that should be extremely fair and even for both fighters if they come prepared.

Suzy: Alright!  A lot of ground covered here in the Lightweight division here at Sucker Punch, Donkey!  So much fun!  Do we want to get into top of the division discussion and looks at some of the up and coming players in the division or not this time around?

Donkey: No, I don’t think we really need to tonight Suzy.  Six of the top fighters in the division all fight in the next week in SPPS 84 and SPPS 85.  Hare and I will be covering those fights in detail in the previews and then you and I will get an opportunity to really get into the good stuff about them in our next Cheap Shots Week In Review I hope!

Suzy: That sounds great and leaves us some great stuff to look forward to!  See, I told you, it’s worth being optimistic Donkey!  Ok, so, we’re going to toss Hare’s Lightweight Top 10 out there and again, folks, don’t shoot the messengers…please?  Yes, I’m going to say that every time to try to protect myself and Donkey from the wrath that should go to Hare!

155 – SPPS Lightweight Top 10:
C – Guy River (9-3-0) (9-2-0 SPPS)
2 – Frankie Logan (11-2-1) (10-1-1 SPPS)
3 – Ziggy Ozbourne (7-1-1) (0-0-1 SPPS)
4 – Maximus Furioto (15-6-0) (8-3-0 SPPS)
5 – Yip Man lii (12-3-0) (5-1-0 SPPS)
6 – Montesh Dominguez (6-7-0) (6-6-0 SPPS)
7 – Vinicius Verreira (5-2-0) (5-1-0 SPPS)
8 – Kurt Cobain (11-6-0) (11-6-0 SPPS)
9 – Kira Yoshikage (8-4-0) (8-4-0 (SPPS)
10 – Pablo Itzpapalotltotec (11-5-0) (0-1-0 SPPS)

 

Suzy: Donkey and I took a much needed break overnight here after we looked at the Featherweight and Lightweight divisions here at Sucker Punch. But now we’re back and ready to move on to the Welterweights.  I know we thought that the Lightweights were a bit…oh no, I feel a “Hare” style joke coming on here…but “light” on the action over the past three events but the Welterweights were even more so with only a single fight on each card. 

Donkey: It’s true that the Welterweights didn’t have a huge presence over the past two weeks but the fights that happened were some of the bigger ones in the division, Suzy!  Not the least of which was the title fight between defending champ Juan Christiano and challenger Mister Lee.

Suzy: You don’t get much bigger than that I guess, Donkey!  So let’s start there in the most recent event, SPPS 83.  The fight went to a decision which probably isn’t something that would surprise most fans as Christiano’s last five fights have all been decided by the judges.  Anything in particular jump out in this one for you Donkey?

Donkey: Christiano has pretty much been a thorn in the rest of the Welterweight division’s side here at Sucker Punch since his arrival!  He was a former champ at Checkmate before sliding over to SPPS.  He’s only lost a single fight over his ten contests here with us, with the loss to Ronnie Bass costing him the belt temporarily.  He bounced right back to defeat Barbosa which allowed him to re-enter the title picture, which he full capitalized on to begin his second run as champ which has continued to this day.  His first title defense after getting the belt back was against Ronnie Bass again and he was able to avenge that loss which had to be particularly satisfying for him! 

Donkey: This was another typical fight for Christiano where he works a guy deep into the championship rounds and either you cave after gassing out or he simply picks you apart and happily sends it to the judges.  The difference here was that Lee stood in there for the full five rounds and he wasn’t the only one drenched in sweat and running on empty at the end!  He dished out a solid helping of body shots and leg kicks trying to work Christiano down and slow him enough to get points of his own.  It wasn’t quite enough, but it was a valiant effort that earned both of them ‘Fight of the Night’ honors!  Despite the strike totals being somewhat close, Christiano knows how to do just a “little bit more” in each round to get the judges attention.  That was the case here where he took four of the five rounds on the scorecards and even had Judge Ben Watson give him the third round as well for a sweep on that card. 

Suzy: So what’s next for these two fighters?  It feels like Mister Lee was only a hair away from being able to flip this fight in his favor potentially, so I’m guessing we cannot count him out in the future?

Donkey: Christiano will face Darry Curtis in October in his next title defense.  Something you’ll learn more about in a moment I think as we discuss Curtis’ fight from SPPS 82.  For Lee, it’s all about staying calm, staying steady and staying focused.  He didn’t hurt himself even a little bit with this fight.  Would he have liked to walk away with some brand new hardware?  Absolutely!  But he represented himself and his team very well and doesn’t slip down the ladder much.  If he can go back to his training, focus just a bit, fine tune a few things…well, we’ll be seeing him again soon I think!  Hare has told me that he wants to see how Lee responds to this “setback” and whether he can get right back up for the challenge to stay on top of the pile.  He’s looking at Barbosa as a potential next challenge if he wins his fight on the 18^th or potentially Rabbit who also fights at SPPS 85.  If Lee can stay focused, come out strong and pull off a win in one of those, he’s possibly just a step away from being right back in the title hunt!

Suzy: Wow Donkey!  For these guys at the top the pressure never ends does it?  And that’s what makes a true champion folks...the ability to not just come and bring your best here or there, but to do it over and over with consistency!  So you mentioned that Darry Curtis is going to be facing Christiano next.  He fought on September 4^th at SPPS 82 this past week against Ronnie Bass.  Tell us about that?

Donkey: Well, the first thing I’ll say is that I spoke with Bass’ management team following this fight and I can tell you with no uncertainty that they were not happy with the ruling on this fight!  The fight was so very close for three rounds and yes, there will be arguments each way for who should or shouldn’t have won.  So much so that the Bass camp really wanted a rematch immediately.  And Hare would have loved to have given it to them from what I could gather, but at the same time he needed the next opponent for Christiano in line and this fight was the determiner for that.  But you get two guys in the cage with heavy hands and a temper and yeah, nobody’s ever going to be happy with the result unless it’s a KO and then only the guy still standing is going to be happy!

Suzy: Ok, so let’s flip to Bass instead before we discuss Darry Curtis being we already know Curtis won via decision in a close one and with it earned a title shot.  What does a loss in a tightly contested fight like this, a Top Contender elimination battle, do for Bass’ prospects at Welterweight?

Donkey: It sets him back a bit, but not a lot.  And the only reason it sets him back much at all is because this division is a gauntlet of highly skilled fighters.  He’s a two-time former champ though with a ton of KO’s stacked up on his record.  However, three of his last four fights have been losses, albeit two of them were title fights.  He lost the belt to Red Crow after his second run as Welterweight Champ, defeated Queen but then fell to Christiano in a rematch from the first time they met, which was when he grabbed the belt for the second time.  So this Curtis loss is the second L in a row and obviously will make it so he has to string together several wins if he wants a fourth opportunity for the belt, especially with so many other fighters in this division vying for the opportunity. Do not count his man out though, when his confidence is running high and his strikes are landing he’s one of the most feared fighters in the division!

Suzy: Ok, so Curtis.  What will he have to do to have some success against Christiano? 

Donkey: I don’t really want to get into that too much at this time, Suzy.  We’ve got a month before that fight and we’ll be discussing it in depth in the preview when we get there closer to October 13^th.  But he’s beaten Bass who has bested Christiano in the past and he just got to see Mister Lee give Christiano a run for his money.  Between those two and having seen Christiano quite a bit he’ll likely be working on some of the small things that can make the difference in that fight.  Unless he thinks he can finish early though he’d better be prepared for a long five rounds and have a plan to not gas out…or to ensure that Christiano does before he does!

Suzy: We’ve got one more Welterweight fight if we step back a little further to SPPS 81, Donkey.  Justin Kulina versus Pete Dunham. Another decision making this a sweep with the fights going to the judges for the Welterweights over the past two weeks.  See anything that opened your eyes there?

Donkey:  Hare certainly had his fun making this fight Suzy.  And I don’t fault him in any way for it, despite some big differences between the two kids they also were extremely well matched!  This was a case where Kulina was the younger of the two by far but had more experience in the cage as he’d been fighting pretty early on in his training.  He also technically had a bit more skill, at least on paper, heading into this fight.  But you absolutely cannot discount the MMAT registered ID difference here with Kulina being 365k and Dunham being 356k.  That 9k difference should have provided Dunham all the advantages he needed in development of his secondary skills and physicals to impose his will on the fight. 

Suzy: So if I may Donkey, it looks like all of that added up to a very even fight with the stats showing the same.  Kulina took the first two rounds with the judges but Dunham was coming back in the third round and the momentum appeared to have changed.  Could he have won this fight rather than having it go to the young upstart Kulina?

Donkey:  Dunham turned it on for sure but I’m not sure if he had the gas to take things over if the fight was longer.  He looked a little spent at the end and I think his performance in that third round was due to trying to give it everything he had and take his shot at a comeback!  I give the boy credit, that shows some heart and desire, and you know we absolutely love that!  Kulina was the more aggressive fighter though, certainly in the clinch, and that’s what did Dunham in I think.  Dunham probably needs to either improve his ability to avoid the clinch…or embrace it and get after it a bit more to reverse those numbers there in the future.  I’m sure he and the Dragovic team will be reviewing that before he gets in the cage again.

Suzy: Where do they go from here, Donkey? Are they close to the top?

Donkey:  Not quite yet, Suzy. But I see the potential for both of them to make strides forward.  Kulina is the closer of the two to climbing into the contender ranks as he’s 5-2 since joining Sucker punch and has won four of his last five fights, two in a row now.  But he’s so, so young and I suspect this management team with Kelly McGrady at the helm is going to want to take the “slow and steady wins the race” approach.  Keep working, keep focusing, keep improving…and keep winning.  Until one day you look up above and think, “You know, I can take any of those guys that are still ahead!” 

Donkey:  For Dunham, it’s just a focus on little tweaks and trying to fill in gaps.  He’s 0-3 and that can be rough on the psyche.  He’s got heavy hands, we know this from his early days in KT.  But, he hasn’t shown the ability to utilize them yet despite being elite in both boxing and Muay Thai and having the chance to use those skills against like-minded opponents over the past two fights.  There might be some questions about the chin and heart that have to be answered.  Or maybe it’s just a slight tweak here and there as I said that will turn his fortunes around!

Suzy: Ok Donkey, in just a week from now we have five fights, ten fighters, from the Welterweight division lined up at SPPS 85!  That card over at the Bondi is pretty much a Welterweight showcase, just without the current top four in the division in attendance.  Do we want to discuss the up and comers in the division who could be making a push to the top soon or is that best left for next time?

Donkey:  Absolutely a discussion for next time!  The Welterweight action next weekend is going to be phenomenal and the direction of the division over the next 2-3 months is going to be heavily affected by these fights.  Some will rise above the pack…some will fall to the back.  Some will just keep snarling and nipping at everybody around them!  Ha!

Suzy: If that’s the case then I guess we have no choice but to get to the business at hand and once again put ourselves out there as the messengers to be shot thanks to Hare!  It’s time for his Welterweight Top 10!

Donkey:  Before you do that Suzy, let me just say this please.  These rankings are certain to create some controversy.  I said it before, this division is stacked with great talent.  And these rankings of Hare’s are likely going to change drastically between now and the next time we talk!  I know for a fact that solid, top skill fighters like Queen, Rabbit, Sanchez, Kulina and several others were left outside the Top 10.  And I list those in no particular order.  They shouldn’t take offense…and should know that they’re likely one win away from knocking others the hell out of there and putting themselves in their place!  This is an exciting division!

170 – SPPS Welterweight Top 10:
C – Juan Christiano (14-3-0) (9-1-0 SPPS)
2 – Darry Curtis (8-6-0) (5-1-0 SPPS)
3 – Red Crow (10-4-1) (10-3-1 SPPS)
4 – Rick Segura (6-2-0) (6-1-0 SPPS)
5 – Leroy Jinx (10-2-1) (0-0-1 SPPS)
6 – Mister Lee (6-5-0) (6-4-0 SPPS)
7 – Ronnie Bass (12-4-0) (9-4-0 SPPS)
8 – Keisuke Matsuzaka (13-5-1) (4-2-0 SPPS)
9 – John Fuller (10-6-0) (10-6-0 SPPS)
10 – Baldomir Barbosa (10-6-0) (9-4-0 SPPS)

 

more to come...

[Curix]

I like your graphics works, Hare.

Wonderful job!

[HareRumpler]

3 hours ago, Curix said:

I like your graphics works, Hare.

Wonderful job!

Thanks Roman, appreciate that.  Just working on a few new things for the way I'm going to try out weekly recaps going forward rather than individual Event Reviews.  Appreciate the supportive and kind words!

[jjsquirrel]

John Fury: "Enough with kind words and being nice, you are ruining my buildup for the title fight with that shit. Get all the hares, donkeys and rest of the fucking zoo out of here. I need to punch someone in the face, someone from Finland. Nothing against minorities or anything.. just fight preparation. Practicing my 20 sec KO:s. You there, you look Finnish, no don't try running away!"

[Gator001]

nice work Hare

[Swan]

very nice work

and yes Paetmar will KEAL!

[kfuhrer]

good stuff on the division write up

[scottxbandz]

love it bro

these are all so good so far

[HareRumpler]

SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW

Sucker Punch Pro Series 84

Hello Sucker Punch fans worldwide!  Hare Rumpler here and we’re about to jump into all the action coming your way tonight from the 7,000 seat Schooners Bar in Sydney!  But first, a bit of good news…and a bit of not so great news…and a bit of bad news.  The good news first…and that’s that we’re going to get a preview in for the first time in several events along with an actual poster going on here!  Woot.  And the not so great news…well, we’re one fight short on our card tonight due to a few folks going MIA and not accepting fights over the past month.  But that’s ok, we have nine other fantastic fights on tap this evening not the least of which is our Lightweight title on the line!

But…the bad news…I just had a bomb dropped on my head today at work and it looks as if my workload is about to double which means I’m going to be very hard-pressed to be able to keep up with things and run things the way I like to going forward for at least the next 3-6 months or so.  That’s really depressing me to be honest.  I’m looking into lots of options as we speak as I don’t want this org to flounder away without the attention it deserves.

As you can imagine, I’m tight on time and I’m still in the process of trying to complete divisional reviews of our Middleweight, Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight divisions and the fights over the past few weeks, so we’re going to get a quick word in about our merchandise partner and sponsor here before we hurry over and take a peek at each fight coming up tonight in more detail!

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Now, let's get to it!

***********************

Undercard Bout #1: Featherweights

Tyson Thompson (7-2-1) v Luke Skywalker (9-6-2)

We’ll start the evening off with a fight that is about as evenly matched total skill wise as you can get!  Skywalker holds the smallest smidgen of an edge in wrestling while Thompson is about the same in boxing, but for the most part you can consider this a wash across the board in terms of primary advantages!  Both men are also set and ready to go for this one, so good on them!

Skywalker is 4-1-1 over his past six fights and has moved from winning occasionally by TKO, or as had been more often the case, submission…to instead focusing on taking things the distance and winning via decision which is how he’s snagged his last four W’s.  That doesn’t stop him from trying to take the fight to the ground so he can work a combination of GnP and sub attempts, it just means he hasn’t been able to finish in that manner!

Thompson has had mixed results over his run with Sucker Punch so far splitting things right down the middle over his three fights with one win, one loss and one draw!  He’s won via submission and lost via submission and also managed to hang three rounds against a tough Herve Cabrera for that draw in his last fight with the entire fight staying on the feet. 

Donkey’s Pick: Skywalker via Unanimous Decision

I see this fight mostly staying on the feet but perhaps these two will surprise me.  Each could think they hold the advantage on the ground and decide to work that angle.  I’m not saying that I think the entire fight will be on the feet, just most of it, and given recent history I’m not expecting this one to end up with a finish.  The judges are likely to call the winner but I’d love it if I’m wrong on that here!

***********************

Undercard Bout #2: Middleweights

Paulo Blikstein (9-5-1) v Luka Marka (9-5-0)

Our second fight will be a Middleweight bout between two very accomplished fighters with almost identical records…and skill totals once again just as with the first fight this evening.  We have two guys here well over .500 on their records and that should absolutely tell you something about the quality of fights tonight given this is only the second on the Undercard!

Marka changed management teams prior to his last fight as he moved on from the Hardman camp and has taken up resident with up and comer Scott Bandz and the rest of his stable!  Bandz was able to lead Marka to a close decision over Rogerio Duarte but make no mistake about it, a win is a win and he’ll take it!  With elite wrestling and a brown belt Marka is more than happy to work the ground game and will actively try to get the fight to the mat but if he can’t he’s still a capable striker on the feet.

Blikstein will greet Marka in the cage this evening and has rung up a 2-2-1 record since joining Sucker Punch.  He and his camp would like nothing more than to break free of .500 tonight and to start moving up the ladder!  Blikstein loves to work the ground and pound so if both fighters agree to move this one horizontal it’ll be intriguing to see who can impose their will, win the position battle and rain down the pain!

Donkey’s Pick: Marka via TKO (Strikes)

Both fighters have fallen in a myriad of ways including submissions, KO’s and decisions in the past.  So trying to go by that to judge a chin or ability to gain and control top position is going to be rough on anybody who takes on that effort tonight.  My pick is really just a shot in the dark so we’ll see if I get lucky!

***********************

Undercard Bout #3: Middleweights

Wilfred Ainsworth (9-3-1) v Rogerio Duarte (12-9-0)

Another fight, making it three in a row, where the two combatants are EXTREMELY closely matched!  For this one, Ainsworth will have a small boxing edge while Duarte has the smallest of advantages in Muay Thai and wrestling.  Just going by that I’d be screaming “boxer vs. clincher”, but we’ll have to take a closer look to see if that’s really what we might be in for here!

Duarte came roaring into Sucker Punch with a 2-0 start but then hit a speed bump when he got the shot at Jacob Parker, current champ at the time, two fights back.  In a rebound opportunity after that missed title shot he failed to capitalize on a tough and top tier competitor in Luka Marka. We’ll look to see if tonight is the rebound night instead and also whether he reverts to his ways with the Muay Thai focus.

Ainsworth is an English brawler who has taken to letting things get to the judges more of late. He’s had some split results over the past four fights as he’s bounced from L to W and back again but his most recent fight over Derek Patterson at the end of July saw his arm raised at the end.  He focused solely on his kickboxing last time out with a heavy dose of head and body shots for three rounds with a big helping of leg kicks thrown for good measure. It worked so we’ll have to see if he sticks with that or changes it up this evening!

Donkey’s Pick: Ainsworth via TKO (Strikes)

Duarte did fall to strikes two fights back when he took on Parker and we all know the big bouts that Ainsworth has gotten into as his style is much the same.  For that reason I’m looking at Ainsworth as maybe having what it takes in this one.

***********************

Undercard Bout #4: Heavyweights

Sam Cooper (7-5-0) v Hero Shima (6-4-0)

Big things on the line here for these two big boys as we close out the Undercard!  For Shima, tonight is a chance to earn his shot back to the title picture.  For Cooper, a win over former champ Shima could certainly put him in position to be one more win away from his own title shot!  Shima will have a mild advantage tonight on the feet both boxing and clinching, so we’ll see if that pays off or of Cooper’s bit of advantage in experience and age tilts things his way.

Shima stumbled out of the block when he joined Sucker Punch, taking a loss to ZaDarius Haden in his first fight almost a year ago today.  Then he went on a run, stringing together three victories with only a small misstep against Patrick Murphy before tacking on two more!  With five wins in six fights he was due a title shot and made good on it against Thoth Chontamenti, finally being the only man to dethrone the Beast!  Unfortunately for Shima, it seems Haden is his kryptonite as he returned to be a thorn in Shima’s side during his first title defense, snaking the belt from Shima via Decision a month ago. 

Shima is well rounded with a solid ground game and an ability to strike for points or TKO. He’s dangerous no matter what game plan you come with, so it’s best to know your strengths and roll with it!  Cooper typically wants to be in the clinch to do his work and I wouldn’t doubt for a second that Shima has seen and planned for that.  So the question for Cooper…do you go with what you’re good at…but risk gassing out trying to get there…or do you change it up slightly and go with a bit more balance?  We find out tonight!

Donkey’s Pick: Shima via Unanimous Decision

I suspect Shima will get the fight to the ground a few times and be working for points again tonight as he did against Chontamenti.  We’ll have to find out how Cooper handles that.

***********************

Main Card Bout #1: Heavyweights

Ashwin Tyson (9-3-0) v Devin Hill (7-4-1)

Both Heavyweights who will spearhead our Main Card tonight have an opportunity to make big moves if they can come away with the W!  For Hill, a win tonight would make him 3-0-1 over his past four and certainly make a case that he’s closing in on claiming the TC spot in the division. Tyson, as a 355k ID, would certainly like the opportunity to claim that position for himself sooner than later and a win tonight would certainly help him convince any critics that his loss to Cooper last month was a fluke and that his three fight winning streak before that is what he’s really about!

Hill will have most of the advantages on paper tonight with slightly more skill in boxing and wrestling but a considerable advantage in Jiu Jitsu. Tyson will have the overall time spent training advantage.  Hill does not usually attempt to take the fight to the ground, instead preferring to kickbox or clinch up.

Unless Hill changes things up Tyson will not have to worry about the Jiu Jitsu disadvantage he has.  So this fight should end up being a very evenly matched one where both fighters try to impose their in both areas of standup!

Donkey’s Pick: Draw

I’m going to take the biggest outside shot I’ve ever taken and call for the draw in this one!  Both fighters are built similar outside the BJJ advantage for Hill and I see this being a very, very closely fought contest.  Unless somebody lands that key shot that turns the lights out!

***********************

Main Card Bout #2:  Light Heavyweights

Jacob Parker (10-3-0) v Derwent Bolt (6-1-0)

We’re barely into the Main Card here and we’ve already been talking about fights that have title implications or are very near to it!  The last was getting there but this one is right there already!  Parker and Bolt will throw down in this one with their differing martial arts styles as both attempt to claim the next Light Heavyweight title shot after Lampi/Jury is decided later this week!

It’s pretty simple to describe this upcoming fight.  Ground specialist, submission artist and former title challenger in Bolt against elite striking, standup specialist and two-time former champion Parker!

Bolt did prove he could strike as he defeated Kuznetsov in thirty-one seconds last fight with six straight shots to the ole melon.  But Parker is a whole different class striker and you can be assured Bolt won’t be so daring this go-round!

The big story in this fight is more about the managers though.  I think it was made clear in the forums over the past month that these two don’t share a lot of love for one another.  Either that, or they’re the greatest hype artists ever!  Parker’s even renamed himself to call out Bolt’s manager a bit. Bolt’s manager, Bjorn, had his fair share of fun getting under Parker’s manager, Andy Down’s skin a bit in the contract signing process.  Will they have each of their boys laser focused on this one?

The question on everybody’s minds will be, “Is Parker looking past Bolt already at a potential rematch with Lampi for the title?  And if so, will he be as focused as he should be tonight?”  This is a dangerous fight for both warriors tonight!

Donkey’s Pick: Parker via Unanimous Decision

Parker has never been submitted in his career outside his initial QFC test fight.  Bolt has only been stopped once in his career and that was against the best of the best in a title fight.  Something has to give tonight.  But will it be via finish or will this go to the judges and give both fighters a chance to continue jawing at one another about the result?  I’m thinking decision…and the sparks shall fly no doubt!

***********************

Main Card Bout #3: Middleweights

Obama Filth (7-4-1) v Wanderson Machado (13-3-0)

One man will be watching this fight closer than any other.  And that man is SPPS Middleweight Champion Kiryu Kazuma as he waits to defend the title for the second time. 

Machado would like nothing more than to look up into the seating area, find Kazuma and stare into his eyes as his own arm is raised in victory tonight as it would mean a rematch against the man who took his belt back in July.  Filth, although under new management over the past three fights, would also more than likely relish the opportunity for a little revenge.  For Filth, you have to travel back to his last manager and his last defeat from March this year where you will find Machado’s name.  Both men may have an axe to grind, but they have to get past one another first this evening!

Filth has fine-tuned the art of boxing these days and the ability to use his hands to score points with the judges.  Machado is described by his own management as an outstanding natural talent.  He’s put that talent to use with a strong striking ability both in and out of the clinch, showing he can be both a tactical, accurate fighter as well as bring power when it’s called for.  This should be a standup war and where it takes place may come down to whether Machado wants to clinch up or not…and whether Filth can stop it.

Donkey’s Pick: Machado via TKO (Strikes)

Going to go with Machado here as the former champ but mainly due to his well-rounded approach and ability to exploit the clinch.  Something I expect him to do heavily tonight.

***********************

Co-Main Event:

Lightweight Championship Bout

River vs. Logan III

Guy River (9-3-0) v Frankie Logan (11-2-1)

Here we are at the Co-Main Event tonight which will actually be our title fight on the evening!  Yes, that’s how hyped up the next fight was that it even overshadowed a title fight to some degree! 

Most people would also pause here and assume that I, Hare, must have made a mistake because Frankie Logan is in the blue corner tonight.  Well, “most people” in that case aren’t Sucker Punch fans then because just about every Sucker Punch fan worldwide knows that the Sucker Punch Pro Series Lightweight title changed hands for the very first time ever back in July when Frankie was defeated by River.  That was actually the second time these two have met as Frankie had defeated Guy back in March in Guy’s first bid for the title.

Both have served themselves very well since that first meeting.  River has gone on to a five fight winning streak which included defeating Logan their second go round two months back and then defending successfully against Yip Man lii last month.  Logan on the other hand pulled off a draw against big time competition Ziggy Ozbourne last month and, while I would have loved to roll that back one more time, as the former champ I needed to both have somebody in line as challenger and also give Frankie his shot back at the title after River defended.  So here we are!

Clearly these two know each other well. They’ve gone at it in and out of the clinch in both of their prior fights although more time has typically been spent boxing.  River is one of the few men, if not only, to ever get to Logan’s chin and stun him during fights.  Tonight, with a close split decision in his favor once and then a loss last time for Logan, will he change things up a bit and go another direction? These are two excellent managers, I can’t wait to see the chess match play out!

Donkey’s Pick: River via TKO (Strikes)

Logan deserves all the respect in the world as a true future HoF’er for the org.  But, River does seem to have his number to some degree given the prior results.  And he’s champ, so he too deserves respect!  I’m going to lean in the direction of the precedents, but I also expect some surprises from the former Champ tonight!

***********************

Main Event:

Featured Lightweight Bout

Ziggy Ozbourne (7-2-1) v Maximus Furioto (15-6-0)

Our Main Event tonight will be directly connected to the Co-Main Event, as the winner of this fight will be facing the winner of the prior!  You have to wonder if that is much of a distraction for either pair of fighters as they will have a keen interest in the other fight taking place so close to their own!

Furioto is a skilled ground specialist but it should be noted that his skills are firmly entrenched on the ground and he needs to get their and pull off the submission to have success.  He’s won six of his last seven fights and is well positioned to see if he can use his focused skills to get to the top!  He did have a title shot once before against Logan back in December last year, the day after Christmas, but wasn’t able to come away with the win in a decision loss.

Ozbourne is a former champ from BFC/BBFC and has taken out some big names in his time. Here at Sucker Punch he was able to open his run with a draw against the former champ, Frankie Logan, himself. That alone is enough to prove your worth here in the Lightweight division at SPPS and proves you are right there at the top!  With fantastic management at his back, he’ll be looking to repeat what Logan was able to do to Furioto in stifling his ground attack and then use his own Muay Thai skills to claim his title shot here with us!

Donkey’s Pick:  Ozbourne via TKO (Strikes)

While Mr. Wittig isn’t around a ton these days it’s clear he stopped in long enough to give his boy some advice and let him know he had his back today.  Does that mean Ozbourne is ready to rock and roll?  We’ll find out tonight.  If his TDD or ground defense isn’t on point, Furioto will make him pay though!

***********************

So there we have it Sucker Punch fans!

Get on down to Schooners tonight folks and join the party!  The tailgating’s already going and Sydney is ready to have us make some noise!  It’s time to do this folks.  SPPS 84, TONIGHT!!!

Till then, have fun and don’t forget…

Keep it cheap and dirty…Sucker Punch Pro Series 355k+ style!

[scottxbandz]

Marka said he hopes Blikstein trained as hard as he did so they can put on a great show for the fans

[Gator001]

 

[scottxbandz]

IM AN EVIL SCOTSMAN AND MY NAME IS GEOFFF

[andy808]

The cowardly one has been awfully quiet after getting flattened in 40 seconds

[bjornmma1]

1 hour ago, andy808 said:

The cowardly one has been awfully quiet after getting flattened in 40 seconds

Well, I totally forgot about the fight, so why should I speak... Congrats nonetheless. 

[andy808]

You totally forgot about a fight you were completely obsessed about, and came in fully rested on? Good one. I can fill that one on my bjorn excuses bingo card

[bjornmma1]

4 minutes ago, andy808 said:

You totally forgot about a fight you were completely obsessed about, and came in fully rested on? Good one. I can fill that one on my bjorn excuses bingo card

Half my roster hasn't been training for weeks, so yeah, then they are rested well. 

Not an excuse that I forgot about it. Just a fact and doesn't make up for the loss or anything at all, it is my fault that I forgot, so the loss is 100% on me. 

[andy808]

Except you trained before the fight and rested the session before. So clearly you didnt forget. But keep going on, I have plenty more of your typical excuses on this bingo card to fill out

[bjornmma1]

9 minutes ago, andy808 said:

Except you trained before the fight and rested the session before. So clearly you didnt forget. But keep going on, I have plenty more of your typical excuses on this bingo card to fill out

Believe what you want, couldn't care any less. Real life got in the way and I forgot about an MMA game fight, so be it. I can only be glad that you are so pleased with yourself, good for you. 

[andy808]

Keep that copium up little guy. If you had pulled off a miracle upset you would have blown your load all over the forums. But alas it didnt, so you're just going to play it off like you didnt care. We all know your little act

[bjornmma1]

6 minutes ago, andy808 said:

Keep that copium up little guy. If you had pulled off a miracle upset you would have blown your load all over the forums. But alas it didnt, so you're just going to play it off like you didnt care. We all know your little act

Shit man. You can't take a loss, that is somewhat normal, but now you can't even take a win? It is my fault that I forgot about the fight, so counts just as much as a loss to me as when I would not have forgotten it. 

[andy808]

Do you need an adult?

[MasterLeader]

1 hour ago, bjornmma1 said:

Shit man. You can't take a loss, that is somewhat normal, but now you can't even take a win? It is my fault that I forgot about the fight, so counts just as much as a loss to me as when I would not have forgotten it. 

Give it a rest man - why is it that you are always the centre of drama? Do you have nothing better to do with your life?

[andy808]

He always tries to dish it, but he cant take it when it bites him in the ass

[kfuhrer]

So a heavyweight challenge.... Well as everyone knows the entire MMA world is a buzz with Mr. Pickle now winning two fights in a row one at 185lbs one at 205lbs and if the Pickle wins at 265lbs he accepts the offer for an eliminator match. FEAR THE PICKLE PUNCH!!!!!!!!!!

[HareRumpler]

2 hours ago, kfuhrer said:

So a heavyweight challenge.... Well as everyone knows the entire MMA world is a buzz with Mr. Pickle now winning two fights in a row one at 185lbs one at 205lbs and if the Pickle wins at 265lbs he accepts the offer for an eliminator match. FEAR THE PICKLE PUNCH!!!!!!!!!!

For those who don't know...this is what Kyle's talking about...I put this out in a mail to our HW division yesterday...

*****

Alright boys...here we go.  Occasionally we end up in this position.  Not often, but occasionally.  And when it  happens it's a rare opportunity for you guys to potentially jump the line if you're got the balls to go for it!

 We have Chontamenti/Shima coming up now in October for the next title fight for the HW's.  However, we're in that position where right now we have NO clear cut TC in line after them, or at least, not two to pit in a TC elimination fight.  What does that mean for you?  Think you've been overlooked?  Think you have what it takes and just need that shot?  Are you feelin' your Rocky Balboa on the inside? Step up!  

Here's  your chance.  Want a title shot?  Take on ZaDarius Haden in a Top Contender elimination match next.  If you win, you automatically get the title shot in Mid to late November or the next available card that makes sense and gives you the appropriate rest.  If we get more than one guy stepping up, I'll take the highest rated by hype+pop in our org chart.  One of the few times I'd ever really look or care about that.  

Haden awaits. Chontamenti or Shima awaits after that.  If that doesn't send you pissing yourself and hiding in a corner...then maybe you've got what it takes!  

So...I'm waiting for you call here at Sucker Punch headquarters.

Hare