HareRumpler Posted December 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW (The Main Card!) Sucker Punch Pro Series 102 And here we go with the Main Card to finish off the evening folks! Get ready for some great action tonight! And be sure to holler at yer boys here, let Donkey and I know if you like getting this a bit at a time broken up into pieces or if you prefer one big preview! Now get ready for some fun ladies and gents! It's cockshot, cheap shot, low blow to the dingle dangle time! Main Card Bout #1: Middleweights Luka Marka (10-7-0) v Derek Patterson (4-3-0) We head into the Main Card here as Middleweights Patterson and Marka are all set to let loose upon one another! And with good reason, Donkey! Both have had losses in recent fights and in a division that’s getting jam packed with talent with a quickness taking strides forward is a necessity for those talented individuals who hope to climb to the top! Both of these kids are more than worthy of claiming they fall into that category so it’s time to step it up! And both are very, very prepared for this fight! I love that. And so do our fans. Patterson is an extremely well rounded fighter with sensational skills across the board along with his black belt in Jiu Jitsu. But he’s been struggling with consistency as he bounces between wins and losses since arriving here at Sucker Punch. All of his four fights here at SPPS have come down to decision though. He’s coming off a big win over Paulo Blikstein in what was a hard fought, narrowly won victory. That fight saw him using just about every skill at his disposal, whether kickboxing, clinching up for some Muay Thai or on the ground. About the only thing we didn’t see was a submission attempt. His other recent fights have been similar, with the one constant being a heavy dose of head strike attempts when boxing/kickboxing. Marka is under “somewhat” new management as he was with Hardin for the longest time here at SPPS before switching camps to Scott Bandz’ crew. Under Bandz he started out strong with two wins back to back but has stumbled a bit of late with losses to Filth and Kazuma. He brings a similar approach to the cage as Patterson only with perhaps a slightly more aggressive approach to trying to work some ground and pound into the action. This fight clearly is going to come down to strategy, tactics, a little luck and who wants it more! Donkey’s Pick: Marka via Split Decision Given history by both fighters I’m just not seeing a finish here, although that’s not saying it can’t and won’t happen! But if it goes the distance, and ends up on the ground a bit, I’m guessing Marka can score the points he needs. That said, Patterson is nasty on the feet with shots to the head and if Marka’s chin isn’t up to the task tonight I could be very wrong about the lack of a finish! *********************** Main Card Bout #2: Featherweights Godefroy Courtial (14-4-1) v Kaoru Nagashima (9-9-0) Next up, Featherweight action! And again, two dudes heading into the cage really in great shape both physically and mentally which is absolutely AWESOME! Ole Crazy Eyes, Nagashima, will have the advantage on the ground tonight as he has a small edge in wrestling but a considerable advantage in Jiu Jitsu. On the other side of the cage, Courtial will be the stronger fighter when it comes to all areas of standup. Despite there being a bit of a difference in records here, with Courtial being squarely in the black while Nagashima has been lingering at .500, this should be an outstanding and very fairly matched fight between two guys with differing styles and skill sets! Nagashima can also boast that his trajectory is very different than his record implies. While he may be 9-9, his more recent fights have had him looking like a star on the rise! Yes, he lost to a very, VERY tough Chulalongkorn in November but prior to that he’d won five out of six fights with his only other loss over the span being to Tyson Thompson. Also of note is that his two most recent wins came via submission, something we hadn’t seen from him since early on as his wins over Villarreal, Red and Casey previously were all TKO victories. Which Nagashima will we see tonight? There’s no way to tell. Hell, Donkey, I don’t know if even HE knows what he plans to do. Or if he even bothers with a plan! Kid Sunshine had Courtial cruising along with win after win as he piled up four in a row from July through October this year. Then, in a big opportunity to potentially stake his claim to Top Contender in the division, he fell via a brutal KO to hard hitting Mickey Dismantle, proving that sometimes you die by the same sword you wield! What’s especially exciting is that two of his four recent wins came via Head Kicks finishes, something that always gets fans excited. Ok, and me too! And those weren’t flukes, he has another of the same from earlier in his career at Panda, so this is a man who comes ready to let the feet fly! Donkey’s Pick: Courtial via KO (Head Kick) Ok, I don’t often pander to Hare and do something just to make his day, but this time I will. And I’m doing it for the fans too! I’m not rooting against Nagashima here and frankly it’d be awesome to see this kid really turn it on and prove he can climb the ladder and make a run. But at the same time…who doesn’t secretly hope to see a kick to the noggin’ to finish things? *********************** Main Card Bout #3: Welterweights Mental Warrior (11-6-0) v Samuel Sanchez (11-6-0) Our last fight on the Main Card before we get into our two Main Events and boy, Donkey, this one looks like a HELL of a matchup! Both 11-6 records, one of these two is going to move forward and start to separate from the crowd while the other is going to go back to their gym with a bit more work to do! And here’s a secret for you Donkey…I’ve already told Jinx, who’s been sitting waiting…that the winner here will go against him with a Title Shot on the line for the winner of that fight! So lots on the line here for these two! Sanchez will have the Jiu Jitsu advantage over Warrior while Warrior is the better Muay Thai artist in this fight. That said, Sanchez very much prefers to work the ground and pound once he gets position on mat so while that belt may not come into play too much from a submission standpoint, the skills are still going to help him establish and assert himself on the ground should it get there. Warrior is brand new to our org as he makes his debut this evening although the territory here isn’t entirely fresh for him as he arrives and immediately sees that Demetrius Jackson, who he recently lost to over at CMMA, is now here! Relatively new to Zeke Gunner’s camp, Warrior has had three fights with his current management team but has come away with a disappointing 1-2 record from those fights. Perhaps the change of scenery, despite Jackson’s presence, to Sucker Punch territory will be the jumpstart he needs? Certainly being immediately offered a go at a Title Shot if he can win right away can motivate somebody I’d think! As a boxer and sometimes kickboxer, we can expect he’ll want to keep this fight standing and given his opponent’s skills tonight, that seems like a solid idea. Donkey’s Pick: Sanchez via Unanimous Decision I think we’re going to get a lot of action tonight in this one with three long rounds. But with that there will be plenty of opportunity to get the fight to the ground and that’s where I think Sanchez may score the points he needs. Just a hunch, nothing saying this thing doesn’t go the other direction or end super early either! I’m really excited for this fight as it could be a ‘Fight of the Night’ contender! *********************** Co-Main Event: Featured Featherweight Bout Dismantle versus Aalto II Mickey Dismantle (12-5-1) v Michael Aalto (12-4-0) Our Co-Main event will bring us former Featherweight Champion Michael Aalto and longtime contender Mickey Dismantle as they both attempt to put themselves within spitting distance of another title shot opportunity! The last time these two met it was with the title on the line as Aalto came out on top via a submission with just twenty seconds left in the first round. There’s no reason to expect that the approaches will change much for either fighter here. Just that they may have trained key areas a bit more in the past nine months since they last met and be bringing slightly adjusted skillsets and experience to the table! Dismantle has been running through opponents with five wins over his last six fights. Only Herve Cabrera, who took a back to back fight rematch with Dismantle after they fought to a split decision, has been able to slow down Mickey to any degree. Outside that, fools’ve been fallin’ via KO and TKO! Expect more of the same tonight! If he can catch Aalto… …the man who will want this fight on the ground if he knows what’s good for him! Two time former Featherweight Champ Donkey. Two time! I said former up top, I’m sorry, I should have given him the proper respect! This man looked unstoppable for a run from November a year ago through March, but then finally a stop came when Baptiste came in and took the belt. Aalto was able to avenge that loss and regain the belt from Baptiste just two months later before dropping it again to Chulalongkorn. Since then, he’s struggled to get his confidence back, losing to Jihadi Joseph and Tyson Thompson as well before he righted the ship last month with a win over Herve Cabrera. Aalto can win via strikes or submission, but I’d say the smart money on him to try to avoid trading with Dismantle! Donkey’s Pick: Dismantle via TKO (Strikes) I have zero good reason to pick Dismantle here over the former champ other than playing the devil and setting up a rubber match between the two, perhaps for the belt in the future! *********************** Main Event: Welterweight Championship Bout Darry Curtis (12-4-0) v Konrad Wagner (15-3-0) Bring on the Main Event Donkey!!! Darry Curtis returns to action here as the reigning, defending Welterweight Champion after his successful title defense over Red Crow last month! But tonight he’ll meet a brand new challenge in returning former champ Konrad Wagner who grabbed the championship at a very young age here at SPPS but was unable to defend and hold it, losing to Igor Vovchanchyn the following month. A lot has changed since then, including Wagner’s move to CMMA where he became a two time Welterweight champ there as well. He comes back to Sucker Punch being able to claim he wasn’t beaten for that belt either as he held it upon departure. These two are dead even in skills outside Wagner’s edge in Jiu Jitsu. Aside from that, these two both have extensive resumes, tons of success between them and an in depth knowledge about what it takes to win a championship…and what can happen afterward! Curtis hasn’t experienced a loss of the hardware yet to date, and Wagner would like nothing more than to help him along in his education process! Wagner kickboxes. Hard. You’ll feel every strike of the hands, every thump of a kick, every bruise dealt! He likes to go heavy with both head shots as well as kicks to the legs which help to slow down his opponents and set them up for the bigger, heavier shots to come! Curtis brings a more varied approach working both the body and head in a bit more of a restrained, yet impactful method of doing business! And there’s always the chance he decides to go to the clinch as well, which he did against Christiano and got great results. If you’re Wagner, you probably want this fight to stay separated and not get into a game of dirty boxing with Curtis! Donkey’s Pick: Curtis via TKO (Strikes) Wagner’s going to have to prove he’s back up to the task of taking on the boys at this level, one that’s about 5k more advanced in ID overall than he’d been dealing with of late. He has all the tools though and even technically has the advantage on paper in this one. But Curtis is also a pitbull, expect a ton of fight in this “not” dog! Hare and I said that some of the other fights this evening look like they could be up for ‘Fight of the Night’, but this one, well, it’s this matchup’s award to lose, that’s a definite! *********************** So there we have it Sucker Punch fans! We’re back in Tokyo and we’ve got a title on the line tonight folks…and a ton of fun leading up to that! We hope you’re all amped and ready for some action we should be able to feel all the way back home in Sydney! Let’s show em how SPPS rolls and how our fans make it a friggin’ blast of a party! If you can’t be there, catch the special three hour PPV coming at you live tonight! Till then, have fun and don’t forget… Keep it cheap and dirty…Sucker Punch style! 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottxbandz Posted December 14, 2021 Report Share Posted December 14, 2021 13 minutes ago, HareRumpler said: This fight clearly is going to come down to strategy, tactics, a little luck and who wants it more!! good luck pj jones 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xyel Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 Konrad Wagner My return seems to have gone rather well 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 FANTASTIC card last night for the org folks! Not only did we maintain our event rating from the prior PPV, but we actually broke SLIGHTLY into the black on this one (not counting signing bonuses, which would put it squarely back into the red, but still, it's a BIG improvement!). Point being, I'm super proud of the preparation everybody brought to this card, I don't think there was anybody who wasn't prepared both energy and morale wise...and boy, I'm not afraid to say that I had a few doubts about my ability to pull off this transition for you guys and keep things rolling the way you'd want while also not taking losses that I couldn't keep up with...but now...I'm starting to be really optimistic! Thank you to ALL for the supportive words now and then, the enthusiasm, the patience at time, etc. It means a ton, more than you know! Now enough of that sappy shit, go kick somebody in the boys! lol!!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 My god! Mr. Pickle got sliced and diced and served on a deli sandwich. There is only one remedy to fix this! Mr. Pickle calls for an immediate rematch. SP 104 Return of the Pickle....End of the Deli sandwich. Mr. Pickle will be no mans subway sandwich!! Hare book the match 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 After losing in 40 seconds due to a crazy 4 strike Combo, Fight Media Press wanted to catch up with Edward Mills aka Mr. Pickle and get his perspective on what went wrong. As many though he would extend his winning ways to 4-1 in his past 5 fights. The Press: Mr. Pickle. Many of us though you would extend your run to 4-1 tonight with your match against Powell. What went wrong?Mr. Pickle: 4-1 run? We had a match not a race. My best race was 9-1 I ran 9 miles and walked 1. You think I can only run 4 of 5 miles?..........Why you say mean fings like dat? The Press: uhm.....Well now your 3-2 in your last 5 after your encounter with Powell.Mr. Pickle: Did Powell tell you dis!?!?! He may have spinny wapped me but I can run more then 3 miles and walk 2....dats not nice. I don't fink Hare or Donkey like it when people are mean. The Press: Huh.....What are you talking about?Mr. Pickle: Well I need to stand up for da bad runners I can run 9 miles and only walk 1.... Not 3 den 2. If dats what Powell finks den I will need to fight him again... He spinny wapped me once but wont again. I'll be runnin 10s all freakin day. 10 minutes at a time dat is. Hare!!! book da rematch! The Press: You lost in 40 seconds.... Why would you want a rematch?Mr. Pickle: Cuz I can run far and need to tell Powell in da cage. SP 104 Da Pickle Man Returns to run laps around Powells Ass... Dat means his butt.... I'll run laps around his butt when I pickle punch him for sayin mean words. The Press: Uhm okay.... Good luck Mills.Mr. Pickle: Dats Mr. Pickle to you sir. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 Konrad Wagner. There's a Pickle with your name on it in the future......... Mr. Pickle that is.... He might just need to drop 50lbs to see how good the doctor really is. Also congratz on picking up the title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 1 hour ago, kfuhrer said: My god! Mr. Pickle got sliced and diced and served on a deli sandwich. There is only one remedy to fix this! Mr. Pickle calls for an immediate rematch. SP 104 Return of the Pickle....End of the Deli sandwich. Mr. Pickle will be no mans subway sandwich!! Hare book the match Unfortunately the cards are filled up for a bit, but I spoke with Powell's management team and the rematch is on for January! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 4 minutes ago, HareRumpler said: Unfortunately the cards are filled up for a bit, but I spoke with Powell's management team and the rematch is on for January! Best we get this running business sorted out. We can't have rumors spreading around SP on who can or can't run 5 miles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottxbandz Posted December 15, 2021 Report Share Posted December 15, 2021 tough fight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 16, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW Sucker Punch Pro Series 103 Welcome back Sucker Punch fans as we get ready for SPPS 103 in just over 24 hours! We’ve migrated back over to the West Coast of the States for this one and trust me, with this lineup tonight, we’re coming in hot! I mean, we have not one, but TWO fights that are so hyped that they’re coming in above the friggin’ BIG BOY Title Fight this evening! Da fudge! Yep, we’re bringing more heat to Cali than a raging wildfire! Err..what’s that Donkey? Inappropriate? What is? Oh…too soon? Sorry West Coast gang, I meant to say, um, the card will be hot! Yeah. Like the desert or some shit. I dunno…ummm, moving along… So…anyways…tomorrow’s card at SPPS 103 is as crazy diverse as you could possibly hope for round this joint! Literally every weight class will be represented in the cage with no weight class having more than two fights on the card! Now that is truly the definition of, “Something for Everyone!” And it’s not just “something”, it’s SOMETHING SPECIAL! I mean, this card literally has the likes of Blikstein, Law, Dankula, Skywalker, etc. down OPENING this friggin’ thing and kicking us off! By the time you just barely edge into the Main Card you’ve already got Topuria/Kuznetsov action for the Light Heavyweights followed by Furioto/Verreira at Lightweight! You can only imagine the fun that comes before and after! Actually, you won’t have to imagine the fun that comes after cause I’m gonna mention it! But you will have to put your imagination to work on the remainder of the Undercard, but trust me, it’s worth it! However, yeah, that Main Card? Our final fight before the Main Events is actually our Sucker Punch Pro Series Heavyweight Championship on the line people! Wooohooo! Yeah, so after you’ve had a war for a belt thrown at you, then…oh yeah…then you get O’Neill and Izanagi from the Light Heavyweights coming at you hard! Followed up, last but definitely not least, by the Top Contender battle in the Welterweight division…a title shot on the line…featuring Demetrius Jackson and Rick Segura! Newcomer versus Sucker Punch vet! Now that’s some action! So there we go, are you ready for some big time action as we bring it back to the US and rock the left coast? Donkey and I are! Let’s stop here and get a word about our great merchandise partner and sponsor… Our fantastic and respected sponsor is Shadow Warrior Nutrition! Many of you already know them as the providers of Shadow Warrior Tea 160Q., THE energy loss reduction supplements! For those of you who aren’t in the know on that, you should be, because this is the way you keep your fighter training more often and not taking sessions off to try to keep his energy above 90%! If you aren’t using this supplement, hurry over and check them out today, you will not be disappointed! Now on to the good stuff! *********************** Undercard Bout #1: Middleweights Paulo Blikstein (10-7-1) v Tyson Law (10-6-0) Donkey, you know that you’ve got an event that’ll bring the crowd running when your very first pair of fighters on the night come in with 10-6-0 and 10-7-1 records!!! Dannnng! Well, that’s just what we’ve got here and if it weren’t for Tyson Law’s morale being just a little off I’d say we’ve got a perfect fight to get things humming along. Law will have the Jiu Jitsu advantage over Blikstein but will be on the slightly short end of the stick in both areas of standup as well as wrestling. But only a tad bit. All in all it adds up to a pretty interesting fight that could go either way! Back in May, Law had apparently become frustrated with his direction and current training team after going 1-2 under former manager Chris Swimmer. He stepped off from that team and took some time under new management with Dalvarius Helgarion to contemplate direction, work on refining skills and come back with his head in the right place. Clearly that time away paid off as he and his new manager joined Sucker Punch and debuted last month in November. They had immediate success together as Law was able to submit Wellington via triangle in under two minutes! I wouldn’t expect a change in approach tonight as this fight with Blikstein lends itself to a similar style fight! Blikstein and camp have had mixed results since coming to Sucker Punch. In May and June they had really solid wins over Beam and Ainsworth. After that, there was a misstep or two against Fuhren and Marka before they managed to haul in another win over Duarte. But as seems to be the trend, that direction changed course again last month with a split decision loss to Patterson. When Blikstein is on and his strikes are landing…both standing and on the ground…he is able to dictate the fight and finds success. However, when he finds himself unable to drive the fight in his direction he’s succumbed to both submissions and strikes. He’s got just a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde thing going and his team will clearly want to find consistency! Donkey’s Pick: Blikstein via Split Decision I think our first fight of the evening here is going to be a very tightly contested one and likely will go the distance. Blikstein is due to turn it around again and given his trends I’m going to run with that as my reasoning for the decision here. However, if he can’t control things on the ground Law will likely flip the advantage over to himself as this fight WILL most likely get to the mat at some point barring a quick finish by Blikstein! *********************** Undercard Bout #2: Featherweights Dankula vs. Skywalker II Count Dankula (8-3-0) v Luke Skywalker (9-9-2) The first time these two Featherweights met was back in July in a fight that went to the judges. Skywalker came out on top at the time with these two giving a performance that earned ‘Fight of the Night’ for the pair! Hopefully we’re in for a treat again as these two square off almost a half year later with four fights under their belts since. The win over Dankula was the last time Skywalker has tasted victory since July. He fought to a Draw with Mike Ehrmantraut the following month but has been on a disappointing slide since, dropping fights to Thompson, Bremner and Casey as of last month. He won the first fight against Dankula by being the more accurate striker, utilizing mostly his boxing skill, and also dictating the ability to take the fight in and out of the clinch. You have to figure he’s going to need to have refined those skills considerably since or have slightly modified his approach as Dankula will no doubt be prepared to counter the prior methods this time around! Dankula, former Sucker Punch Pro Series Featherweight champ and undefeated under former manager Bob Loblaw, lost a bit of training time during the transition from his old team to his new one under Brocc Ogan. Due to that lost time, he’s not been able to fully return to his prior form and has drifted between wins and losses, going 3-3 so far since his return. Two of those wins were over Pull Plugger, and no offense, but he’s not exactly top of the division competition. Dankula needs to prove that he can put down another floundering opponent here and reverse the prior result against Skywalker if he wants to show he’s recovering and taking strides forward. He hits hard and tends to stick to pure boxing, so this fight could very well see these two stand and go at it once again with the result depending upon who has the more refined boxing skills! Donkey’s Pick: Skywalker via Unanimous Decision Not quite sure what to make of this contest and who might have changed up their approach given recent results and fights. I have to be honest, they appear to be heading into this one with pretty much the same focus and skills as last time. If so, I have to give the nod to Skywalker as technical boxing could very well get this done again. *********************** Undercard Bout #3: Light Heavyweights Drax Bautista (8-7-0) v Choctaw Bloode (10-8-0) Halfway through the Undercard we have ourselves a Light Heavyweight bout that may very well end up being one of the most closely matched fights of the evening, at least on paper! Both records are in the black a bit and with the exception of a slight edge in boxing for Bautista these two are evenly matched across primaries! Both also come gassed up with a great outlook on the fight, morale on high! Nice. Nice! We know that Bloode has at least a solid chin from his early fights and the Tale of the Tapes. However, it should probably be noted, given his recent streak of three losses, that half of his losses have come due to finishes by strikes. That includes the most recent two against Tribute and Izanagi that ended via TKO and KO respectively though those fights went into at least the second or third rounds. Bloode needs to figure out what was making him successful against the likes of Tribute and Akerfeldt early on in his run under current manager Ryan West, as West was able to avenge a prior loss by former manager Action Jackson to Akerfeldt. The loss to Tribute in October stings though as he defeated Tribute via decision in June in his first fight under West. Bautista is back for his second fight at Sucker Punch since joining us in November. That November fight, a loss to Iliya Topuria via TKO early in the second, was his first fight in about six months after he took a break upon leaving BBFC. Bautista has KO Power, something we definitely noted in reviewing his early fights, and he’s demonstrated that power repeatedly over his career so far with most wins, especially the recent ones, coming via TKO or KO. That said, he dies by the same sword as all but one of his losses is via TKO or KO! He can be just as dirty and dangerous in the clinch as out of it, perhaps even more so given his high percentage of strikes landed when dancing up close, so Bloode has his work cut out this evening to stay away from Bautista’s heavy shots. Donkey’s Pick: Bloode via Unanimous Decision Looking back, it seems Bloode may have had a bit more success when he was using a more technical, aggressive striking approach and a more balanced mix of leg and body kicks thrown in to compliment his head shots. If he returns to that approach, I like his chances to turn things around this evening. But he’s going to have to watch out for the big shot, as Bautista proved against Balkan and Chukwuma at BBFC that he can bring the stopping power! *********************** Undercard Bout #4: Featherweights Herve Cabrera (10-6-1) v Yellow Belt Casey (9-9-0) As we get closer to finishing up the Undercard here we step down to the smallest of smalls here at Sucker Punch! Just like all the others so far tonight these two are ready to get in there and get to it! On paper at least Cabrera would appear to be the favorite as he has a small edge in both areas of standup as well as a bit more of an advantage in wrestling. He’s also go the better record of the two but ultimately almost all of the matchups I make come down to ability, who they’ve fought, etc. and there is no way that Casey can be counted out on this one! Despite having a black belt in Jiu Jitsu, Casey decided to utilize his striking ability last month to wear down Luke Skywalker for an eventual TKO late in the third round. The back and forth exchanges in that battle almost garnered it the ‘Fight of the Night’ honors as one of the best of the evening! Casey hit a bit of a rough patch early in the year from February through May with four losses in a row but since then has been finding his way back into the win column with a 4-2 record since. If he could just tighten things up and get off the rollercoaster he’s been over the last four, which resulted in L, W, L, W results he could really make a play to move up to the top of the division! Tonight’s fight against Cabrera gives him the chance to double down on wins as well as to make a statement against one of the better Featherweights in the division! Cabrera has had a very rough time figuring it out of late though, despite his overall good, solid winning record. Most of his wins came early in his career but since joining Sucker Punch he’s gone 3-5-1. Granted, those fights have been against the best the division has to offer such as Baptiste, Joseph, Dismantle and Aalto! This is a man who hits hard and often, especially with head shots, and also isn’t afraid to take the fight to the ground. Given that he and Casey both share that in common it’s going to be very interesting to see how both fighters adjust and maneuver strategy wise coming into this war! I’m half expecting this fight to make a solid run at ‘FotN’! Donkey’s Pick: Cabrera via TKO (Strikes) Despite his rough run of late I just feel like Cabrera is primed to turn things around here. Casey is a mirror to him in terms of skills and tendencies so the fans are in for a treat with this fight as Hare pointed out! The area I’m most hesitant about is the ground game…once it gets there, if it gets there, I’m not really sure who I think will have the advantage down there! *********************** Undercard Bout #5: Heavyweights Ashwin Tyson (11-4-0) v Sergei MiG (6-7-0) Well Donkey, it seems I got a bit ahead of myself there over the past few fights when I mentioned how happy I was with the preparation tonight! Unfortunately, and you know how much I love my Big Boy fights so it hurts me to say this, we have a disappointment on our hands here in the likes of Sergei MiG! He comes into this fight with about half morale and off by over 10% on energy, so clearly we know which way Donkey will pick this evening! Tyson on the other hand is well prepared and I appreciate that! MiG will technically have the slight advantage in this one as he gives up a small amount of skill boxing but has a bigger advantage in Jiu Jitsu. But given his morale, it probably won’t matter. At least it shouldn’t. Tyson should walk away the victor here and given records and past performance you’d guess that this has been an ongoing issue with MiG. Being his manager has also been away now for over two weeks it’s safe to guess he probably hasn’t prepared properly for the fight and, also another solid guess, you can expect he’ll probably be unemployed after this contest! Tyson has solid skills across the board and came into Sucker Punch under new manager (at the time), Andreas Johansson, back in April. He immediately proceeded to bang out three wins, one via an amazing Head Kick KO in his first outing for us but since has been hit or miss, no pun intended, with success. He lost last month via KO towards the end of the second round to Will Wrecks and will look to forget about that loss and get back to his winning ways tonight. An unprepared opponent is just what the doctor ordered! Donkey’s Pick: Tyson via KO (Head Kick) I won’t lie, I’m picking this as a win via awe inducing Head Kick out of spite for the lack of preparation! Hare, as well as most of our fans, knows how much I really don’t like that and I don’t see any way MiG wins this outside a lucky takedown and submission. This one is definitely Tyson’s to lose! *********************** Main Card Bout #1: Light Heavyweights Iliya Topuria (9-0-0) v Aleks Kuznetsov (9-6-0) Moving into the Main Card action here we have a man who still remains undefeated and has been on the cusp of a potential title shot for a bit in Topuria. But, as it was put, he’s holding off for a bit as he develops a little further and while the “big strikers” are at the top in control of the belt! His opponent will be former Light Heavyweight champ Aleks Kuznetsov who defeated my own Sacrificial Lamb for the belt early in his run at Sucker Punch, shortly after the Cockshot Sorter Series tournament was complete. Kuznetsov hit a rough patch, sorta, after he lost the belt in his first defense against Jacob Parker. He lost three in a row to quality competition at the time, guys who would be the future of the division going forward. Then he bounced back against more “middle ground” opponents for a three fight winning streak from March through June this year. The pendulum swung the other way again for a three fight losing streak when he lost to both Lampi and Bolt, again two top fighters in the division, and also lost his manager in between before the third loss to Rajantaka. For that final fight, he was led into battle on the evening by current manager Johnny Tirado who, it would now seem, just needed a fight or so to get his bearings and adjust to the needs of his new stable member! He’s won both fights since then against Barnes and Bard and gets a huge opportunity here to step up against top of the division talent! A win against the likes of Topuria would tell us that Kuznetsov is seeing himself as a potential Top Contender again! Topuria, formerly under Bob Loblaw, came into Sucker Punch on a five fight winning streak in MMA! The last and fifth of those fights prior to joining Sucker Punch was a QFC warmup and “get to know ya” outing under new manager PJ Jones! Since that time Jones has led him to four more fights here at SPPS with wins by submission, two decisions and a TKO in his most recent last month against Bautista! Clearly it’s impossible to know what you’re going to get when Topuria steps into the cage outside the good chance it’ll be a win in his favor! Donkey’s Pick: Topuria via Submission (Armbar) I could see Topuria attempting to take advantage of Kuznetsov on the ground tonight and if it gets to the mat that would be my pick here. However, despite my needing to give him his credit for an undefeated record against quality competition, it’s important not to discount the incentive for Kuznetsov to come into the cage tonight and find a way to win as well! This is a huge opportunity for him and his management team and I wouldn’t be at all shocked if he found a way! *********************** Main Card Bout #2: Lightweights Maximus Furioto (16-7-0) v Vinicius Verreira (7-2-0) We have one of the more intriguing matchups tonight here in our next bout between Lightweights Verreira and Furioto! Verreira was a former Top Contender in the Lightweight division at Sucker Punch until his prior manager suddenly went AWOL. Verreira spent a bit of time untrained before he was picked up by current manager Mark Harrington but Harrington showed a ton of restraint and patience, building him back up and ensuring he was fully prepared to get back in the cage with his head on right before returning to action with Sucker Punch! We were thrilled to get this man back and unlike some instances with new managers and fighters, no warm-up period was needed as these two got to winning right out of the gate! Two wins later we get an opportunity to see if Verreira and Harrington can pivot to take on a totally new challenge in ground specialist Furioto. Here’s the thing…Verreira showed his power in the last fight with a forty-eight second technical knockout of Death Minister, but the fight before was the more interesting as he proved he could hold his own on the ground against Yoshikage. Furioto is a whole different animal on the ground than Yoshikage though! No offense to Yoshikage. It just is what it is! Furioto has sensational wrestling and a black belt in Jiu Jitsu…and given that thirteen of his sixteen wins have come via submission the ground is no place to toy around unless you’re EXTREMELY confident you can win there against this man. That’s not something I think Verreira can honestly say in this case so you can expect Furioto’s job will be to try to get this fight onto the ground against Verreira’s will! Donkey’s Pick: Furioto via Submission (Armbar) Verreira can make me a believer tonight if he walks away with the win and especially if he does so after surviving a session on the ground with Furioto! And if he does that, I’ll be telling you that you’re looking at a future champion in the division with Verreira. But until then, I have to go with Furioto’s dangerous ground skills in this one, as everybody knows I’m a ground game fan! *********************** Main Card Bout #3: Heavyweight Championship Shima vs. Chontamenti III Hero Shima (9-4-0) v Thoth Chontamenti (13-3-0) Here’s where things get REALLY interesting on the night my friends! Our last fight before the Main Events will actually be our one and only TITLE FIGHT on the evening as the last of our big boys get into the cage and go for the ultimate glory…title retention…or hearing the words “AND NEWWWW!” ring out! But yes, that’s how hyped our last two fights are that the title bout gets pushed to the warmups for the final two fights! Insane, I know…I get it! Chontamenti, the man we have affectionately dubbed “The Beast” and the BMF of Sucker Punch for the longest time…has only lost to one man essentially in his career. That’s if you don’t count the silly QFC test fight very early on in his pro career. Since that QFC fight he’s fought for Sucker Punch the entire way out, taking part in the original Cockshot Sorter Series and being THE Heavyweight King from that point forward. Until he met Shima. Who took the gold in a majority decision back in July under former manager and fellow alliance mate (to both Shima’s manager, Carlos Castenada, and myself) Esiah Xavier. Two months later Xavier’s last duty as manager for Chontamenti before packing his bags and taking off for other ventures was to regain the belt from ZaDarius Haden. Then along came the thorn in Chontamenti’s side, Shima, as new manager Arcalimon the Coach prepared him to defend another run with the belt! Sure enough, Shima once again took the hardware away, this time via yet another somewhat controversial means with a stoppage due to cuts! So now, after a win over Krol for Chontamenti, we get the third meeting of these two! Shima will be looking to defend his title…no matter what it takes…but certainly won’t complain if he can do it in convincing fashion to put any questions to rest! Sensational skills all the way across the board on primaries, Shima is one of those fighters who can bring anything and everything at you! Clearly he’s figured out that that type of overall skill and flexibility is the way to get the better of the man that nobody else in history has stopped! And Shima has just about as impressive a history as Chontamenti, barring the extended run as champ. He came into Sucker Punch after a single test fight early in his career. Actually, it was nine months after that test fight that he felt he was ready to join us. But in his very first fight he got tossed an ‘L’ by ZaDarius Haden and realized there might be a few things that still needed fine tuning. He took two months, came back again and then proceeded to roll off three wins in a row…and a 7-1 record piling onto that with only a decision loss to Murphy in the middle. He won the belt from Chontamenti the first time at the end of that run…and then…Haden came along…as much Shima’s kryptonite it seemed as Shima was to Chontamenti! Bouncing back from that loss, Shima has thrown together three wins in a row again, including not only ANOTHER win over Chontamenti to regain the title…but, perhaps even more importantly, a much needed avenging win over Haden to defend the title successfully last month! Phew…that was a ton of backstory. I didn’t even discuss their strategies going into this! We’ll let you figure that one out, it’s not like you don’t have two other fights to look back on! LOL! Donkey’s Pick: Chontamenti via TKO (Strikes) I see some trends here Hare. And they can be seen as good, or bad, by any given party depending upon what trend you believe in! First, there’s the fact that Shima has managed to come out on top against Chontamenti twice and there’s no reason to think he can’t do it again. From that perspective, Shima has the mental advantage. But, there’s also this more subtle trend; Shima overcame his kryptonite in Haden on the third try, avenging two former losses. Does Chontamenti pull the same trick here in the third meeting with Shima to overcome and avenge? Perhaps! And the intrigue that creates has me picking Chontamenti, the man who was dugged “The Beast” for a reason! *********************** Co-Main Event: Featured Light Heavyweight Bout O’Neill vs. Izanagi II Dempsey O'Neill (11-4-0) v Sora Izanagi (10-2-0) Both our Main Events on the evening, including this Co-Main event between Light Heavyweight Top Contenders, will have a title shot on the line! Now that makes for some prime excitement and really ratchets up the intensity a notch for these two final fights on the evening! West Coast fans will be watching this one closely tonight to see whether Izanagi or O’Neill has what it takes to go challenge for the title next month! Izanagi technically has the advantage in skills with his edge in Jiu Jitsu…but I’ve been hearing through the grapevine that O’Neill and his management team have been chomping at the bit to get another taste of Izanagi! I say “another” because these two have previously met back in June when both were part of CMMA! And as a former champ at CMMA, O’Neill knows how to get it done under Andy Down’s management. He’ll bring his hard hitting style to the cage tonight and the sparks will definitely fly! Don Xyel has Izanagi on a three fight winning streak and an 8-1 run which includes mostly prior fights from CMMA as well as his fight last month here at Sucker Punch in a KO win thanks to a nasty knee over Bloode with eleven seconds left in the fight! This man won most of his early fights via Decision but has been showing that he can win via TKO and KO as his last four wins in five fights have all come via those means! Donkey, I stated it already, but I’m going to point it out again here. This fight is for a title shot. And it’s between fighters led by men of differing…perspectives. This one is a powder box ready to blow! Let loose the fireworks boys! Donkey’s Pick: O’Neill via Unanimous Decision There is every reason in the world for me to predict a finish here. Both men have more than enough power to get the job done. The only thing I can really give you in this one is that I don’t think it’s going to the ground. Instead, I think it’ll be a battle to dictate where the fight takes place with O’Neill vying to keep it separated while Izanagi attempts to tie things up close in the clinch! *********************** Main Event: Featured Welterweight Bout Demetrius Jackson (10-1-1) v Rick Segura (8-2-0) Our final fight of the evening in the Main Event over there in LA is going to be yet another with a title shot on the line, this time in the Welterweight division! And both kids are more than ready to go as they’ve got full tanks, both energy and spirits! Jackson will be the better Muay Thai artist this evening while Segura brings the Jiu Jitsu skills to the table! That said, Segura seldom decides to work the true Jiu Jitsu game with submissions, instead preferring to dish out the pain from above when he can get the top position on the ground! Expect him to work for the ground as he did in his fights over Sanchez and Bass, a smart move considering the standup skills of Jackson! With three wins in a row and eight in his last nine, Segura is looking to prove that he’s got what it takes to be “THE MAN” in the division. But he has to focus on this battle tonight before he can truly go on and prove it! Jackson, unlike Segura who has spent almost his entire career here at SPPS with us minus one test fight, is brand new to Sucker Punch despite having fought Mental Warrior in November…who is also now here at SPPS! So this will feel familiar to him to some degree as he looks around the division. A division he hopes to reign supreme over soon if he can overcome Segura! Like Segura, Jackson comes in off a couple wins and has only one loss in the longest run going back quite a ways! He’s been winning via decision lately but early in the career made a living by putting guys to sleep…and not with pillows! He’ll mix things up with both boxing and kickboxing, and at times his leg kicks are as featured as his head shots…but of note is the one loss recently via submission. Is his ground grappling up to snuff to stop the rain of pain from Segura on the ground? Donkey’s Pick: Segura via TKO (Strikes) First, I just wanna say we owe a bit of a nod and honorable mention to Andy Down tonight as he leads guys to battle in BOTH Main Events! That’s pretty damned cool! That also said, I have to pick the other way in this one as you know I love the ground game, and I’m not sure that Jackson has had to deal with an aggressor like Segura down there yet! That and his prior loss via submission has me wondering if his defensive grappling and transitions going to be up to snuff! *********************** So there we have it Sucker Punch fans! We’re just an hour or more away from all the action taking place folks! If you’re outside in the parking lot of the LA Memorial Coliseum, it’s time to move that drunk ass inside to prepare for some insane, pulse pounding activity in that there cage tonight! If not, hey, catch the three hour live PPV and keep up with all your favorite Sucker Punch stars folks! It’s all coming at you VERY soon! Till then, have fun and don’t forget… Keep it cheap and dirty…Sucker Punch Pro Series style! 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldbones Posted December 16, 2021 Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 Nagashima drops an elbow to the side of Courtial's head.Courtial is trying to maintain the position but Nagashima is very close to passing his half guard.The two fighters exchange a few words. I couldn't hear what they were saying but maybe it's more fun if you make it up yourself. Nagashima connects with a nice short shot to Courtial's temple.The referee walks around the fighters to get a better view of the action. Nagashima lands a nice short elbow.http://www.mmatycoon.com/images/fight/rocked2.gifCourtial is rocked!Nagashima drops an elbow to the side of Courtial's head.Oh Courtial is still in real trouble! Will he be able to recover?!!Nagashima is sitting in half guard. He's postured up and lands a nice elbow. Oh, Courtial is hurt! He's hurt bad - Nagashima fires away with more strikes and the referee jumps in to save Courtial from any more punishment! Congratulations to Nagashima! Great finish! Kaoru "Crazy Eyes" Nagashima 10-9 Kaoru: I've been asked over and over again what it was I was saying to Courtial in the ring, well let me tell you, the words that I uttered him came from high atop the mountain where I conversed with my ever sage Akirono, only to run overnight from the mountain top to the Tokyo Bowl where exactly 46803.5 people attended in homage you may be wondering how there was a half, but that was merely their heart was not aligned entirely but after tonight I expect 52,887.955 people aligned at the next event! Anyway back to what I said, my shattering words were. "I'm going to elbow your head and punch your face a lot" to which he replied "Oh no you're not!" and then I elbowed his head, and won the 10-9 Suckerpunch Donkey Dan Invitational Interim Belt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 16, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 12 minutes ago, Oldbones said: "I'm going to elbow your head and punch your face a lot" to which he replied "Oh no you're not!" and then I elbowed his head, and won the 10-9 Suckerpunch Donkey Dan Invitational Interim Belt I literally just can't...I'm LOL. 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2021 Cannot even begin to tell all our managers and fighters how absolutely "giddy" (yep, I said it, I said GIDDY, what you going to do about it?) I am with our progression and all the work you guys are doing to come to the events prepared to make them as good as they possibly can be! And this, this right here...for us to have the top rated event going into a FRIDAY NIGHT!...well, that's just...I'm so proud of ya'll! Now shake off all the "feel goods" and prepare to kick somebody in the dingle dangle folks!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2021 Full review for SPPS 103 is now up ^ there about three or four posts above! Enjoy all! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2021 "Hey, Donkey...um, your picks were pretty much ass tonight, ya know that?" "Bite me, RABBIT!" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy808 Posted December 18, 2021 Report Share Posted December 18, 2021 Dont worry guys, I saved us from another post fight screenshot xyel shares everytime he wins 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xyel Posted December 18, 2021 Report Share Posted December 18, 2021 3 hours ago, andy808 said: Dont worry guys, I saved us from another post fight screenshot xyel shares everytime he wins And the world is indeed saved: Well fought, and good luck in the title shot! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy808 Posted December 18, 2021 Report Share Posted December 18, 2021 Good fight(rip to the post fight stats and tott, whatever happened to that). Demetrius which will need much more luck against the dentist 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2021 SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW Sucker Punch Pro Series 104 Howdy Sucker Punch crew!!! Well, it’s getting late in the day, the sun is starting to go down and it’s time for me to get on my Donkey…er, I mean, horse…and get this look forward at tonight’s event taken care of! We’re looking at SPPS 104 here coming at you from the mega venue that is the LA Memorial Coliseum and we’re hoping to pack a few more folks in again as we progress from one event to the next! And who wouldn’t want to be there when you’ve got a Middleweight Championship on the line between the likes of Machado and DeAngelo!!! Oops! Spoiler alert! Damn, too late! Haha! But let’s take a step back here rather than jumping all the way forward to the Main Event like I did right there! We’ve got plenty of other action on tap folks, including starting things off with the first of our three Light Heavyweight fights on this card between Misak Grigorian and Mike Bard! Wooo! If you’re starting there, there’s good things in store, you know that! We’ll also have four Welterweight battles stuffed into the card tonight out in good ole Cali! The first of which will happen right after the opener as we continue warming you guys and gals up with a bout between Rurikovich and Mandinos. Two more Welterweight bouts finish off the Undercard and also happen to be represented in the Main Events as our Co-Main is a big time showdown between perennial contenders Matsuzaka and Barbosa! Sprinkle in a bit of Lightweight action and a dash of big boy craziness in the opener of the Main Card with monster match between Haden and Krol and you’ve got yourself all the ingredients for a fantastic night out on the Left Coast! But, if you can’t be there, don’t worry, as usual these days there will be a full three hour live coverage on PPV that brings you some amazing production and content! So there we go, are you ready for the carnage and cheap shots? Donkey and I are! Let’s stop here and get a word about our great merchandise partner and sponsor and then get a look at each bout in a bit more detail… When you think about training your fighters, one of the biggest concerns is keeping them in the gym and actively training, am I right? And you can’t do that if they have to be stopping to recover and rest for sessions here and sessions there! That is why you need to visit our sponsor, Shadow Warrior Nutrition, and specifically grab some of their Shadow Warrior Tea 160Q. It is literally the best energy loss reduction supplement money can buy and will keep your fighter in the gym training rather than sitting days out resting! Stop on over there today, you will NOT be disappointed! Now on to the good stuff! *********************** Undercard Bout #1: Light Heavyweights Misak Grigorian (3-0-0) v Mike Bard (9-8-1) We’ll kick things off tonight with Light Heavyweight action between Bard and Grigorian. These two competitors are very evenly matched with the biggest difference being Bard’s purple belt in Jiu Jitsu over Grigorian’s blue. But Grigorian also has the smallest, and I do mean a sliver, of an edge in the other primary areas so expect a great one to get things going tonight! Oh, and Donkey…you don’t get to wimp out on a pick by going with an unprepared fighter this evening to start things off either! Both of these boys are primed and ready to get at it! Yeah baby! Grigorian is 3-0 on his career including two great wins here at Sucker Punch. Bard would like nothing more than to put a stop to that streak tonight and mar the record by replacing that goose egg with a ‘1’! Bard’s been struggling a bit of late though as he’s won one in his last five, going 1-1-3 over that period. That win was over Daly two fights back in October, a TKO via strikes that earned him ‘KO of the Night’. He also was part of the ‘Fight of the Night’ award last month but it’s probably one he’d like to forget about as Kuznetsov was able to top him by getting the call from the judges. Bard can work some serious ground and pound and while he’s been standing and striking a bit you’d think that he’d want to move this fight tonight to the ground and use his skills there given Grigorian matches or exceeds his ability on the feet. Grigorian comes to the cage with a nasty kickboxing game as he displayed against Jedi Rebel two fights back, ending the fight late in the second via kicks and punches for the TKO! Donkey’s Pick: Grigorian via TKO (Strikes) Grigorian also proved he can stand and go the distance with you if you’ve got a solid chin as he demonstrated last fight against Dea, again with a solid kickboxing attack that featured some serious aggression with head punches. His goal will clearly be to keep the fight standing tonight because if he doesn’t we’re going to find out what his ground game is like. Bard has shown a susceptibility to a solid striking game in his career despite having a granite chin which brings his heart into question a bit. With that, I think this may be Grigorian’s fight to lose. Which can happen if Bard gets it to the ground! *********************** Undercard Bout #2: Welterweights Vladimir Rurikovich (6-5-0) v Kahdi Mandinos (9-12-0) Another couple that are amped up and ready to go in there tonight, I love it Donkey! Rurikovich will have the advantage in both areas of standup tonight but Mandinos has been training considerly longer in the sport and has about double the experience which should even the scales a bit making this a tough one to call despite Mandinos’ serious struggles of late. After starting things out at Sucker Punch with strong results and what looked to be the beginning of a very promising career, Mandinos suddenly found himself getting passed by to a degree as the losses started to pile up and the streak kept growing. Finally, after six losses in a row from February through August of this year it seemed he may have found some answers when he overcame Ryo Hamada and got back to his bread and butter with a solid submission win. The light at the end of the tunnel faded quickly though as he has lost the last two following that win and comes into tonight’s fight really needing to prove that it’s not too late for him to find his way. Rurikovich will be focused on trying to pair his first win at Sucker Punch last month with another tonight and has no interest in seeing Mandinos’ fortunes change for the better! He also clearly doesn’t care much for Andy Down…or his wife for that matter…although he seems to have a preference for the maternal side of Mr. Down’s family. I’m not sure what quite is going on there, but perhaps we’ll have to get Suzy to do some investigative reporting! Rurikovich used a combination of boxing and clinchwork to finish off Hadr Bari last month and, honestly, I don’t expect a lot to change in his game plan for tonight! Donkey’s Pick: Rurikovich via TKO (Strikes) I want to pick Mandinos here. I really do. And honestly, if I were going solely with my gut, I would. I have a feeling he can get this fight to the ground and exploit the dominant position to really work on landing some solid strikes down there. But, the record is screaming that his best days may be behind him and perhaps he’s nothing more than a stepping stone and entry gate for the division. We’ll see if he can start to dispel that nasty thought tonight by proving my pick wrong? *********************** Undercard Bout #3: Lightweights Michael Collins (3-1-0) v Trevor Barnes (8-7-1) Lately, it’s been the Barnes’ camp as a whole that has come into fights here at Sucker Punch a bit unprepared, mostly with energy but a bit on morale at times as well. That won’t be the case here tonight as for the most part Trevor Barnes seems ready to go. Instead, it’s his dance partner who is completely and totally unprepared which means I know how Donkey’s picking in this one! Collins will come into tonight’s fight with his morale completely in the shitter and his energy off by about 40%. That’s…well, that’s certainly not friggin’ good and almost screams loss within the first round, if not the first minute or so! Here’s the thing…I would try to educate his manager, Aleksander Pawik, about these things but he’s been around for long time…certainly long enough to know better…and it seems to be a common problem for most of the fighters in his stable. Collins pulled off a magic trick last month by snagging a win over Ryo Hazuki despite his shortcomings in that match. Don’t expect the same result tonight folks! Barnes comes in relatively ready to go tonight minus perhaps 10% morale, which puts him light years ahead of Collins in the preparation department. Perhaps that’ll help him swing the see-saw he’s been on back the other way after this evening’s bout as he’s gone W, L, W, L in his last four fights. His wins usually depend upon landing enough shots both in and out of the clinch to impress the judges as most have been decision victories of late. Tonight is the night to try to get that long-lost finish! But he needs to be careful, Collins is a ground guy and those are always dangerous no matter the preparation! Donkey’s Pick: Barnes via TKO (Strikes) Hare has the answer already prepped and ready to go here. Yes, Collins is remarkably unprepared for this fight and it should go to Barnes easily unless he completely drops the ball. What he should drop is Collins! Quickly. *********************** Undercard Bout #4: Welterweights Hadr Bari (11-4-1) v Marcus Megnus Maximus Jr Maximus Jr (11-8-0) Prior to joining Sucker Punch, Hadr Bari seemed to have things rolling along. He entered GAMMA Contenders with two wins in his recent fights and then proceeded to win four of his five fights there, making it an overall run of 6-1. Very impressive. And then he arrived at Sucker Punch and has gone 1-2 since with a loss to Rurikovich last month as discussed earlier. Now, that’s starting to make me feel a bit bad Donkey, like he doesn’t like us or something! C’mon man, our fans will cheer you loud as hell! Just get in there and win! Maximumumumumus, or something like that, got an early win over Marchionni when he came to Sucker Punch from GDL, but then started struggling with three losses in a row. He seems to have found his way of late though as he’s run off four wins over his last five and comes into the cage tonight on a two fight winning streak! Donkey’s Pick: Maximus Jr via Submission (Kimura) Maximus isn’t afraid to pull off a submission if he finds himself on the ground but is also very comfortable kickboxing with more than a few TKO victories. He holds a brown belt over Bari’s blue one so the ground may be the ultimate destination for him this evening. Bari is all about striking so I don’t expect him to be cooperative when it comes to that goal for Maximus! I still feel like this one makes it to the ground though and if it does Maximus should have the advantage if he can keep it there. *********************** Undercard Bout #5: Welterweights Ronnie Bass (12-6-0) v Young Prodigy (6-4-0) Things start to get very interesting here as we prepare to close out the Undercard with these Welterweights set for some fantastic action. I hope! Both are ready to go and with Bass being a two-time former Welterweight Champion here at Sucker Punch we’re certainly going to find out what Young Prodigy is made of! Bass has just had either a really unlucky streak of late or has lost his confidence ever since he came up short with his opportunity to regain the belt from Juan Christiano in July. With a string of four losses carried into this fight you know that the psychological burden is weighing heavily on Bass. The only question will be, which is more overpowering…that weight on his back, or the weight of his hands as he lands some heavy shots and can do damage in the blink of an eye! Prodigy would no doubt love to get one over on the former champ here to make two statements…that Bass’ days as contender in the division are over and that he himself is prepared to step up and become a contender at Welterweight! Those are great goals…but not so easy to accomplish against the likes of Bass. Or are they? Prodigy has a chance to get in there and make some serious waves…if he wins, it’s definitely a statement. If he wins in convincing fashion it’s a statement with a “BOOM” attached to it! Donkey’s Pick: Prodigy via Unanimous Decision It’s really, really difficult for me to pick against a former two-time champion! You have no idea. But at the same time the momentum for these two is heading in opposite directions. Prodigy has his work cut out for him if he intends to win this one. And he could be put to sleep in a heartbeat…and has fallen to TKO and KO finishes in the past. That’s a dangerous game to play for somebody who likes to kickbox, with an emphasis on the boxing. But, it should be noted that he also has a comfort level on the ground both with strikes and submission attempts. Look for him to try to get the fight there rather than trading exchanges with the very dangerous Bass! *********************** Main Card Bout #1: Heavyweights Haden vs. Krol II ZaDarius Haden (12-5-0) v Zygmunt Krol (6-6-0) Donkey knows I love the big boy matchups so I think the beginning to the Main Card here is a fantastic start! Haden and Krol are two extremely talented fighters in the Heavyweight division with Haden being a longtime contender who also managed to capture the belt in August. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to retain and lost the belt in his defense against Chontamenti, their third meeting. Chontamenti has been a thorn in Haden’s side for a long time as he’s lost a trio of fights to him over the course of his run at Sucker Punch. Only the loss to Shima last month and a random loss to Syd Rummel a year ago mar his record outside Chontamenti’s runs at him. This would be the second meeting between Haden and Krol after their run-in back in June. The two went the distance and put the fight in the judges’ hands for a Unanimous Decision in Haden’s favor. That fight was the last under the management of Action Jackson before Krol changed camps and ended up under Giuseppe Folioli’s leadership. He immediately rocked his way to two wins over Patrick Murphy and Rock Silva but came up short against “The Beast”, Chontamenti, last month. It seems Chontamenti is a problem for both Haden and Krol! Krol went super heavy on the Head shots and leg kicks against Silva a couple in his last win. His respect for Chontamenti led him to take a much more reserved, counter based approach last month that just didn’t generate enough action to get the decision. A fight that literally came down to less than a dozen or two shots landing for each fighter. Haden gave close as good as he got against Chontamenti last time out, but seemed to also be intent upon trying to win the fight via the ground game and his strikes from that angle. Will he take the same approach tonight and turn it into a ‘W’ this time? Donkey’s Pick: Krol via TKO (Strikes) This is a near impossible fight to pick but many people know I love to create a little controversy and pick for the split so maybe a rubber match gets set up for the future. Could Krol be prepared to step forward and unseat Haden as a member of that “next tier” at the top of the division? *********************** Main Card Bout #2: Light Heavyweights Aboubacar Mandiang (10-4-0) v Bjorn Akerfeldt (8-8-0) We get a little more Light Heavyweight action going as we creep closer and closer to the Main Events! As with many of our fights tonight both of these fighters come in fully prepared and ready to give their all in the cage! Woot! Mandiang comes in from Iron Wolf where he was a former title challenger and had a two fight win streak started before joining us here at Sucker Punch! Very few fighters have been able to overcome Mandiang in his career thus far but the trend shows that when it happens it’s most often due to a solid ground game with submission skills for his opponent. Which means Mandiang is going to have to be prepared to bring his very best tonight as Akerfeldt has just that! While Akerfeldt certainly has the skills that seem to be needed to get over on Mandiang he’s also going to be battling a bit of a momentum issue being he’s lost three of his last four fights with only a submission win over Devin Ecker in October breaking up that streak. The fights he did lose, to Bloode, Tribute and Warlovski, all were the result of KO’s and TKO’s. That means that while Mandiang may have reason to fear Akerfeldt the same is also very, very true for Akerfeldt when it comes to Mandiang’s dangerous striking! This is a grappler versus striker match made in heaven Donkey! Donkey’s Pick: Mandiang via KO (Strikes) It would seem that way Hare and if Akerfeldt has his way and gets this to the ground my prediction could be turned on its head very quickly! But I’m going to go with the probabilities and statistics here and Akerfeldt has succumbed to his kryptonite more often than Mandiang has. Bear in mind though, at this weight class that could simply be due to Mandiang not having come across as many ground specialists! *********************** Main Card Bout #3: Light Heavyweights Igor Warlovski (9-3-0) v Radu Dracul (5-2-0) Our last contest before the Main Events here and we’re in for yet another good one Donkey! If it turns out that the fans enjoy the fight prior to this one then you can expect most will stay firmly attached to their seats unless they’re too excited to sit and are standing instead! What you won’t find is them wandering off to get drinks or make a pisser run because we’ve got another great striker versus grappler matchup in store here! The difference will be that rather than being a submission specialist Dracul very much loves the rough stuff on the mat! That didn’t quite come out sounding correct, but I think you all know what I actually mean. I have no idea what this man enjoys in the bedroom nor is it my business! What I do know is that he enjoys bringing the pain, torrential downpour style, if he can gain the upper hand and dominant position in the cage! He’d been on a serious run after arriving at Sucker Punch, scoring three wins in a row, until he ran into another ground specialist in Derwent Bolt who pitted his submission skills against Dracul’s GnP. The submission skills came out the victor and Dracul took his first loss at SPPS, setting his aspirations at becoming Top Contender back a notch. Warlovski, led by Pablo Spezziale as of his last fight, was new to both his management team and Sucker Punch coming into last month’s contest with Bjorn Akerfeldt. And, unlike Dracul who fell to Akerfeldt, Warlovski had the answer with a nasty third round KO that earned him ‘KO of the Night’ honors! Being he was able to avoid being finished on the ground by a submission artist there’s hope for his camp that his wrestling and defensive grappling is good enough to help him survive if he ends up on the ground against Dracul. But nobody wants to take a bunch of abuse on the ground, and certainly not Warlovski, so expect him to try to end this thing standing before it goes there! Donkey’s Pick: Dracul via Split Decision Dracul has never been finished by strikes. So I like his chances to hang in there even against a striker of Warlovski’s caliber. And perhaps if the fight goes long enough he even manages to finish on his own on the ground. That said, this is going to be a war if it goes deep into the third and these two will both pay the price for having tangled with each other! *********************** Co-Main Event: Featured Welterweight Bout Keisuke Matsuzaka (15-6-1) v Baldomir Barbosa (12-7-0) Alright, setting up for the big finish here at the LA Memorial Coliseum tonight and these two Welterweights definitely have something to prove! With skills about equal across the board you should expect an extremely hard fought battle in this Co-Main Event! Barbosa has been at Sucker Punch most of his career and has found himself almost at the top of the ladder in Top Contender battles more than a time or two. To date he’s been unable to capitalize though. Matsuzaka is a former Welterweight Championship Contender at both BFC and here at Sucker Punch, but, like Barbosa, has been unable to come away with the big win. Granted, he was one step closer, staring at the belt off to the side of the cage a couple times, but no belt is no belt either way! While neither is one step away from a Top Contender shot again here tonight a win would certainly help them make the case that they are one step away in the future! Barbosa focuses on his boxing a bit more exclusively than Matsuzaka while Matsu will also eagerly get the kickboxing going. Both have no issue working the clinch. With such similar styles we have even more reason to expect an all-out war this evening!!! If you like hard-hitting action the action in this Co-Main Event is exactly what you’re looking for! Donkey’s Pick: Barbosa via Majority Decision You want me to make a pick here? Seriously? Do you realize what you’re asking and what we’re looking at here tonight? We’re looking at two guys, with similar styles, who each have NEVER been finished (at last via strikes)! Every single loss between these two has been via decision outside an early career submission loss for Barbosa. At the same time, when they win, it tends to be via TKO or KO! Something has to give here. I don’t know what in the hell it’ll be! Flip the coin ladies and gents! *********************** Main Event: Middleweight Championship Bout Wanderson Machado (16-3-0) v Joseph DeAngelo (14-4-0) Our Main Event of the evening is a Middleweight Title Fight between the challenger, former WPFA champion Joseph DeAngelo, and THREE time, reigning, defending Middleweight Champ Wanderson Machado! Bring on one hell of an amazing Middleweight clash! After losing the belt over at WPFA and then taking a second loss in a row, DeAngelo and company decided it was time for a change of scenery. Enter SPPS! Upon his arrival at Sucker Punch, DeAngelo quickly made a name for himself and started to show why he was one of the most feared men at his prior promotion as he ran off wins over Hall, Wick and Harms. He hit a bit of a snag when he stumbled against Zhao and Kuiva but, like a good talent should who has great management, he bounced right back and put those losses behind him. He moved forward with wins over Wellington, his second over Hall and a revenge win over Zhao before finally getting a bit of the Virus! His win over Psirus Fuhren made it four in a row and earned him this title shot! He’s bringing pure aggression and power to the table tonight as well, with his last three wins being KO’s, two in the first round, and the win before that a TKO! Machado does not shy away from a good old fashioned slugfest! All of his prior title wins and runs were initially started with a TKO or KO victory. So DeAngelo has to know that despite his recent history Machado is not one to be intimidated. He also finished his fights in September and October in the first round, so this champ has the ability to finish just as quickly as DeAngelo! That said, his manager, and my alliance mate, Bwang Jong Sr. has not been around as much of late and may or may not have his fighter fully focused and prepared for this battle! Donkey’s Pick: DeAngelo via KO (Punch) I almost never pick against the champ, preferring to give these guys the respect they deserve! But, here’s the thing…as impressive as being three-time champ is…it means you’ve lost the belt at least twice also! If history repeats, it’s approaching that time and DeAngelo may be in the right place, at the right time, with the right amount of power and drive! Machado has fallen once before via KO…so… *********************** So there we have it Sucker Punch fans! Folks, if you were a fan of the Co-Main Event you should be totally amped up and ready for the Main Event as well! Between the classic ground vs. standup battles leading up to those fights and then the all out wars in the making for the Main Events the fans should come away from tonight’s event amped up and talking about what they saw for a long time to come! We’re about to get to this in just a few hours now, so get ready for a great night of fights people! Till then, have fun and don’t forget… Keep it cheap and dirty…Sucker Punch Pro Series style! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 22, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2021 Full preview for tonight now up in the post just above! Enjoy folks and let's rock LA Memorial Coliseum tonight and show them what's up when Sucker Punch Pro Series arrives in town! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted December 22, 2021 Report Share Posted December 22, 2021 Great post Hare. M3JR2 I'm hoping pulls off a big win.....I've been sucking eggs lately in my matches haha. Hit top one hundred then went on a massive skid. Time to turn this sheet around mate 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 22, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2021 10 minutes ago, kfuhrer said: Great post Hare. M3JR2 I'm hoping pulls off a big win.....I've been sucking eggs lately in my matches haha. Hit top one hundred then went on a massive skid. Time to turn this sheet around mate "I have spoken, and I have picked M3 to win! However, there are several things you should know about that. First, I am not always correct. Actually, if you ask Hare, I'm seldom correct, but I personally don't think much of his mathmatical ability! Second, there are several managers who seem to feel that my picks are a jinx. Ahem, you know who you are! Lastly, this isn't about me. Go out there and tell your boy to get it done! Now kick em where they 'taint'!" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2021 SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW Christmas Eve: Jingle Ball Bash Sucker Punch Pro Series 105 It’s Christmas Eve and the balls will be ringing…er, I mean, bells…folks! Tonight we not only prepare for Christmas and Santa’s arrival (those who celebrate at least) and the holiday season continuing in force for all, but we have SPPS 105 ready to stuff everybody’s stockings with! This has been a fun week as we already had SPPS 104 mid-week which came crashing in with our second highest event rating ever! Will we top that this evening? Who knows, but I do know we’ll have fun trying! All week some of our favorite tunes have been blasting over the sound system as Sucker Punch headquarters which has been music to our ears…literally. Classics like, “Dingle Dangles, Dingle Dangles, Cheap Shots all the Way!” and Donkey’s personal favorite that he overheard one of our guys singing in the elevator earlier, “All I want for Christmas is to keep my two front teeth…”! Suzy even came by earlier laughing, telling me that she overheard one of the guys from the card tonight singing his personal take on the holiday to the tune of, “Logan the red-nosed Scotsman, had a very bloody nose…All of the Lightweights saw it…we hope he comes back and blows…”! She thinks it was Yip Man lii, but really didn’t get a good look as he turned the corner and was gone! But seriously…Logan’s not even fighting tonight guys! Hahaha! Yes, the festive season is fully upon us folks! Now, I know you all have a lot going on and the last thing you want to do is hear me ramble on and on when you’ve got things to get done on Christmas Eve. So tell you what, let’s hear from our merchandise partner and sponsor, get a few short words in about each fight and we’ll be on our way! In the meantime, on behalf of myself, Donkey, Suzy and all the rest down undah at Sucker Punch central…we wish you a Merry Christmas and a much health and happiness over the holidays folks! When you think about training your fighters, one of the biggest concerns is keeping them in the gym and actively training, am I right? And you can’t do that if they have to be stopping to recover and rest for sessions here and sessions there! That is why you need to visit our sponsor, Shadow Warrior Nutrition, and specifically grab some of their Shadow Warrior Tea 160Q. It is literally the best energy loss reduction supplement money can buy and will keep your fighter in the gym training rather than sitting days out resting! Stop on over there today, you will NOT be disappointed! Now on to the good stuff! *********************** Undercard Bout #1: Sparring Bout Taz McKane (3-0-0) v Willie Diggs (0-1-0) Tonight’s action will start off nice and easy with a little one round, three minute affair between two of Chris Karter’s kids! And you know what Donkey, I think we all know what CK would like for Christmas! He probably wants to see that his newest kid, Diggs, has at least a decent chin to go with that big right hand of his! There’s really not a lot to say here. McKane has never lost and I don’t expect him to this evening, so it’s unlikely that we’ll find out what his morale drop is like after a loss. Outside all this, we just hope one of these poor kids doesn’t find himself unemployed for Christmas tomorrow! Talk about coal in your stocking… Donkey’s Pick: McKane via Unanimous Decision I don’t really do picks for sparring bouts, but hey, it’s Christmas. So there, I gave you what is just about a guarantee. Take that and shove it in your stocking, Hare! *********************** Undercard Bout #2: Middleweights Brusse Liee (2-1-0) v Humphrey Wellington (9-15-0) As we move into our regular, “full sized” fights we’ll get another look at relative newcomer to Sucker Punch, Liee, and resident struggling Middlweight, Wellington. Wellington brings the striking edge to the fight and even somewhat the wrestling advantage also. But Liee will be the better Jiu Jitsu artist of the two. Wellington has not exactly lit the world on fire since arriving at Sucker Punch and he definitely appears to have gotten on somebody’s naughty list! That somebody would be Donkey I think, as he comes into this fight tonight about 20% off on energy and we all know Donkey hates that! Earlier in his career Wellington tended to win via TKO and KO and then he seemed to start relying upon his ability to push the fight to the limit, putting things in the hands of the judges. His last four fights have come down to losses via TKO, a pair of KO’s and a submission to Tyson Law last month. His wish for Christmas? Please Santa, have you got a win in that bag?!? We brought Liee in originally on a two fight deal (along with Red Jesus Carter) to give our boys Souppe and Rodionovich here at SPPS some variety in competition. He did more than give each competition, walking away with two wins in a row via submission and TKO! A fine start to a run here we thought, so why not extend him a longer run here if he’d like once he had a taste of Sucker Punch action? That’s just what we did and he remains with us, ready to take on Wellington tonight! Being he has the Jiu Jitsu advantage this evening I would expect to see him try to take things back to the Souppe fight and win this thing on the ground. Donkey’s Pick: Liee via Submission (Armbar) Apparently my gift for the holiday from Hare is that he’s going to take care of most of the convo here and leave me without much to say! Honestly, that’s fine with me as I’ve been hitting the eggnog already and it’s definitely not without a key addition to bring the holiday cheer! Wellington has just been struggling too much for me to give him a nod here and Liee was able to defeat a fairly solid ground guy in Souppe. With Wellington being a bit unprepared as well there’s no way he’s winning me back to his side for this one! *********************** Undercard Bout #3: Lightweights Adrian Atkins (2-0-0) v Ryo Hazuki (2-7-0) Ahhhh! Now if I was to sit with Santa and ask him for something for Christmas, this would be it Donkey!!! Our guys coming to the cage amped up, spirits on high and that energy full maxed out! Both of these kids are darn close to just that and I’ll take it! Hazuki finds himself in a boat similar to Wellington from the fight just prior to this. He’s got four losses in a row and is probably praying that he’s been a good boy, has made it onto the ‘nice’ list and will receive an early present this evening! Most of those losses, three to be exact, have come via decisions with only the last one being a submission finish. Hazuki will be the one with the Jiu Jitsu advantage this evening though, so if anybody is laying down a sub to end things it’d likely be him. To do that, he’s going to need to go back and figure out what he did right when he fought Trevor Barnes in April. That was his first career win and was a beautiful Triangle Choke towards the end of the second round. Atkins comes in for his second fight under the SPPS banner this evening as well as his second run in the cage under manager Slick Gunderson. His first win under Gunderson came in the Tokyo Turkey Bowl, aka SPPS 98 at the end of November when he finished Paetmar via TKO. His striking was accurate while boxing, but the majority of the damage done that night was with a dominating performance in the clinch. It’ll be very interesting if he puts himself in the clinch again tonight and risks having Hazuki drag it to the ground. Donkey’s Pick: Hazuki via Submission (Kimura) Everything on paper tells me I should be looking to Atkins for the win in this one tonight. He has nasty striking, he’s vicious in the clinch and he’s got good momentum going. At the same time Hazuki’s momentum is nonexistent and there has to be a level of desperation kicking in. I think that’s why I’m leaning how I am. This is a must win for Hazuki’s camp and you have to think they’ll try to pull off all the stops and turn this into a Christmas Miracle! *********************** Undercard Bout #4: Lightweights Repus Revorg (7-5-0) v Montesh Dominguez (7-9-0) Our next to last fight on the Undercard will have one of my own boys, Revorg, going into the cage to face off against Dominguez. Dominguez will have the smallest of edges in Muay Thai tonight while Revorg has a more significant edge in Jiu Jitsu. However, all that SHOULD be offset by Dominguez’s 4k MMAT ID registration advantage, meaning he’s been training a bit longer than Revorg. Both kids are 24 years old with seven wins a piece, although Dominguez still needs a couple to get back above .500. Dominguez was on a bit of a streak for a while with a 4-2 run at one point and even more recent, 4-1. Only losses to Kongsangchai and Man lii over the past three fights have slowed him down. But those are more recent losses and Dominguez needs to figure out a way to get back on track. This is a man who very much likes to take things to the judges and win via points, as he’s gotten the ‘W’ with Unanimous Decisions in his last four fights. He’ll box when he needs to but typically Dominguez likes to do the majority of his work in the clinch. Revorg will definitely want to avoid becoming a victim I the clinch tonight but at the same time looking back he does tend to utilize the clinch to get to the ground. So there is a very high likelihood that this fight is going to come down to who can control the action in the clinch and whether Dominguez can keep the fight standing. If it goes to the ground Revorg will try to capitalize on his one area of strength and advantage in this fight…his Jiu Jitsu. But that doesn’t mean that Dominguez can relax on the feet as Revorg has also ended nights with TKO’s and, more recently, a KO via head kick! Donkey’s Pick: Dominguez via Unanimous Decision Dominguez has not been finished on the ground in recent history and there have been opponents who have tried. Hazuki wasn’t able to do it. Winston did it very early on but then in their rematch Dominguez came out on top via Decision. So, Revorg has his work cut out for him tonight if he thinks that the finish via submission is his only way to come out the winner. *********************** Undercard Bout #5: Heavyweights Peter Beardsley (10-3-0) v Akuma Manivong (5-5-0) Another of my own guys steps into the cage here as we close out the Undercard! We’ve got a battle of the Big Boys on hand as Beardsley brings his KO power to the show! Both kids are ready to go so I expect a hard fought match in this one. Manivong slides over here to SPPS after Iron Wolf announced its shutdown plans last month. He held the Heavyweight belt there for a short period of time, even defending it successfully once, before losing the belt to Okongwu. Then, he came up short in a fight against Jason Hightower last month and I won’t lie, with only a solid chin and showing some signs that perhaps it’s not good enough combined with heart, there’s a chance his days may be numbered! Beardsley will use all areas of standup to get the job done. He’s kickboxed his way through fights with a heavy focus on hands to head and he’s also mixed the clinch into his plans as needed against other opponents. He’s got a granite chin, as we know from his early fights, but clearly he’s got some “lights out” power in those hands also. He’s finished four of his fights via KO’s and stopped three others via TKO’s, two of those via cuts. So if you tangle with Beardsley you’re got to expect that at some point you may get your bell rung! Donkey’s Pick: Beardsley via TKO (Strikes) I can’t pick for Hare’s boy here as the trends just scream against it. Manivong has been stopped in his last two fights via TKO’s. Beardsley dishes out TKO’s. Seems like a match made in heaven. For Beardsley! Now, Manivong also can get things done on the ground. He too, like Beardsley, has finished things via TKO. So we have to wait to see how he mixes things up tonight! *********************** Main Card Bout #1: Featherweights Heller Cabrera (12-7-0) v Adim Bulb (12-7-0) We start out the Main Card tonight with a pair of kids that I brought in for a single fight each. Why? Because I thought it’d be fun and it helps us mix in unrestricted action as we continue to transition, that’s why. Cabrera is just testing to see where he stands tonight and Bulb’s new manager, Chuck W94, is checking to see where his hand-me-down from Camp Rumpler stands as well! You know I’ll try to lure them more permanently after this, but hey, for now, let’s just give em a taste! Bulb has the Jiu Jitsu advantage tonight but has only ever pulled off a submission once in his career, a rear naked choke on Chad Repine a year ago. But he’s under new management now and we get to see just how much Chuck changes things up for Bulb in the cage! Will he keep working the fights for Decisions, which he’d been doing of late, or will he decide the ground is his new home? Maybe more heavy striking or even clinchwork? Can’t wait to see! Cabrera, led into the cage tonight by Marky Mark, has sensational skills across the board. He won’t be a slouch on the ground, so we’ll have to see if that’s even something he ends up worrying about or not. He’s undefeated with eight wins in a row under current management and another win before that to make Cabrera’s personal streak nine! Formerly with WPFA until they shut down recently he was the reigning, two time Featherweight champion. It’ll be awesome to see if his streak continues and if perhaps he looks like a future champion here at SPPS if he sticks around? Donkey’s Pick: Bulb via Unanimous Decision Bulb’s got a way of going the distance but tonight he faces a guy who likes to finish things much, much earlier than that! So two different fighters, one historically a technical boxer (which could change under new management) and the other a striker who likes to finish. This will be a blast, and, adding on to Hare’s songs, for one of these kids, “The bells will be ringing…this sad sad news…” *********************** Main Card Bout #2: Middleweights Sirus Hall (14-7-0) v Craig Watkins (6-3-1) Moving along and inching closer to the Main Events…and Christmas...we get Middleweights Watkins and Hall set to throw down for us! Watkins comes to us from CMMA and has sensational skills on the feet. He had a run of 6-0-1 going at CMMA but stalled in his last fight against Manny Tavares. My guess is that that fight was probably the last step before a potential title shot. Watkins is absolutely obsessed with getting into the clinch and clearly feels that the combination of his Muay Thai and wrestling will overpower most opponents in tight. On paper Watkins has almost all the advantages in this fight. And this would very much appear to be a very big test, even a stretch perhaps, for Hall. And it is. And is supposed to be. Hall was close to a title shot until coming up short to DeAngelo a few months back. Since then, he’s rebounded and put up three straight wins. He may be a step away from Top Contender consideration again, but before he can get there we need to see him tested against top of the division talent. Watkins may be new, but he’s certainly that kind of talent! Hall can pull off submissions or rock somebody’s world standing. We’re about to find out if he’s for real! Donkey’s Pick: Watkins via TKO (Strikes) If Hall can’t stay out of the clinch with Watkins things may get messy for him. This is a big test, as Hare said, but if Hall gets through it he can make me a serious believer! Or Watkins may spoil the party for Hall and in the process push him down a few rungs on the ladder to make room for himself! Who can dictate where the fight takes place…? That’s the question that will likely determine the result as well! *********************** Main Card Bout #3: Middleweights Kiryu Kazuma (11-6-0) v Not Ponor (14-8-0) Midway through the Main Card here and things are heating up! Ponor will technically have small advantages in both areas of standup and wrestling as he attempts to earn his first shot at a title at Sucker Punch. He’s a striker that puts serious power behind his shots. He had two titles shots early in his career when with Conquest and Checkmate under manager Grumpy. Since then, he’s changed camps three times! After three straight losses, two at HFC and one at Sucker Punch, his last manager Catalin had seen enough. Scott Bandz swooped him to give Ponor another chance and lead Ponor to a huge win over Doe last month at the Tokyo Turkey Bowl (SPPS 98). Kazuma wants to do nothing more than spoil Ponor’s Christmas plans…at least not if they include celebrating a win and earning a title shot! Instead, he would like nothing more than to steal those plans and use them himself! This man came into Sucker Punch over a year ago and at first seemed to be unfocused, winning and losing at about a split rate. Then, things clicked! He went on a four fight winning streak over the likes of Filth, Hirst, Harms and McGuire! That last one, an impressive win via KO, earned him his first title shot which he capitalized on over Machado and then led to a successful defense of his new hardware against Fuhren. Machado didn’t take kindly to the loss of the belt though and came back in October to unload that weight from Kazuma. Donkey’s Pick: Kazuma via KO (Punch) Now we get to see if Kazuma can earn his way back to a shot against Machado and revenge! He defeated a solid, solid opponent in Marka last month and this is the fight he needs to see title glory again! I can’t make definitive pick here. Both of these two bring the pain and some sledgehammers for hands! One of them is turning the lights out for the other…and for the other…well, it is certainly going to be a “Blue, Blue Blue Blue, Christmas…” Black and blue that is! Hmm…possibly for both of them! *********************** Co-Main Event: Featured Lightweight Bout Yip Man Iii (14-3-0) v Red Crow (11-5-1) I really, really don’t even think I need to get into this next one much to convey the fun we’re going to have! This is a big one for both Crow and Man lii as both seek a title shot. This fight one man about one fight away and most likely in a Top Contender battle next month! But only one. And both are so evenly matched it’s crazy! Fun one here for sure Donkey! Crow comes off a title fight last month. He made his way through Leroy Jinx under the new management of Stef Power and had a solid win over Ramon Rabbit the prior month when with Esiah Xavier’s camp. Unfortunately for his new crew he came up just short last month in the title fight with Darry Curtis finding the KO shot he needed to retain the title late in the third! Crow can stand and kickbox or take the fight to the ground for some nasty GnP. But he may want to stick to just one of those approaches tonight… …because Yip Man can really work the standup. That doesn’t mean Crow can’t, and heck, he may just do it to prove a point. But if he wants to go with his area of advantage, offensively, then the ground is Man lii’s least favorite area. Yip has shown a preference for boxing, kickboxing actually, and can work the clinch like nobody’s business! With two wins in a row Yip Man lii is trying to prove that he’s still in position to go after the belt after coming up short when he went for it against Guy River in August. Donkey’s Pick: Man lii via Unanimous Decision Flip the coin ladies and gents! I’ll be honest, I just did a mental rock-paper-scissors and said, “Ah, hell, I can’t decide…” So yeah, I don’t have a great reason for this pick. This is a well, well matched fight! That could earn ‘Fight of the Night’ honors I think! *********************** Main Event: Light Heavyweight Championship Bout Fury vs. Lampi III John Fury (12-2-0) v Eemeli Lampi (11-4-0) Here we go with the final fight of the night for our Main Event! Santa’s almost here and this is the last piece of the present that Sucker Punch Pro Series is sending out tonight! So, Lampi comes in to try to reclaim his title tonight! He originally won the title back in August but then lost it in his first title defense to none other than…John Fury! Dum Dum Dummmmmm! The drama! Haha. Since that loss he’s bounced back like a boss and the former champ that he is, with wins over both Derwent Bolt via KO and Abraham Barnes via TKO. So BOOM! Back in the title picture with his hard hitting, nasty habit of finishing, gonna turn out the lights attitude! Fury had an early title shot in his career against Jacob Parker, just about a year ago. He fell short, won a few more, but then lost to hmm…Lampi! His manager had no patience at that point, axed him and from there Fury’s entire future changed! He was first picked up and guided to a championship here at SPPS by Mac Little, one of the best managers in the game. Upon his departure, Alex Maniatakos stepped in and boom…TWO TITLE DEFENSES complete! And the first one had to feel good for Fury as it was over Parker, allowing him to avenge that early loss and making it two avenging fights in a row! Now that he’s also defended against Tank Tribute we get the rubber match between Fury and Lampi! Both are hard hitters. The first time they met, Lampi turned out the lights in the first round. The second time, Fury had his way on the night and returned the favor. Nobody knows which of these two badasses has kissed Santa’s butt the most, so hopefully Donkey can make some sense of a pick! Donkey’s Pick: Lampi via TKO (Strikes) In the rubber match I’m taking the chicken’s way out and simply picking for this to continue in a back and forth fashion between the two! And you know what, it’s just about Christmas, be nice…let me off easy on this one! *********************** So there we have it Sucker Punch fans! Christmas Eve is here…heck, for some it’s past already and we’re fully on into Christmas! At Sucker Punch, we’re just turning on the lights out in LA at the Memorial Colisem and it’s time for all the hard drinking, Christmas party avoiding Sucker Punch fans to get in there and make some noise! Enjoy all, and Happy Holidays! Keep it cheap and dirty…Sucker Punch Pro Series style! 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottxbandz Posted December 25, 2021 Report Share Posted December 25, 2021 HOPEFULLY DONKEY IS WRONG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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