HareRumpler Posted May 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 8, 2022 SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW Sucker Punch Pro Series 143 Welcome back Sucker Punch fans! This weekend we return back to the Collisem in Los Angeles where we’ll bring a fantastic card of action to over 93,000 screaming west coast fans! We do have a title fight on the books for this evening but believe it or not it will be the Co-Main Event as the Welterweight fight between Jinx and Barbosa has grabbed the attention of SPPS faithful worldwide! And there is so much other great action leading up to those two fights! For those of you who really, really enjoy it when the titans of Sucker Punch, the big boys, the monsters of mayhem, get in there…well…we’ve got that action with FOUR Heavyweight contests on tap for you! Three in a row between the end of the Undercard and the start of the Main! We’ll also see a couple Light Heavyweight contests as well as a little loan Featherweight showdown between Aaron Petrov and Apophis Kalmisto! So a bit of everything for all our fans this evening! So let’s jump right in and get a closer look at each of the fights…right after we hear from our sponsor and merchandise partner! Do you find that you’re resting your fighters too often? Two, three, maybe even 4 times a week sometimes? If that’s the case, you’re probably not supplementing their training, and if you are I’m thinking you’re not doing it with Shadow Warrior Tea 160Q, which is Shadow Warrior Nutrition’s outstanding energy loss reduction supplement. It’s the best 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, let's get to it! *********************** Undercard Bout #1: Light Heavyweights Dennis Nilsen v Edward Mills We’ll open things up with a couple Light Heavyweights who both really…really…want to get a win here tonight! Mills has been a staple of fun and entertainment here at Sucker Punch but there does come a time where wins have to happen as well. A win here tonight could extend his opportunities just a tad longer, but a loss would almost certainly spell the end of the road here. This just in though, as my daughter Risa was here home and looking over my shoulder for this…, “If you cut Mills I’ll cut you 😠 - risa” Wow, nice. Nothing like threats from your own family! The pickle-punching, sabre tooth tiger emulating one still has his fans, clearly! Nilsen is making his Sucker Punch debut this evening after spending a four fight stretch over at CFC. He comes in with two losses in a row and needs a win here to prevent the streak from becoming a real thing. Those two losses were via KO and TKO, so while he’ll want to get this thing on the ground and exploit Mills’ ground game he’ll also have to watch out for the big shot that Mills can certainly deliver! Donkey’s Pick: Mills via TKO (Strikes) I believe that after five losses in a row Mills is due! And this is a great scenario where if he can avoid it getting to the ground early he has a shot. On the ground though it’s likely this thing turns against him fast! *********************** Undercard Bout #2: Heavyweights Paulius Zurauskas v Cole Watts We get the first of four BIG BOY fights here in our second fight of the evening and with these I always hope for a fight that will set the crowd ablaze with excitement! These two are very, very evenly matched with only Watts showing slight advantages in wrestling and boxing. Both are more or less fully prepped and ready to get at it! Watts will make his second showing in the cage tonight for Sucker Punch after his debut with SPPS last month which turned into a TKO loss to Banana Republic midway through the second round. He’s a striker himself but has shown on more than one occasion that he can get that job done on the ground as he rains down the pain! Zurauskas was in dire straits with regard to ranking and record up until he turned things around a bit over his last two fights with wins via submission and then KO. He’s not out of the woods yet, but certainly that has helped his case some. Another win tonight would go a long way in getting him back under 2500 P4P ranking which is about where we’ve been drawing the line lately. Clearly he can get the job done on the feet with strikes or on the ground with submissions so it’s unclear which direction he’ll take things or allow them to go tonight. Will he be willing to play around on the ground with Watts having the advantage there? Donkey’s Pick: Zurauskas via TKO (Strikes) I like the flexibility Zurauskas brings to the table in this one and was actually tempted to pick this via submission. I think he’ll likely try to keep it standing as much as possible but won’t be too worried if Watts manages to force it to the ground. Watts better be able to get top position if he does…and also still better watch out for the submissions from the bottom by Zurauskas! *********************** Undercard Bout #3: Featherweights Aaron Petrov v Apophis Kalmisto It looks like our third fight will see Petrov come to the cage with his morale off a bit…something we hate to see especially for a fighter who is .500 over his run here at Sucker Punch in fights we thought he’d have a great shot in. Prep factoring in? Most likely! Kalmisto, who is 1-3 over his last four, will not mind one bit that Petrov is giving up an advantage here this evening! He needs a win and was already going to have a solid shot with better Jiu Jitsu this evening but every little bit extra helps! That said, Kalmisto’s tendencies have never favored the ground and he’ll likely rely upon his kickboxing this evening once again. Petrov is a hard hitter who likes to focus his shots on an opponent’s melon! He’ll toss in a combo or a kick here or there, but for the most part his game is fairly one-dimensional. I don’t see any reason to expect anything different this evening if I’m honest! Donkey’s Pick: Kalmisto via Unanimous Decision Gotta go with the more prepared fighter in a contest like this where the two should be fairly even otherwise. Kalmisto should be able to avoid the half-hearted head shots from Petrov and score his own at the same time. *********************** Undercard Bout #4: Light Heavyweights Andrei Averyanov v Philo Beddo Ii This next Light Heavyweight affair gives us what very well may be the closest matching in skills we’ll see all evening folks! Beddo li and Averyanov are all but mirror images across the board with maybe the smallest sliver of an edge for Beddo li in both areas of standup. Not enough to become a huge factor though. Beddo li makes his Sucker Punch debut this evening after being with IC&E for a month and a couple stints in the QFC just before that. He’s 3-0 over that period with a couple TKO’s, one via strikes…another via head kick, and a submission in his most recent win over Alex Alexandrov! So this man can bring some variety to the cage, at least recently! Averyanov lost via submission to Wille Thai last month which may encourage Beddo li further. However, he’s demonstrated prior to that that he can finish with strikes as Veidt, Bianchi and DeCoteau all learned the hard way! It’ll be interesting to see if the fight stays standing or if Beddo li does opt for the ground…and if he does, if Averyanov can prevent it? Donkey’s Pick: Averyanov via TKO (Strikes) That submission from Beddo li was a one-off for now with no real history to support it. I’m taking it as such until he shows that ground game a bit more. On the feet I think Averyanov retains a striking advantage and hence my pick! *********************** Undercard Bout #5: Heavyweights Jack Morgan v Bobo Brazil We reach the end of the Undercard here as we get into our second Heavyweight contest of the evening and the first of three in a row. Unfortunately, both of these big boys come to the cage tonight off just a tad in morale, so we’ll see if that factors in especially with Morgan being the more down of the two. Add to that that Morgan’s manager, Bushido Zed, has not been around since April 18th and you have a fighter who may not have their head in the game fully tonight and certainly may lack direction and game planning. Brazil’s manager, Yamashita Craven, has also stepped away for a bit and hasn’t been around since April 23rd. So that makes two kids both heading to the cage tonight more or less without corners to provide direction and advice. Not good, and I’m not really all that thrilled to see this for both fighters! In Brazil’s case, it’s especially bad as he’s coming off a loss and has a 2-3 record over his last five. His manager, Craven, has now lost six in a row since he’s not been around to properly prepare his guys. Ouch. Donkey’s Pick: Brazil via Unanimous Decision This is almost a toss-up with both guys rudderless in their venture this evening. I’ll go with Brazil here simply due to his giving a tough Haden a solid run two fights back, but that doesn’t make this a lock by any means. *********************** Donkey and I are taking a quick break to get a bite to eat folks!!! Hang tight and we’ll be back with the Main Card very soon! *********************** Main Card Bout #1: Heavyweights Penn will have a small advantage in wrestling as we open up the Main Card here. He’ll also have the morale advantage as Teixeira comes in off about 10% or so. Teixeira definitely needed to come into this thing ready to go but apparently that won’t be the case. He’s now ranked in the 3k range P4P after losing his last two and six of his last eight! With his only wins since August last year being against Edward Mills and Rodney Farva, Teixeira has struggled to score any quality victories to help out his case. Losses to Tyson and Powell have just about put him on the chopping block and a loss here tonight would solidify that situation. Penn lost to Conchobhar in the fight leading up to tonight’s matchup with Teixeira but also defeated Powell prior to that, who Teixeira struggled against. Clearly, that puts Penn in the driver’s seat here and with the ability to score wins both striking as well as on the ground with submissions he’ll have a lot of options when it comes to his approach tonight. He’s gone 3-1 since joining SPPS and another win tonight would necessitate a step up in competition going forward! Donkey’s Pick: Penn via Unanimous Decision It’s impossible for me to pick for Teixeira tonight given his recent record and coming into the cage this evening less than fully prepared. The pick has to go to Penn here. *********************** Main Card Bout #2: Heavyweights Olafsson and Fett are both fully prepared to get in there and give it everything tonight! Fett will have the ground advantage with better wrestling and a black belt over Olafsson’s purple but will definitely be at a disadvantage should the fight stay on the feet! Olafsson has shown over his past several fights that he can get the job done in and out of the clinch. In both scenarios he’s more about striking with his dangerous fists. He’ll mix some kickboxing in while separated now and then but it very much feels like his comfort level lies with his hands. He’s put up a solid 3-1 record since joining Sucker Punch and another win tonight would certainly start getting him close to the contender conversation and what it might take to solidify that opportunity! Fett is all about the ground and with three straight wins leading up to this fight, 5-1 over his last six, he’s clearly got the momentum working for him. He’ll dish out punishment via strikes or submission attempts when on the ground and there’s no doubt that his advantage lies there again tonight. Olafsson will want to prevent a visit to the mat to the degree possible and get his shots in when he can before that! Donkey’s Pick: Fett via Submission (Armbar) Fett has more or less called for a dance with Tyson lately and if they both get wins between tonight and Wednesday that fight may materialize. That said, Fett is on the fast-track to a contender spot if he continues to rack up wins and I suspect another may be in store for tonight. However, Olafsson can finish this one with the right shot landing early and you know he’ll be looking for it as a chance to put the loss from two fights ago further in the rearview! *********************** Main Card Bout #3: Light Heavyweights Our final fight before the Main Events will rival any other pairing this evening when it comes to closeness in overall primary skills! These two are neck and neck with only a small, small edge in wrestling for Izanagi looking to separate them. Both are fully prepped, so we’re all set for a great battle between these two Light Heavyweights this evening! Patrick’s time at Sucker Punch so far has more or less mimicked the rest of his career as he gets his wins but also takes the occasional loss. He’s 2-2 as he’s bounced from loss to win to loss and back again so far with us. Losses to tough competition in Krsto Vujić and Ryan Bolt have prevented him from looking like a top of the division threat but he’s shown he can get it done against other top caliber fighters such as Derwent Bolt and Camara! He just needs to find that momentum and capitalize on it for a solid run. A striker with sledgehammers for fists, he focuses on head shots and it doesn’t take many to end a fight! Izanagi came into SPPS and took a loss in his first fight. But that ended up being to the eventual champ in Dempsey ONeill and his bounce back wins over Mandiang and Lampi demonstrated that he had more than enough talent and ability to make a run at the title. He capitalized as soon as he got the shot with a win over Devin Ecker but unfortunately wasn’t able to successfully defend, losing the belt last month to Radu Dracul. You can bet he wants a chance to get back there and prove that he’s more than he’s shown! An elite display of kickboxing ability this evening and a ‘W’ as a result would go a long way to getting him back in position for that opportunity! Donkey’s Pick: Thomas via TKO (Strikes) There’s no great reason for me to make this pick other than a spidey sense tingling on the back of the neck. I just feel like Thomas may be about to hit his stride and Izanagi may have run into a buzz saw here this evening. That said, Izanagi has shown he’s a tough customer and I expect this fight to be anything but an easy, quick finish for either! I’m thinking mid to late second round perhaps. *********************** Co-Main Event: Lightweight Championship Bout Our Co-Main Event brings you the Lightweight Championship Title Fight this evening! Surprisingly, despite both competitors being here at Sucker Punch for quite a while, these two have never met as Itzpapalotltotec’s rise to the top has been a more measured, plodding rise while Logan has been a staple in the Title picture since the very beginning of SPPS’s run! A former challenger for the Featherweight Title at BFC, Itzpa (yep, we’re going with that!) has had solid outings for the most part with way more wins than losses, especially here at Sucker Punch. He started out with back to back losses with us but quickly shed those to go on a 5-0-1 run since. It was just a matter of working up into the top tier competition and proving he was ready for the truly elite in the division. That’s something he’s accomplished with solid wins over Revorg, Tonon, Carvaleho and Maeda…and even a draw against a very, very tough Ozbourne back in February! The win over Maeda, the former champ, solidified the opportunity for him and tonight he fights the biggest fight of his career against the future HoF’er, Logan! Logan struggled on his walkabout at Featherweight and then came back a bit rusty, in need of some fine tuning again at Lightweight. That resulted in a loss of the belt to Evan Duvernay, only the second significant loss of his career in the Lightweight division. However, a huge win over Greg Connor earned him a trip right back into the title picture and he was able to reclaim his belt from Verreira just last month. Now a THREE-TIME Lightweight Champion here at Sucker Punch with EIGHT successful title defenses along the way, he’s ready to continue padding his stats and chalking up victories with the belt on the line tonight! Donkey’s Pick: Logan via Unanimous Decision Pablo Itzpapalotltotec is a technical striker who can work all areas of the cage. Clinch, boxing, ground game. You name it, he’s competent. But Logan is elite and unless Pablo has a clear plan in place to accomplish the task tonight the burden will be on him to overcome the uber talent that Logan brings to the cage. *********************** Main Event: Featured Welterweight Main Event Our Main Event this evening is not a title fight. It’s not even a Top Contender battle…yet…in the Welterweight division. What is it then that makes it the Main Event? Well, it’s a HUGE battle between highly hyped and popular fighters here at Sucker Punch with a Top Contender battle against Mason Jones, who sits waiting, on the line! These two are one step away…one step…from getting a chance to catapult themselves into the spotlight! Barbosa has had a career filled with success…but also key losses at just the most inopportune times! Some might argue that it’s the bright lights that get to him and when the big opportunities come…perhaps he wilts a little under those lights. He’s had more than a couple opportunities to make the final leap to the Title fight but just has not capitalized to date. Fights against the likes of Matsuzaka…Christiano…Bass…etc. Big names for sure, but the types you have to beat to get the ultimate glory! Tonight, he’ll face another name just like those. He needs to get the job done. And then he needs to dispatch the remaining obstacle after this. But one hurdle at a time! Jinx is another of those types of big names that Barbosa has struggled against. Jinx is a THREE-TIME Welterweight champion…first at BBFC, then again at Blaze…and then here at Sucker Punch where he defeated Demetrius Jackson to close the deal and earn the belt! Unfortunately, he was unable to defend and retain, losing the belt in March to Matsuzaka. But he’s two wins away from getting right back into the picture and earning the opportunity to show that he can not only win the belt but hold it here at Sucker Punch! Donkey’s Pick: Barbosa via TKO (Strikes) Everything in my being says that P J Jones is zoned in with both of his young fighters tonight as he puts his name all over the Main Events in back to back fights while managing both Logan and Jinx! But…I feel like Barbosa is due also. And perhaps he finds the way tonight. Jinx has shown that there are cracks in the armor…it’s just a matter of whether they can be taken advantage of or not by Barbosa and his manager, Slick Gunderson, in one of the biggest fights of Barbosa’s career! *********************** So there we have it Sucker Punch fans! There’s no better place to lay it all on the line…blood, sweat…tears…of both joy and defeat…than at the Colliseum! We bring three hours of some of the most amazing action for our Sucker Punch fans this evening and Los Angeles will certainly feel the pulse-pounding excitement as our fans blow the roof off the place his evening! Don’t miss it, even if it means you’re catching the high quality PPV production this evening for SPPS 143 folks! Till then, have fun and don’t forget… Keep it cheap and dirty…Sucker Punch Pro Series style! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted May 8, 2022 Report Share Posted May 8, 2022 Risa for the win. I new Mr Pickle had won the hearts of the youth over......Because he's so darn cute!!!!! Plus a lovable guy. He could lose 20 fights and still have the fans showing up 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted May 9, 2022 Report Share Posted May 9, 2022 'ITS PICKLE ITS PICKLE TIME! YOU know what time it is? Pickle Time!'. 13 Seconds!!!! Cut the Pickle and Risa Cuts YOU!!!!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted May 9, 2022 Report Share Posted May 9, 2022 This just in fight fans! The unthinkable has happened...… Thats right Edward Mills landed a head kick!! Reporter: Mr Pickle tells us about this historical event!Mills: oh ho ho ho. OH HO HO HO. AH HA HA HA!!!!! Al uff U'z thought the pickle punch was only it hahaha. I was loss sin to trick you all. I am better smaller. Sucker Punch was a company based on gettin punched and hit in the dragon ballz. Well Well Well Nilsen fought he saw through the pickle. He fought he could time a pickle punch. So I pickle kicked him right in his his face. BOOM! Nilsen is out! That punch landed square on the jaw - what a shot! Den pickle puched him hahahaha!!! I am the LION!!!Reporter: I thought your goal was to be a Saber Tooth Tiger?Mills: You fought my destiny was Wonderingson Macamo! I managed by un active manager who only cares about slim jims OOOOOH YEAH!!! and cutting down foos . I'm da 32nd best Welter weight in SP and the only fighter to hold wins in 4 divisions. Imma Huff a Famer. And dis little Lion bites Tigers and Throws Pickle Kicks now too. What you thin of dat Risa and Suzy Sucker Punch?Reporter: Thanks?Mills: Da trickiest always win in da end. Re member dat won ya gut in dat cage wiff the Lion! Mr Pickle Lion! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted May 9, 2022 Report Share Posted May 9, 2022 Also Fett lost which sucked..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator001 Posted May 9, 2022 Report Share Posted May 9, 2022 The Evil Scotsman Sucker Punch record 14 title fights W 12- L 2 (1 revenged) 20 fights: 15 - 4- 1 10 x FOTN 1 x SOTN The end of an era is approaching 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator001 Posted May 9, 2022 Report Share Posted May 9, 2022 Leroy Jinx After a rocky start at SP, The best is yet to come - trust me Barbosa - W Max Chaos (Olympics) - L by split against the eventual gold medallist Matsusaka - L by cut after dominating first 3 rounds- first TKO of career Demetrius Jackson (SP Title) - W by split Christiano - W 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted May 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2022 6 hours ago, Gator001 said: The end of an era is approaching This part makes me sad! Yet at the same time, it's something to definitely celebrate! One of, if not THE, greatest in SPPS history! What. A. Run. Now, I need to pull together a committee to help me figure out how we're going to start inducting HoF fighters for SPPS now that we hit our two year anniversary. If folks have ideas, please forward them over and they'll all be taken into consideration! I want to get this going in the next month! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator001 Posted May 9, 2022 Report Share Posted May 9, 2022 Just now, HareRumpler said: This part makes me sad! Yet at the same time, it's something to definitely celebrate! One of, if not THE, greatest in SPPS history! What. A. Run. Now, I need to pull together a committee to help me figure out how we're going to start inducting HoF fighters for SPPS now that we hit our two year anniversary. If folks have ideas, please forward them over and they'll all be taken into consideration! I want to get this going in the next month! Best org to be part of in the game imo, I was lucky to have logan to be able to enjoy it so much. Era aint over yet though 😎 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted May 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2022 SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW Sucker Punch Pro Series 144 Hey Sucker Punch faithful! We’re back and ready to kick into our mid-week action which means a trip to Tokyo, Japan and the 93k+ seat Tokyo Bowl! We have a ton of action on tap tonight in what could very well rival our best rated events and all the great action lined up will be capped off by not one, but TWO, title fights to close out the evening! Now, I’m very tight on time here as I went disc golfing rather than working on the preview…I know, bad Hare!...but hey, my daughter Risa is done her Sophomore year of college and just finished up her finals...and was actually willing to go play a round with me and I wasn’t going to turn that down! So let’s get right into the detailed action here without any further delay… ..That is, right after we hear from our sponsor and merchandise partner! Do you find that you’re resting your fighters too often? Two, three, maybe even 4 times a week sometimes? If that’s the case, you’re probably not supplementing their training, and if you are I’m thinking you’re not doing it with Shadow Warrior Tea 160Q, which is Shadow Warrior Nutrition’s outstanding energy loss reduction supplement. It’s the best 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, let's get to it! *********************** Undercard Bout #1: Welterweights Bald Martin v Malcolm King The evening will be kicked off by a pair of our Welterweights who both look to be well prepared for their battle this evening! King will have a small advantage boxing while Martin has the equivalent wrestling edge. Outside that, this is a very, very closely matched fight! Unfortunately for both they’re opening up the evening for a reason…rankings well into the 2500’s or above which means they both very much need a win this evening. This is only King’s second fight with Sucker Punch so clearly he gets a little more slack than usual. He was actually brought in at his ranking purposely to offer an opportunity for either him, or the guys he’ll be fighting initially, to show some improvement. King’s loss to Shock Linewood via KO in the first round last month combined with the prior two losses he carried into the fight certainly didn’t help his cause though and tonight’s fight is pretty much a must win. When he does win, it’s almost always via decision and done via a heavy dose of boxing…sometimes with some kickboxing thrown in on top. His last two wins were both over Luke Valentine at HFC, so he needs this opportunity to show that he can get past somebody else. Although Martin’s ranking hasn’t yet gotten out of the “gutter” so to speak he’s definitely taken the right strides over the past few fights. He comes into tonight with back to back wins over Phol Boxaaja and Paul Hunt in March and April respectively and has shown that he can finish via TKO or go the distance and get the judges to call it for him. He fell to my own Lou Valentine three fights back via TKO, a much younger fighter, so he needs to show he can fend off the youngsters and represent the fully unrestricted crowd. A win tonight could get him out of the “danger zone” at just over 2500 ranking P4P. He’s shown he can handle himself on the feet, in or out of the clinch, as he did against Paul Hunt but tonight I think that King may have to worry more about the ground and pound ability that Martin showed against Boxaaja two fights back. Donkey’s Pick: Martin via TKO (Strikes) Martin has the momentum and should be able to capitalize on that against a fighter on a three fight losing streak. I’m going to put my hat in his corner in this one and say he gets it to the ground and works the nasty stuff, raining down punishment from above. *********************** Undercard Bout #2: Light Heavyweights Misak Grigorian v Aleks Kuznetsov This Light Heavyweight matchup gives you two fighters who just about couldn’t be more prepped and ready! I love it! Kuznetsov will have the Jiu Jitsu advantage tonight…did I just say that?!?...while Grigorian has a small, small edge in Muay Thai. Honestly, probably not enough to factor in. Kuznetsov has typically struggled against ground specialists so it’s a bit interesting that he has the advantage in Jiu Jitsu tonight! Can he actually put it to use offensively? I’m guessing probably not to be honest. He’s gone 1-3 over his last four fights and is getting dangerously close to the 2k ranking range, so he needs to score a win here this evening. When he does win, which he did on a three fight streak prior to the losses starting to pile up, it’s typically been via decision. Kuznetsov has typically relied upon a healthy dose of technical boxing to get the ‘W’, but recently he showed he can also dish out some ground and pound like he did against Akerfeldt. So, it’s not beyond reason that he may use the ground game tonight after all! Grigorian has had a solid run so far at SPPS but admittedly it’s been against the lower end of the division and hasn’t helped the overall ranking get into rock solid territory…yet. But it is definitely moving up! He came into Sucker Punch with two solid wins over Rebel and Dea but then stumbled against Bard and DeCoteau. Wins against Sidebar and Mills got him back on track and he capitalized on that momentum to avenge the loss to DeCoteau last month, scoring his own TKO to pay back the prior one dished out by DeCoteau back in February. He’s more or less a pure striker…in or out of the clinch…but will mix in the occasional kick or three just to change pace. Expect him to want to keep the fight on the feet tonight and try to end it well before it makes it to the judges. Donkey’s Pick: Kuznetsov via Split Decision Kuznetsov may not have the same momentum going that Grigorian does but he’s really good at dragging out fights to the cards. I think we may get that here tonight and if so he may squeak this one out. *********************** Undercard Bout #3: Middleweights Arthur Morgan v John Doe Ok, we’re midway into the Undercard here and we have a Middleweight contest ready to go between Doe and Morgan. Both are just a bit off on morale but I’m thinking they’ll pretty much cancel and not really have much of an impact. Doe will have small edges in boxing and wrestling while Morgan has the Jiu Jitsu advantage with his black belt over Doe’s brown. Doe is an elite boxer and Muay Thai artist so it’s likely that manager Buster Hyman will tell him to keep the fight standing. They lost a very close fight in their first outing together as a manager/fighter duo last month to Abdullah Zaire and Morgan is managed by the same manager. Clearly, they will not want a repeat of that result and certainly not to the same ringleader who pulled it off last time! Doe knows how to get things done…he is a former Light Heavyweight Champ here at Sucker Punch under former twice-removed manager P J Jones. Two successful defenses showed he can more than hold his own against top competition but ever since the move to Middleweight he’s struggled with a 2-5 record. We’ll have to see if he decides to make the move back to Light Heavyweight where he was 7-1 under Jones. Morgan has been up against top-of-the-field competition lately with contests against Matsuda, Parker and Blikstein since arriving at Sucker Punch. Unfortunately the result of those fights has been a 1-2 record, something he’ll want to bring up to even after tonight’s bout. He’s typically a decision fighter who has shown he can finish at times. Expect to see a heavy dose of boxing with some kicks potentially thrown in. I think this fight stays on the feet, but if Morgan has any offensive tools on the ground this may be the time to use them. Donkey’s Pick: Doe via Unanimous Decision Doe is an exceptional technical striker and if this stays on the feet you have to think he has the advantage when it comes to a drawn out fight. And that’s kinda what I’m expecting here tonight. *********************** Undercard Bout #4: Welterweights Samuel Sanchez v Itchy Sinclair Back to the Welterweights here and Sinclair will be the better Jiu Jitsu artist in this pairing tonight. Outside that, these two are very evenly matched and we can expect a really good one that’s sure to please the fans I believe. Sinclair has sensational wrestling and a black belt. Knowing that, it should come as no surprise that a high percentage of his wins over his career have been via submission. That said, he’s on a 2-4 streak over his last six fights which span both the Newark Regional Circuit and WCF promotions prior. At just over 2k in P4P ranking, he needs this win tonight to move up a bit and show that his move to Sucker Punch and his debut here this evening is going to be the game changer for him. Sanchez, while not quite so bad off in ranking P4P, is 1-5 over his last six fights and that’s just not something that he or his team is used to. They had a stellar run early in the career and it just seems to have fallen off once he made his way up to the top tier competition in the Welterweight division. Typically a decision fighter, those decisions haven’t gone his way of late and he needs to figure out why and correct it. Donkey’s Pick: Sinclair via Submission (Armbar) Sanchez can work the ground game with solid strikes but when you’re on the ground against a submission specialist it’s dangerous no matter what position you have. Momentum just isn’t on Sanchez’s side and I have to go with Sinclair and the submission game resurfacing here. *********************** Undercard Bout #5: Middleweights Nick Barkley v Tyson Law Back to the Middleweights here as we close out the Undercard and we’ll have another pair that are attempting to work their way closer to sub-1k in ranking rather than seeing their ranking creep up towards 2k! Both are fully prepped, so that’s a solid start in the right direction tonight! Law has struggled with more losses than wins since separating from former manager Andrew Wittig. He’s now on his second manager since then and the results have been mixed at 3-3 with Dalvarius Helgarion at the helm. He is coming off an armbar submission win over Brusse Liee, so that’s a positive, but losses to strikers, including a submission due to strikes to Craig Watkins in March, have certainly shown a crack in the armor there. Barkley has had a solid career and his run at Sucker Punch, plus the two wins prior to arriving from CMMA, put him at 5-2 over the past seven and 3-2 while here at Sucker Punch. His loss to Landon McGuire last month prevented a shot at becoming Top Contender so he’ll have to work to get back into that position again and then capitalize if he gets there. Law will also be looking to use this as a statement fight so they both have their work cut out for them. Expect Barkley to bring a hard-hitting game to the cage this evening with an eye for ending it before Law can try to put the fight on the ground. Donkey’s Pick: Barkley via KO (Strikes) Barkley hits like a ton of bricks, but he’s also susceptible to the submission as was exposed last month by McGuire when Barkley lost to a beautiful kimura. I assure you Law and his team saw that and made a note…so it’s up to Barkley’s team to ensure that doesn’t get taken advantage of. I think they can if the right shots land! *********************** Donkey and I are taking a quick break and we’ll be back with the Main Card very soon! *********************** Main Card Bout #1: Heavyweights Ashwin Tyson v Andre Powell Alright Donkey, I can’t even begin to tell you how disappointed I am in BOTH of these fighters tonight! Part of the Main Card action, and yet we have not one, but two fighers coming in with their morale off. Granted, Powell’s is only about 15-20%, but Tyson has his morale in the dumps at about 30-35% total. That’s crap, and frankly I’m really disappointed to see this. Both of these fighters need wins. Tyson is 1-3 over his last four and currently ranked dangerously close to 2500 P4P ranking. Powell isn’t much better off with a 1-2 run over his past three, 4-2 if you go back further but two of those wins were against a struggling Mills. All four wins have come against struggling or unprepared fighters and with his energy off by about 10% also tonight my prior statements that I’m less than thrilled with these two are…understated. I really don’t have anything else to say here. Donkey’s Pick: Powell via TKO (Strikes) Honestly, I didn’t really want to give a pick here with both unprepared. So I’ll simply go with the slightly less unprepared fighter. But I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see Hare sack both of them after this fight. *********************** Main Card Bout #2: Light Heavyweights Ok, the world has gotten strange here! Last fight, both fighters unprepared. This fight, we have a “Barnes” who, out of character, actually IS prepared for the most part minus a small amount of energy! Wow! Ok, joke’s on me folks! But I’m happy about this. Oh, and Fury, as per usual, is prepared as well! Fury will have a small edge in both areas of standup tonight while Barnes has the definitive Jiu Jitsu advantage. Barnes shook off a four fight losing streak to come back strong with a trio of wins in a row over Akerfeldt, Mandiang and Kuznetsov. The win over Kuznetsov last month was a decisive KO in the second round to avenge a prior decision loss back in October. Barnes loves the ground and pound and there’s no reason to expect that he won’t want the fight on the mat tonight so he can get to nasty stuff that has motored his last three wins. Fury, a prior Light Heavyweight Champ here at Sucker Punch under former manager Alex Maniatakos, has been trying to shake off the missed opportunity to reacquire the belt against Dempsey ONeill back in February when he fell via KO late in the first. He followed that championship fight up with a loss to Wille Thai under new manager Inked Squid but came back with a nasty, gore-fest of a win over Mandiang last month due to a doctor stoppage for cuts. Clearly his striking is still there and he’s going to want this fight as far from the ground as possible tonight. Donkey’s Pick: Barnes via TKO (Strikes) Sora Izanagi awaits one of these two for a Top Contender battle in June that will set up a potential title shot for the winner sometime late June or early July. These two both undoubtedly know the position they’re in so they should be bringing everything they have to the cage tonight knowing they are two steps away from potentially grabbing the belt! That said, I like Fury in this one due to his experience and know-how…but I also think that Barnes may be a sleeper here and that his manager may be very, very focused on making the most of this! *********************** Main Card Bout #3: Welterweights Our final fight before the Main Events will be a fantastic showdown between Welterweight talents Curtis and Aleksy! Both are prepped and ready for this thing so the fans should expect a great fight! Aleksy has the Jiu Jitsu advantage here with a brown belt over Curtis’ purple while Curtis has small edges in the other three primaries. Aleksy is a top tier talent led by Dan Bill so Curtis will have his work cut out for him if he wants to rise back up into Top Contender status in the very near future. A win here would certainly get Curtis into that conversation and potentially put him just a fight or so out. Aleksy, who lost out on a title shot opportunity against Wagner last month via TKO in the second round will be looking to shake that loss off and start convincing fans and ownership alike that that was a one-off and he’s still the real deal. Aleksy can work a pure boxing approach as he did against both Hunt and Mason but can also get in close and personal with the clinch as he did against Barbosa. Curtis has also been known to go all boxing but has also mixed it up into the clinch when needed, so these two bring a similar game to the cage. Donkey’s Pick: Curtis via Majority Decision Curtis is the more technical striker of the two tending to go for more decisions though and he also lost to Barbosa three fights back with an early second round KO. Will that show us the slight difference here or does a different opponent make a different fight no matter what? *********************** Co-Main Event: Light Heavyweight Championship Bout Our Co-Main Event gives the fans the first of two big Championship Fights this evening, this one for the Sucker Punch Pro Series Light Heavyweight Championship! Both men are prepped and ready to get at it so I’m hoping for a hell of a fight here tonight Donkey! Bolt will have the advantage on the feet as he has the better boxing and Muay Thai. Dracul gives up the edge in both of those areas and only has a small advantage wrestling. But he’s also got the belt and a four fight win streak going with some sort of “IT” factor for his opponents to deal with! This will be Dracul’s first title defense so we are in for some fun to see if he’s ready for the pressure. Some say that winning a belt is one thing, defending it is a totally different matter and is the true measure of a “champion”. Well, Dracul gets that test this evening, make or break! He’s a hard hitter who also finds ways to switch things up on us when we least expect it. A stoppage by cuts two fights back against Camara and then…SURPRISE!...a huge kimura for the submission to grab his first title over Sora Izanagi last month! Bolt is 5-1 under manager Runt and 3-1 here at Sucker Punch since two QFC fights early on. His most recent two wins over Thomas and Bloode were decisions with the win over Bloode being especially close in a majority call. He’s a technical boxer who can also clinch up as needed. And he may need it, at least, the ability to grapple in the clinch, because he won’t want this fight on the ground I think. His advantage is on the feet anyway as we mentioned and Dracul likes to dish out some ground and pound! Donkey’s Pick: Bolt via TKO (Strikes) I don’t like disrespecting a champ by picking against them. But my sniffer is telling me we may be in for an upset here tonight. That said, Dracul has surprised me more than once and I won’t be shocked if he surprises me once again! *********************** Main Event: Middleweight Championship Bout Our Main Event gives us our second of two Title Fights tonight, this time for the Sucker Punch Pro Series Middleweight Championship! Po and Jukassa are very evenly matched in skill right up till you get to Jiu Jitsu where Po has a nasty red belt over Jukassa’s purple! Po doesn’t lack much of anything in skills. He has sensational boxing and Muay Thai, elite wrestling and that red belt we discussed. While that means he’s capable just about anywhere, his ground skills are a special worry for most opponents. He’s backed that up with submissions in two of his last three wins over four fights with the only loss over that four fight stretch being a first round exit from the Olympics. As far as org activity goes though, he’s 2-0 here at Sucker Punch with huge wins over Krsto Vujić and Silent Bob. He’s coming for the belt folks, and there should be no surprise what he’s bringing with him to help with that shot! Despite being on the short end of the Jiu Jitsu stick tonight, Jukassa can tout that he downed one of the most fearsome strikers at Sucker Punch in Kiryu Kazuma last month to claim the Middleweight Title! He not only stood tall against the former Champ, but did it for five full rounds showing that his chin is unmatched and that he’s capable of going the LONG distance to win it with the judges if need be. Leading up to that fight he’d downed John Doe and Luka Marka in February and March respectively, both via KO late in the third round! So again, this man can play the long game…and if you get tired, get bored, distracted, whatever…he’s got you! Five wins in a row, and 8-1 over his run at Sucker Punch, prove that he has what it takes and he’s in this to retain! Donkey’s Pick: Jukassa via KO (Strikes) Everything in my being says to go with the ground fighter in this one especially against an opponent who likes to go deep into the fight. All but one of Jukassa’s nine fights at Sucker Punch have gone max rounds and even the exception was into the second round. That’s a lot of time to give a submission specialist to get to the ground and work his magic. But I’m going on a hunch here. Let’s see if that hunch ends up leaving me high and dry or not! *********************** So there we have it Sucker Punch fans! SPPS 144 is coming at you in just over four hours folks! We hope you’re prepared for some amazing action and two insane title fights this evening! We know the fans who are already tailgating in Tokyo at the Bowl definitely are! We’ll be joining them shortly as we head over to the venue…and if you can’t be there, be sure to catch all of the action LIVE on our special THREE HOUR PPV! 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 May 18, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2022 SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW Sucker Punch Pro Series 146 Alright all you cheap shot addicts! We’re back and once again ready to kick into our mid-week action which means, as usual, a trip to Tokyo and the Tokyo Bowl super arena! We have great action on tap this evening at SPPS 146 including a much anticipated Welterweight Championship Fight in the Main Event! The defending champ, THE Dentist…Wagner…will have his hands full trying to fend off the challenge from Ceaser El Toro Jr this evening! Outside that title fight, this card has just about everything on it! Each and every Sucker Punch fan out there will have something to interest them from the Featherweights, which are represented twice on the card, all the way up to the Heavyweights who make their sole appearance in the third bout of the evening as Daniel Spong and Lou Slugger go at it! In between you’ve got two other Welterweight battles outside the title fight, a trio of Middleweight contests including the Co-Main Event which brings Landon McGuire to the cage to take on Silent Bob! And yes, even some Lightweight action to open up the evening as Lester and Paetmar try to warm things up for everybody! Ok, so I lied, it seems we actually don’t have everything tonight…the Light Heavyweights are not represented. But I think you’ll forgive me for that and enjoy all the other pulse pounding action coming your way this evening! Now, let’s get right into the detailed action here right after we hear from our sponsor and merchandise partner! Do you find that you’re resting your fighters too often? Two, three, maybe even 4 times a week sometimes? If that’s the case, you’re probably not supplementing their training, and if you are I’m thinking you’re not doing it with Shadow Warrior Tea 160Q, which is Shadow Warrior Nutrition’s outstanding energy loss reduction supplement. It’s the best 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, let's get to it! *********************** Undercard Bout #1: Lightweights Moe Lester v Venali Paetmar Donkey, I’m especially excited about this matchup tonight! Yes, I know it’s only the first fight of the evening…so why am I excited? Because many times the early fights find one or both fighters coming unprepared to the cage. Not with these two though! They are fully prepped and ready to get at it! That goes a long way to gaining some extra rope sometimes folks if you happen to be struggling a bit. Lester will have the advantage in all but the Jiu Jitsu primaries tonight, albeit by a small margin, but he has it. Paetmar’s brown belt will be an edge for him against Lester’s purple. Paetmar was cruising along last year from May till about September. Then the wheels fell off and he took a trio of losses to end the year and into the first of the new year here for 2022. That said, he’s rebounded some of late and has gone 2-1 over his last three with that loss to Yip Man lii sandwiched by wins over Hazuki and Savage. I won’t lie here though…both wins were not exactly dominant wins where he lit up the stats sheet…at least not until he pulled off the submission against Savage last month. He’s going to have to bring more effective offense to the cage this evening I think. Lester has not quite bounced back the same way that Paetmar has recently but you could also make the case that he’s seen a higher level of competition of late. He carries two losses into the fight to River and then my own Revorg, via TKO and Decision respectively. He’s 1-2 since joining us at Sucker Punch and going back a couple more he’s 2-3. He was on a HELL of a streak while over at Underground FC though, so perhaps he can find the magic from those days still. Donkey’s Pick: Lester via Unanimous Decision I expect this to turn into your classic striker versus submission slash ground specialist contest this evening with Lester bringing the standup striking to the cage and Paetmar attempting to utilize that Jiu Jitsu advantage he has. Especially after winning his last fight via submission! I think this gets to the ground, but I’m going to say Lester fends it off and eventually wins this via decision on the scorecards. *********************** Undercard Bout #2: Middleweights Oswaldo Fadda Jr v Bryan Gracie Annnnnd…that didn’t last long Donkey! Sure enough, our second fight and here we go with one of the fighters being unprepared. Tonight it seems Gracie is the first to claim that status as his morale is off by about 40%. Well, I guess we know what that means for your pick! Gracie will have the advantage on the ground tonight with his black belt over Fadda Jr’s brown. That said, Gracie has been struggling for consistency and has bounced from loss to win and back again for the past NINE fights! Wow. That’s a lot of see-saw action folks! Four of those fights have been here at Sucker Punch and they’ve resulted, as you’d guess, in a 2-2 record and I wish I could say that those wins…and losses…were to high level competition but…they really weren’t. So Gracie is definitely struggling to pull himself out of the bottom of the division. Given that, it should come as no surprise that his position here in the org is on thin ice…combine his relatively low ranking with his lack of preparation, his overall relative low skill level for his age and ID, etc. and he’s looking at issue if he should fall short this evening. Fadda Jr is working on trying to bring up his somewhat sad ranking as well. Having only fought QFC fights before joining Sucker Punch last month, he needs these “real” org fights to help pull himself up further after only four professional fights. He’s won them all so far though folks, so he should continue to climb! It’s hard to say what his go-to move is at this point…he won twice in the QFC via submission but his lone true fight here at Sucker Punch ended via KO in the early part of round three against Rogerio Duarte. That’s a solid win there! Donkey’s Pick: Fadda Jr via TKO (Strikes) I think we’re looking…again…at another striker versus submission ground specialists here just like our first fight. Unlike our first fight though, we have an unprepared fighter in Gracie this go round. I expect that to potentially prevent him from being able to either get the takedown he’ll want or to be unable to control position once down there. This is Fadda Jr’s fight to lose. *********************** Undercard Bout #3: Heavyweights Daniel Spong v Lou Slugger Our one and only big boy contest of the evening comes halfway through the Undercard here as Slugger and Spong prepared to go to war tonight! I’m happy to report that we’re back to having these boys show up fully prepared though! Woot! Slugger, as his name might imply, has the small edge in both areas of standup tonight. He has sensational boxing, Muay Thai and wrestling, so if he keeps it at distance or closes in and gets the clinch he should be more than capable in either scenario! Now, all that thrown out there…he’s been struggling. Heavily. No joke intended there about weight or anything! He carried two losses from HFC into Sucker Punch last month and ended up taking a decision loss to Ali Amir in his SPPS debut. While that fight may have ended in decision…and actually, he’s only had three fights go to decision on his entire career, all losses…this is a man who truly lives and dies by the KO finish! Spong has sensational wrestling and a black belt in Jiu Jitsu, making him the better fighter on the ground this evening. While he has pulled of a submission or two in the early to middle stages of his career so far, it’s clear that his preferred approach is to get to the ground and beat the living hell out of his opponents! He did that last month against Beardsley and although he struggled in two fights prior to that against Krol and my own Manivong prior to that, he was on a three fight winning streak from his time at CMMA into his debut here at Sucker Punch. Donkey’s Pick: Spong via TKO (Strikes) This is going to turn into a battle of strikes tonight and given that Spong has dealt two stoppages via cuts previously it could be a messy one at that! Slugger has dished out more than his fair share of KO’s and TKO’s in his career so far as well, all from the feet, but he’s also taken more than a few. We know he has a granite chin…so we have to question his heart perhaps? That’s something that will need to be seriously considered going forward if he’s got solid striking defense, agility and morale. In the meantime, if this goes to the ground Spong is fully in the driver’s seat and I do expect that’s where this fight ends tonight. *********************** Undercard Bout #4: Welterweights Tomohiro Tanahashi v Shock Linewood Moving right along and our first of the Welterweight matchups is next as we inch closer to the end of the Undercard! Both men are fully prepped! Yeahhhh booiii! Linewood has all the skills…on paper…that you could ask for really. Well, just about. He’s elite in both areas of standup as well as with his red belt in Jiu Jitsu. The only area he may lack some confidence in is his pure wrestling where he’s simply “remarkable”. That said, his skills on paper have not generated the results that we…or likely he and his team…would have expected. Since joining Sucker Punch five fights ago he’s 2-3 but does come into this fight tonight off a win via KO over Malcolm King just past the halfway point in the first round. That’s solid and definitely something to build upon! But it’s certainly not typical, as his wins usually come via submission or decision. Tanahashi makes his Sucker Punch debut this evening after previously spending time over at GAMMA. He should be more than thrilled to be fighting at the Tokyo Bowl this evening as he heads into what should be a favorable hometown crowd! He did well while at GAMMA, specifically while with GAMMA Contenders, but struggled after making the jump to the big club with two losses before leaving. One via TKO and the last via submission (strikes). Prior to that he was on an outstanding eight fight winning streak that spanned from EMP into GC, with most of those wins coming via TKO or KO. He strikes with power, and almost solely using his boxing skill with a large percentage of shots aimed at his opponent’s melon! Donkey’s Pick: Tanahashi via Unanimous Decision Really, really tough one to call here tonight as Linewood will likely look for a submission opportunity this evening and Tanahashi has never been finished via a true submission! For that reason, I’m going to lean towards Tanahashi via decision this evening. *********************** Undercard Bout #5: Featherweights Godefroy Courtial v Count Dankula Well, this was definitely a fun Undercard Donkey, as we didn’t have more than one fight from a single division throughout! Our last fight here will be a Featherweight battle between, as my daughters would say, a couple of the skinny boys in a slapfest potentially! It’s a shame though, because once again Dankula comes in off on morale and lacking full preparation which has turned into an ongoing issue for him. And it’s definitely been reflected in the results as he’s gone 1-3 over his last four with only a win over Mickey Dismantle two fights back. There’s not a lot to get into here, Dankula is more or less a pure boxer and that’s what you should expect to see tonight as well. Courtial has had the flipside when it comes to results over the past four as he’s 3-1 with only a loss to Cleon Wright…two fights back. All four fights ended via decision, so that seems to be becoming a bit of a trend that’s a departure from Courtial’s earlier career where a TKO or KO finish was the typical results. For or against! Courtial is more than happy to stand and throw hands, so Dankula ma not have to worry about the mat factoring in here this evening. That said, Courtial will mix in a bit more kickboxing and even some clinch as needed. Donkey’s Pick: Courtial via TKO (Strikes) The advantage tonight is Courtial’s. He has the more well-rounded skillsets and if he’s smart he’ll utilize the clinch against Dankula who only boasts respectable Muay Thai. If Courtial plays his cards right, this is his fight to lose. *********************** Donkey and I are taking a quick break and we’ll be back with the Main Card very soon! *********************** Main Card Bout #1: Welterweights Relative newcomer to SPPS, Figg, and former SPPS Welterweight Champ, Christiano, will open up the Main Card for us this evening! Both are prepped and ready to get at it, so the fans should get a great fight here! Figg started out his Sucker Punch run last month with a win over my own very skilled Lou Valentine. A disappointing loss to be sure for the Rumpler team but a solid submission victory by Figg who one-upped a fairly talented Valentine in that area! Impressive. He also defeated Ivan Jomoney the prior month via submission as well over at HFC. 3-1 under current management reach back from SPPS to HFC to Blaze, Figg is on a strong run right now and considering my Valentine took Christiano the distance two months ago in a decision loss, things could be looking good for Figg here tonight! Christiano is not just a Welterweight Champion here at Sucker Punch, as I mentioned earlier, but he’s actually a THREE-TIME Champion including one run at Checkmate and two here at SPPS! However, since the loss of the belt back in October to Darry Curtis he’s struggled to find his way back to the win column consistently. Losses to Jinx, Wagner and El Toro Jr, all either current champs, former champs, or top contenders in their own right, indicate that perhaps the competition has finally caught him some! Donkey’s Pick: Figg via Submission (Armbar) Tonight, Christiano will be about even with Figg in all primaries EXCEPT Jiu Jitsu where Figg has the advantage. Despite not holding an edge in any particular area, Christiano needs to win this one to not only roadblock yet another fighter from leapfrogging him but also to elevate himself back towards contention! Figg would have his work cut out for him though, as Christiano has never been finished on the ground via submission. But there’s a first time for everything, right? I’m going on a hunch here. *********************** Main Card Bout #2: Middleweights Alright, at this point on the card I definitely wouldn’t expect unprepared fighters and Middleweights Watkins and Kirk are not letting me down in that respect! Nice. These two are about even in most areas of primaries, except the Jiu Jitsu advantage Kirk holds with his brown belt over Watkins’ purple. Watkins came into Sucker Punch on Christmas Eve last year and things looked good. He grabbed a win over Sirus Hall and then backed it up to start 2022 with a win over DeAngelo, which is a very solid win to get, especially via TKO. However, a title shot against Kazuma proved that he wasn’t quite the elite striker yet, at least not at the level of the champ, and he was put down via KO in the first round. A submission via strikes over Tyson Law in March allowed Watkins to not only bounce back from that missed championship opportunity but also allowed him to make a statement…and forcing another fighter to submit and cry uncle under strikes is definitely just that! Another opportunity to get back to the belt was missed when he failed to win against Machado last month and with that lost opportunity Alex Maniatakos decided to part ways with Watkins. Tonight we see what new manager Blaze King brings to his corner and if a change of management style is just what Watkins needs to get over the hump! Kirm was heading towards Top Contender status prior to last month after going 3-1, 2-1 here at Sucker Punch. The two wins here at SPPS were against top quality competition in Matsuda and Beam which had us impressed and thinking that he may be ready for a true test. That test came against James Hunt last last month but resulted in a TKO loss. It just wasn’t Kirk’s night it seemed and he finds himself looking to rebuild and regroup. A win here would certainly help with that process! Donkey’s Pick: Watkins via Split Decision I expect Kirk to potentially return to his technical striking style that looks for points and a potential decision with the judges here. But he’s going to have to keep his head on a swivel as Watkins is just as capable with an exchange of strikes! And, there’s a solid chance Watkins tries to take it into the clinch at some point to tenderize and soften Kirk up. Despite the ground advantage, I don’t really expect it to go there tonight. *********************** Main Card Bout #3: Featherweights Our final fight before the Main Events will bring us the second of two Featherweight contests this evening with Petersson facing off against Hermann in the cage tonight. Two men who like their extra, duplicate consonants, clearly! Hermann will have an edge in Jiu Jitsu but outside that these two are neck and neck in the primaries and both fully prepared! Petersson doesn’t disguise, mask or in any way try to pretend he’s not about his striking. To the head. Solely. He’s a boxer who brings the shots at the opponent’s noggin and he just dares you to stop it! That approach has resulted in mixed results over the past five fights, all at WCF prior to joining Sucker Punch this month, with a 3-2 record during the most recent stretch. He did have a couple title shots in the past, once being the fight at WCF against Escalante back in November and the other being three managers back with Bjorn O’Donnel when at HFC. Unable to capitalize on either, he’ll look to show he has what it takes here at Sucker Punch! Hermann was on a great run at GAMMA Contenders with three W’s in a row before leaving and heading over here to Sucker Punch. A loss to Delisle in his Sucker Punch debut last month somewhat took the wind out of his sails though. It was the second submission loss of his career and clearly showed that there is a potential weak spot there in his game. Donkey’s Pick: Hermann via Unanimous Decision The issue with submissions probably won’t come into play for Hermann tonight as it’s highly unlikely that Petersson will be looking to take the fight to the ground. And it’s even more likely that he’ll simply need to guard against Petersson’s head strikes. If he can do that, this fight may be his for the taking as he brings a more varied strategy to the cage normally. *********************** Co-Main Event: Featured Middleweight Bout Our Co-Main Event is a big time Middleweight showdown that will likely give the winner between McGuire and Bob an opportunity to go fight for Top Contender status! That’s huge as it potentially puts you one step away from a title fight but it’s important to stay focused on the task at hand here this evening. Both fighters look to be taking that opportunity seriously as they are the most prepared of all fighters I’ve seen tonight so far with both energy and morale just about perfect for both! Awesome sauce! Bob will hold the Jiu Jitsu advantage over McGuire this evening but outside that McGuire is as good in all other areas. McGuire, managed by Joe River, is also on a red-hot three fight win streak since March with wins over Alaoui, Barkley and Matsuda. No small names there folks!!! That’s a significant turnaround from the three fight losing streak he had previously to Parker, Marka and Patterson. Also big names in the division. He needs to show consistency and the ability to continue winning, which is what tonight’s fight and a Top Contender battle next month with a win here tonight would provide! McGuire can win anywhere in the cage…on the feet, on the ground, take it the distance to the judges, finish, you name it! So what he and his manager River decide to bring strategy wise is a wildcard! Silent Bob was anything but last month as it was conveyed quite clearly through his management team that he was NOT thrilled about being left out write-ups last month when there was no preview for SPPS 139! Well, BOB, here you go buddy boy! Since joining Sucker Punch in March he’s gone 2-1 with the loss bookended by wins over Nickel and Zaire. The single loss was to now Champion, Shen Po, so there’s no shame in that one and actually makes a strong case for Bob. He brought a win with him from Synchronicity as well, so he’s 3-1 going back over the past four fights. A win tonight followed by a win to snag the Top Contender status next month would more than establish him for a title opportunity here at Sucker Punch. It would be the first in his career and I have a feeling that he and his management team, led by Louie DePalma, are about as focused as you can get on this opportunity. Donkey’s Pick: Bob via TKO (Strikes) Bob is a standup fighter who brings a big mix of kickboxing to the cage, equally split between kicks and strikes with focuses on the legs with the kicks and head with the hands! That’s fairly consistent for him over his more recent fights. Will that change tonight? We’ll see! He does bring a black belt with him while McGuire has a brown, so I question whether McGuire will try to get to the ground for a submission opportunity this evening. McGuire does have slightly better wrestling though which could counterbalance things there with the belts. This will be an intriguing fight tonight and a ‘MUST SEE’, so it’s more than worthy of the Co-Main Event spot! *********************** Main Event: Welterweight Championship Bout Our Main Event tonight is the much awaited Welterweight Championship fight!!! El Toro Jr will challenge the defending champ, Wagner, for the opportunity to carry some gold home tonight! Both men, as you’d expect, are fully prepped for this fight so I say let’s get it on! Wagner may be the Welterweight Champ…for the FIFTH time in his career after a run at SPPS, two at CMMA and now two more at SPPS here…but El Toro Jr is actually the fighter with the skill advantage tonight. Wagner has elite wrestling with a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu while El Toro Jr has a black belt and sensational wrestling. The small edge in wrestling for Wagner evens things out a bit there so this is really a razor thin difference! El Toro Jr was the former Welterweight champ with CFC until he left the promotion in February, with the belt, and eventually found himself here at Sucker Punch with us! He fought former champ Juan Christiano to a surprising Draw in April and eleven days later those two went at it again and this time El Toro Jr escaped with a thin Majority Decision victory! Damn…is all I can say! With a 6-0-1 record under current management, Sonny Muchacho will be focused on making sure he, his team and Toro are ready to give it their very best this evening. Toro is typically a technical striking, decision fighter who mixes in the clinch a bit here and there. We’ll have to see if the Champ adjusts in any way for that or if he forced Toro to do the adjusting! Donkey’s Pick: El Toro Jr via Majority Decision Hare went into Wagner’s accomplishments and accolades so enough has been said there. He didn’t touch on what Wagner typically brings to the cage though and that’s where things get interesting! More often than not of late, he also brings a technical striking approach to the cage…very similar to what El Toro Jr does. He, also, is comfortable in the clinch, again, similar to Toro! So…will they go at it to see who the better technical striker really is this evening? Will one of them decide to up the aggression and/or power a bit and go for the finish? Or will one of them even perhaps decide to really throw a monkey-wrench into the mix with a ground move or two? Oh the fun and intrigue!!! Let’s do this already! I’m going with the upset in a contested decision tonight! *********************** So there we have it Sucker Punch fans! SPPS 146 is coming at you in just under four hours folks! We hope you’re prepared for some amazing action as we rock Tokyo and the Bowl right to the foundations! We know the fans who are already tailgating definitely are! We’ll be joining them shortly as we head over to the venue…and if you can’t be there, be sure to catch all of the action LIVE on our special THREE HOUR PPV! Till then, have fun and don’t forget… Keep it cheap and dirty…Sucker Punch Pro Series style! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted May 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2022 SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW Sucker Punch Pro Series 147 Welcome back Sucker Punch fans! We’re all set and ready to kick off SPPS 147 over at the LA Memorial Colliseum this evening and while there aren’t any titles on the line there is plenty of fun and excitement cued up for you folks! Folks will have plenty of time to get into the arena, get their drinks and generally let the atmosphere build as we have a trio of casual sparring bouts set to go to kick off the undercard. That’ll include two fights and four fighters total from the Muchacho camp and then two of my own fighters getting a chance to show what they have in the third fight. Things pick up quickly after those sparring bouts when Alaoui and Stanley get in there to represent the Middleweight divison and the Undercard is closed out with a big boy Heavyweight showdown between my own Manivong and ZaDarius Haden! That’s going to be one pulse pounding fight…and should end in a finish I think! Our Main Card is full of big names trying to work themselves up the ladder and into contender status in their respective divisions. Two of the fights, both the opener of the Main Card and the Co-Main Event, are Featherweight contests that feature huge names in the division such as former champ Michael Aalto and another former champ in Baptiste! Not against one other mind you, but certainly setting the tone and pace for the division! A pair of Middleweight bouts will also grace the Main card with the second fight being a huge showdown between Psiris Fuhren and Tanaka Matsuda. The Main Event of the evening will be the other Middleweight contest that pits Chip Nickel against James Hunt with the winner likely getting a Top Contender battle with the waiting Silent Bob! Also, while not one of the Main Events, a big battle is on tap in the middle of the Main Card between Mister Mediocre and Vinicius Verreira to see who can snag the next title shot in the Lightweight division once the Logan/Cobain conflict has sorted itself out! So there we go, lots on tap and now it’s time for us to get to the detailed action right after we hear from our sponsor and merchandise partner! Do you find that you’re resting your fighters too often? Two, three, maybe even 4 times a week sometimes? If that’s the case, you’re probably not supplementing their training, and if you are I’m thinking you’re not doing it with Shadow Warrior Tea 160Q, which is Shadow Warrior Nutrition’s outstanding energy loss reduction supplement. It’s the best 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, let's get to it! *********************** Undercard Bout #1: Sparring Bout Artis Wood v Dirty Shoe We’ll kick the evening off with a little light sparring in a single round, three minute affair between two of Sonny Muchacho’s boys. Wood has already lost a fight under former manager Burny Mak (love that name!) so we know he has a granite chin. We also have a general feel for his morale…well, not “WE” necessarily, but I’m thinking that the Muchacho camp does. So…I think it’s probably a safe bet to say that his management team has probably secretly told him to go out there and kick Dirty Shoe’s ass so they can find out how he takes a loss also! No sense getting into this one too deep as it is what it is, just a test fight, but Wood will be the better boxer and wrestler tonight. Shoe will have the advantage in Muay Thai but overall I expect these two probably just take a few non-damage shots and then drop to the ground and roll around for a bit till the three minutes is up… Donkey’s Pick: None I don’t really do picks for the sparring bouts but I’m pretty sure Hare nailed the intention on this one. *********************** Undercard Bout #2: Sparring Bout Sour Diesel v Miman Jamari Our second of three sparring bouts will feature the last of Sonny Muchacho’s boys this evening with Diesel having a few extra points of skill in both boxing and wrestling tonight. Both fighters are fresh to the cage professionally. Again, not much to say about this fight being it’s a test fight more or less. Whoever wins will have an improved record going forward but the Muchacho camp will learn more about the one who loses and how he handles it morale-wise. The biggest thing of all tonight is finding out about those valuable hiddens! Their trainers will be hoping for some solid to granite chins, KO power or something that doesn’t hint that they just to sit around reading comics or worse…bleed after getting hit by a stiff wind! Donkey’s Pick: None Nope, no reason to make a pick here! Moving along folks! *********************** Undercard Bout #3: Sparring Bout Schight Dwrute v Spack Jarrow Yet another…and the last…of our sparring bouts on the evening folks! This one has two of my own youngsters going at it and I really, really hope to get some good information from their Tale of the Tapes! Both showed some really good learning speed early on after they joined our camp and our trainers worked with them a bit. So now, if only they can come through with some decent hiddens and not a love of gardening, pizza or moonwalking, we’re gonna be all right hopefully! Donkey’s Pick: Nope, nada! Yep, still not getting roped into giving picks for sparring bouts!!! Let’s get to the good stuff already! *********************** Undercard Bout #4: Middleweights Roger Michael Stanley v Youssef Alaoui Middleweights Alaoui and Stanley prepare to step into the cage tonight at SPPS 147 in an attempt to put recent losses behind them and start moving in the right direction! Both are more or less fully prepped…yeah, Alaoui could have slightly better morale, but it’s not too bad…and as far as primaries go these two are a great match with the only differentiator being Stanley’s black belt over Alaoui’s brown. Alaoui is carrying a three fight losing streak into the cage tonight and you have to figure he and his team are desperate to change that up! He’s dropped precariously low in ranking but gets a little extra rope because he’s faced stiff competition of late with losses to McGuire, Matsuda and my own Zambrano earlier this month on May 1st. A former two-time contender and one-time champion at Iron Wolf Fight Club, Alaoui has struggled to find the machine-like TKO ability that propelled him into the spotlight since stepping up to the competition here at Sucker Punch. However, it only takes one fight to turn things around and suddenly start putting the past behind and tonight could be that fight! Stanley may very well plan to take advantage of his better Jiu Jitsu this evening as he has two wins via submission over his last three fights. Submissions were not a huge part of his arsenal earlier in his career so it remains to be seen if that is a new direction for him and a skillset he’s actively working to improve. Stanley is coming into tonight’s fight off a loss as well to a very talented Ronnie Bass in his Sucker Punch debut but has since stepped up to Middleweight from Welterweight. That throws a whole lot of unknowns into the mix here but I will say that his weight should allow him to retain energy better at this weight class than it did previously. Donkey’s Pick: Stanley via Submission (Armbar) Alaoui is going to have to prove he can find his way back to the win column before I can pick him. That, and his prior loss was to Hare’s boy via submission and Stanley’s camp undoubtedly saw that and may be planning to try for three submissions out of four fights for him. I have to think that that gives Stanley the slight edge here tonight. *********************** Undercard Bout #5: Heavyweights ZaDarius Haden v Akuma Manivong The last fight of the Undercard gets the big fellas involved as my own Akuma Manivong endeavors to take on the very dangerous ZaDarius Haden! Both men are fully prepped, which is good to see (well, I kinda wish Haden wasn’t! Hahaha!) and the only difference between these two in skill will be a slight edge for Haden in wrestling. This will be a huge test for Manivong as Haden is one of the best in the division. That said, with four wins in a row under his belt, Manivong needed to be tested going forward to see if he has what it takes to move up toward the top of the Heavyweights! We’ll have to see who the real Akuma is…the man who lost three in a row at Iron Wolf and into his debut at Sucker Punch…or the kid who has gotten hot of late and dispatched solid opponents such as Spong, Magomedov and Republic. While he did show some skill on the ground earlier in his career with several submission victories, the wins have come more via his striking ability of late including those that earned him the Heavyweight title over at KoF. Haden has been a career contender in the Heavyweight Division here at Sucker Punch. Unfortunately, the first two times he earned title shots he was unable to capitalize with losses to Chontamenti on both occasions. He managed to make good on a “third time’s a charm” approach when he defeated Hero Shima for the belt back in August last year. Unfortunately, Chontamenti was once again waiting for him and took the belt right away in his first title defense the following month and Shima exacted revenge a month later when Haden was given a rematch with Shima (after Shima took the belt from Chontamenti). Was that convoluted enough for ya?!? Basically, Haden has always been in the mix but struggled to capitalize on the occasions or sustain a consistent defense. In his past five fights Haden has had mixed results and we wonder if his confidence is a little off? He defeated Krol and Republic to end 2021 and start 2022, but since has gone 0-2-1 with losses to Balkan and Lampi and a draw sandwiched in between to Jack Morgan. Haden started his career as more of a finisher with KO and TKO’s but has slid to a more technical striking style on the back half of the career so far. Will we see him come in attempting to outbox and outlast Manivong this evening? Donkey’s Pick: Manivong via TKO (Strikes) I barely ever pick for Hare’s boys…for a reason. First, I try not to be a homer. Second, he’s usually trying to avoid looking like he’s favoring his guys in any way so they usually have rough matchups and that puts them at a disadvantage either ID wise or skill wise. That said, Haden’s confidence being rocked a bit lately, his susceptibility to the submission (as against Shima recently) and several other factors make me think that perhaps Manivong has a shot here. *********************** Donkey and I are taking a quick break and we’ll be back with the Main Card very soon! *********************** Main Card Bout #1: Featherweights We’ll get the Main Card going with the first of our two Featherweight matchups this evening. Both fighters are prepped and fully ready to give everything for the fans tonight, loving that! From a skill perspective, this fight is very even with Takahashi having slight, SLIGHT edges in all but Jiu Jitsu. That said, Takahashi has struggled beyond what his skills on paper say he should since arriving at Sucker Punch. “On Paper”, he should be one of if not the best fighter in the division. But over his first four fights with us he’s gone 1-3 with losses to three of our former champs in Aalto, Baptiste and Sitsongrit. Clearly, those losses are against the top of the division and the only reason for a revisit to Aalto here is Aalto’s run of losses since defeating Takahashi originally. Aalto has fallen to former champ Jihadi Joseph, up and coming former top contender Heller Cabrera and former champ Baptiste. Where he previously just seemed to “find a way”, he’s struggled to do that lately against top caliber competition similar to Takahashi. Both of these fighters need a kick in the pants and giving them a chance at a grudge match might be just what the doctor ordered for one of them! Donkey’s Pick: Takahashi via Unanimous Decision Your guess is as good as mine as to where this fight will go tonight. Both fighters can take it to the ground and have significant skills there. Both can stay on the feet and strike. I feel like Takahashi has had the slightly rougher stretch of competition of late and despite the prior loss via submission to Aalto I feel like revenge might be in the air this evening! *********************** Main Card Bout #2: Middleweights Another very closely matched fight this evening will feature two of the best Middleweights in the business here at Sucker Punch! Fuhren’s bio reads, “Three-time title challenger in Sucker Punch. The keeper of the 185 gate. Fuhren has killed one man in the cage and retired another. The adoptive father of Longsun Zhao and Mr. Tanahashi.” Pretty much all of that is accurate, or so I’ve heard through the rumor mill! Ok, I’m not certain about the actual killing of a man…but I know he definitely retired one. And whether or not he’s got official guardian status of Zhao or not is up for debate I suppose! LOL! What I do know is that the very first part that mentions that he’s been a three-time title challenger is very accurate and he had found taking advantage of those opportunities to be challenging. Donkey and I believe that was the reason he decided to do a walkabout to CFC during a hot streak here at SPPS that almost had him in line for another title shot. Fast forward – The walkabout didn’t go as well as planned and he lost two fights at CFC before returning home here to SPPS this past month! Matsuda can feel for Fuhren. Maybe. Not that he’d admit it. He was a former Middleweight champ at BFC, defending successfully once, but has had two opportunities for the title here at Sucker Punch without much to show for it so far. Both of those opportunities were thwarted by the thorn in his side, Machado! Since the second loss, via doctor stoppage back in November, he’s struggled a bit with confidence and been unable to find the ‘W’ column often. He’s currently on a 1-5 run with a single loss to McGuire coming into this fight tonight. If he wants to find his way back for a third title opportunity, the winning needs to start tonight and it needs to start against an opponent who has walked a similar path in his career. Donkey’s Pick: Matsuda via Unanimous Decision Matsuda has a granite chin. Fuhren likes to go for KO’s. Matsuda typically works the technical striking approach and drags fights out…or, historically, has shown that he can pull off a submission. Both scenarios are ones that would work against Fuhren if he can’t get to Matsuda’s chin which is a huge question. Unless he changes it up and goes for the technical approach. I think most of the cards are in Matsuda’s hands tonight. Unless Fuhren lays some very heavy ones on him at just the right time! *********************** Main Card Bout #3: Lightweights Two Lightweights. Two fighters fully prepped and ready to go. Two men on the verge of a Title Fight opportunity. Which will walk away the victor and take that next step towards the ultimate prize?!? We’re going to find out tonight folks! Mediocre is the better boxer and Muay Thai artist this evening. Combine that with his history of winning via TKO (and in one case, a submission that came out of nowhere!)…and his recent two fights since joining Sucker Punch become a bit more interesting. Both were decisions, one a loss to Greg Connor and the other a win over Red Crow early this month on May 1st. He’s 5-1 over his last six under the current management team but it begs what fighter we’re going to get here tonight? Verreira is a two-time title contender here at Sucker Punch under two different managers. The difference? The second go-round he managed to successfully grab the belt with Mark Harrington in his corner. But…what wasn’t different was that Frankie Logan was able to step in and dispatch him yet again. Clearly we know what Verreira’s Achilles heel is here at SPPS so far as those are the only two significant losses of his more than solid career so far outside an early QFC test fight. Now…the question is…can he defeat Mediocre to score his third chance at the belt…and will Logan still be the one waiting for him if that happens? Donkey’s Pick: Mediocre via Unanimous Decision Verreira might be hoping for Cobain to win that fight given he’s defeated Cobain before. But before worrying about that, he better just focus on this one tonight! I feel that Mediocre’s flexibility to win the fight any possible way may play into this tonight as it’s probably the closest to Verreira’s own style and ability in terms of varied skillset that he’s ever faced. *********************** Co-Main Event: Featured Featherweight Bout Our Co-Main Event will result in one of these elite Featherweights moving one step closer to a title fight! Most likely via a Top Contender battle against the winner of Cleon Wright and Jihadi Joseph. There’s plenty to worry about in that potential matchup no matter who wins but these two had better clear that from their minds and focus on the task at hand this evening! Merel goes up against the former Sucker Punch champ for the opportunity to try for Top Contender. He’ll actually boast the slightly better skillset this evening as both are just about equal until you get to Jiu Jitsu where Merel has a black belt over Baptiste’s brown. The interesting thing about that? He won his last fight, his Sucker Punch debut, against Cicero Verus (formerly Ivan Volkov) via submission…and has won two prior fights in his career via submission as well…but lost THREE in a row while at HFC to end 2021 and start 2022, all via submission. So yes, Merel can dish out a sub, but he can get caught also! All of that said, we can’t overlook that he has a knack for winning via decisions and TKO’s as well with solid striking both in and out of the clinch. Essentially, there doesn’t seem to be a weak spot in this guy’s toolbox except perhaps his defensive grappling against submissions. Baptiste is much more straightforward. He’s a technical striker who can wear you down and if he does he’ll capitalize with a TKO. But if that doesn’t come, he’s usually ahead on the scorecard due to his elite technical striking. He has been beaten at his own game a few times by the likes of Sitsongrit, Chulalongkorn and Joseph…but he’s only been submitted once in his career and that was by Aalto for the belt over a year ago. Donkey’s Pick: Baptiste via Unanimous Decision Baptiste is a two-time Featherweight champ here at Sucker Punch, so he knows what it takes and Merel will have to bring a focused, complete game to get by him tonight! The fight with Volkov was very close until Merel pulled off the submission last time out. I have to think that Baptiste will be a whole different level of issue in that department and unless Merel catches him I think I like Baptiste’s chances here. *********************** Main Event: Featured Middleweight Bout Our Main Event officially completes the feat that I was trying oh so hard not to jinx! EVERY SINGLE FIGHT tonight has all of our fighters primed, prepped and ready for action! That includes Hunt and Nickel here in this Middleweight contest that will determine a possible Top Contender battle with Silent Bob who sits waiting. Hunt will be the better Jiu Jitsu artist tonight but gives up a small edge in both boxing and wrestling to Nickel. Hunt is on a hell of a run currently as he brought two wins with him from HFC and proceeded to win his first two fights so far here at Sucker Punch, making it a four fight winning streak! And the fights he’s won here were against solid competition in DeAngelo and then Kirk last month. All four of these wins have come via TKO or KO and none have gone beyond the second round so Hunt is pretty good at getting the job done and getting it done quickly! Nickel has won three of his last four with the only loss coming to Silent Bob…which would make a potential rematch next month against Bob very interesting! Two of those wins have come since he joined Sucker Punch and were against very solid competition in DeAngelo, a win he shares with Hunt, and Jacob Parker…both former champs! He brings a serious kickboxing attack to the cage and while Nickel can finish, the wins come his way much more frequently after a visit to the judges’ scorecards. Donkey’s Pick: Nickel via Unanimous Decision Nickel has a granite chin and given his predisposition for decisions I’m going to say that perhaps that’s the difference make here tonight if that chin holds up against Hunt’s damaging hands. Plus, I just find the idea of a Nickel/Bob rematch beyond exciting! Ok, now I just sound like a fanboy! Sorry folks. *********************** So there we have it Sucker Punch fans! We’re less than two hours away from all of the fun over at the Colliseum for SPPS 147 folks! Hopefully you’ll be joining us but if you can don’t forget, there is an amazing high quality THREE HOUR PPV lined up just for you! Subscribe now and join in on all the chatter after all the action’s gone down tonight! We’ll catch back up with you soon folks, but right now we’ve got an arena to get to! Till then, have fun and don’t forget… Keep it cheap and dirty…Sucker Punch Pro Series style! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted May 24, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2022 SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW Sucker Punch Pro Series 148 Hey Sucker Punch family! It’s the middle of the week…so you know what that means! Yep, we’re headed off to the Tokyo Bowl for SPPS 148! Tonight we’ve got a crazy good lineup of fights for you folks despite not having any title fights on the card! But don’t despair, I really wasn’t lying when I said that it’s a crazy good lineup! Hell, the last fight of the Undercard alone will be a hell of a Lightweight fight between my own Repus Revorg and the very talented, very dangerous Guy River! So that should tell you that the Main Card is frankly…well, off the hook! Another Lightweight battle will open the Main Card when Sukulaku and Roberto Soldic throw down against one another. One of these two will get one step closer to contender status with a win as they tack on a second win in a row…of course, barring a friggin’ draw! Light Heavyweights Ecker and Thai will have one of your classic striker versus ground specialist showdowns that will delight fans and, like the Lightweights, move one of them closer to contender status. The Co-Main Event will bring two of the best Heavyweights in the business when former champ Will Wrecks takes on highly touted Ben Slam in a fight that will very likely propel one of them right up into the title picture again in short order! But it doesn’t end there, as we’ll have Featherweight fights sandwiching that Light Heavyweight battle as former Wolfpac champ and also last month’s title challenger here at Sucker Punch, Heller Cabrera, attempts to earn his way right back into the title picture…but he’ll have to get past Gauthier Delisle first who undoubtedly has similar aspirations! Last but not least, the other side of that sandwich will be the Main Event on the evening and brings us an epic showdown between former multi-time champ, Petsuwan Sitsongrit, and one of the greatest Feather and Bantamweights in MMAT history, formerly with WCF…Ryan Anderson! The winner of this great fight gets fast-tracked straight to a Title Shot against Magnificent Chulalongkorn once he returns from his walkabout at Combate 100 this coming weekend! Wow, all of that and there’s still FOUR MORE great fights warming you guys up as we kick off the Undercard tonight! Now, let’s get to the detailed action right after we hear from our sponsor and merchandise partner! 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, let's get to it! *********************** Undercard Bout #1: Middleweights Nimoy vs. Souppe II Leonard Nimoy v Bruno Souppe Alright! So we’ll kick things off with a little rematch tonight as Bruno Souppe attempts to avenge a loss from back in January under former manager Larry Barbosa! I’m happy to say that both of these fighters are more or less ready to get at it, so…let’s do the same! Souppe, now managed by Broly Supreme, has gone 2-1 since joining his new management team. He spent a couple fights to start that run over at Newark Regional Circuit (NRC) where he won one via submission but lost the second fight to Uriah Small when they went to the judges’ cards. Back at Sucker Punch last month he was able to win a hard fought battle against Sirus Hall, another decision and a fight that happened to be an opportunity for him to avenge another prior loss from when he fought Hall in April 2021. His ability to come back and get the win in that sequel is a good sign and may point to a chance to do the same again tonight? Nimoy hasn’t had as much luck of late and saw a four fight win streak come to an end in March when he lost a rematch that gave him a shot to avenge against Sirus Hall. He came up short in that attempt, unlike Souppe, and then fell to Red Jesus Karter last month. He previously defeated Souppe in their first meeting with a KO in the first moments of the second round and likely he’ll be looking to do the same again, perhaps even earlier in the fight, when he faces Souppe this evening. Anything that keeps the fight off the ground and away from Souppe’s submission skills is a good thing for Nimoy! Donkey’s Pick: Souppe via Submission (Armbar) I have to go with Souppe’s chance to even the score here this evening given he’s had a bit more success lately and seems to be figuring some things out. That, and I just love setups for rubber matches! *********************** Undercard Bout #2: Welterweights Queen vs. Valentine II Ceedee Queen v Lou Valentine The second fight of the evening is the first of two that feature one of my own kids! For this one, Lou Valentine will face fellow Welterweight Ceedee Queen in our second rematch in as many fights this evening! Both are prepped and ready to get at it so it should be a great battle given the last time they met it went to a very close Majority Decision with the judges. My boy Valentine has been struggling of late as he attempted to step up to even higher levels of competition after going six straight wins. We needed to see if he was ready for the “big time” but both Juan Christiano and Benny Figg smacked him back down and showed him where he belongs…for now. The first time these two met Queen was pretty focused on trying to get the fight to the ground both from the clinch and separated. He succeeded three times but Valentine didn’t oppose it too much and took it to the ground once himself. Once there, it was a battle for position with Queen working to get top control for the ground and pound while Valentine was more content to work for submissions. Without a finish, the difference maker came down to Valentine’s points inside the clinch. Queen fought only one more fight under former management after the Valentine battle before switching to the Frederico camp. Since that switch he’s left the four fight losing streak (five if you count the first loss under Frederico) behind with a 5-1 run of late. His only loss over the last six was to Nova Lankinen who has risen through the ranks to prove himself a Top Contender. Frederico has got Queen looking to pick apart opponents on the scorecards with every win (and loss) under his management going to a decision. While he’ll still look to work the ground game for strikes occasionally, more often than not he’s bringing an aggressive kickboxing approach to the cage with a ton of head shots offered. Donkey’s Pick: Queen via Unanimous Decision This one is undoubtedly going to come down to who can control the fight and dictate not only where it takes place but the position once there. Queen won’t mind the ground but odds are he’ll look to really take advantage of solid kickboxing to outscore Valentine. Queen does have KO power and while his chin hasn’t failed him on many occasions there has been the occasional TKO. Will Valentine test that chin, try to match aggression or work to secure the dominant position on the ground and go for submissions? This will be a great fight but Frederico has had Queen firing on all cylinders so I have to go with him. *********************** Undercard Bout #3: Middleweights Paulo Blikstein v Abdullah Zaire Halfway through the Undercard we have yet another two fighters fully prepped and ready to get at it! Middleweights Zaire and Blikstein will both be looking to put a loss in their last fights behind them but only one will be able to do that this evening. Zaire was on a roll at Gamma Contenders and came into Sucker Punch in early April with a head of steam as he was able to get past Doe in his first Sucker Punch bout with a Majority Decision. That made it 4-1 over five for Zaire but later last month he fell to Silent Bob in a bid for a Top Contender battle. A former champ at both GC and OFK, Zaire has a taste for the gold and will regret missing that opportunity but a big win tonight could put him right back on the map and only a couple wins away from looking that opportunity in the face again. While he showed a lot of power and KO ability back at OFK his more recent wins have mostly come via Decision with some kickboxing but mostly a ton of solid boxing. After Blikstein left GDL, where he started his career, he had a bit of a back and forth start upon arrival here at Sucker Punch. Unable to gain much traction, he was lingering in the middle of the pack and just couldn’t seem to put together a consistent run of wins. He still hasn’t strung together more than two lately since the end of 2021, but he has been winning at a ratio of 2:1 and showing some solid power in doing so. And that power and damage can come both standing or on the ground! The issue for Blikstein is that he tends to look just as susceptible to TKO or KO finishes as he is to dish one out. A loss to Kazuma, former champ here at Sucker Punch, last month prevented him from making an immediate run at Top Contender and a title shot but a win over Zaire would certainly put him no more than two steps away! Donkey’s Pick: Zaire via Unanimous Decision Zaire will want to keep this fight standing tonight as Blikstein has a small wrestling advantage and has shown a love of the ground and pound. Zaire does have the better Jiu Jitsu but he’s never worked for a submission so we have to believe that it’s mostly defensive based. It’s that focus on defense that makes us think he may be able to fend off the ground attack and keep the fight standing and for that reason we’re going to look to him for the win tonight. *********************** Undercard Bout #4: Middleweights Hall vs. Zhao II Sirus Hall v Longsun Zhao Given that Sirus Hall has lost four of his last five fights I’m very surprised that he’s coming into this fight tonight off by about 10% in both energy and morale. Or, maybe that shouldn’t come as a surprise because it shows a lack of attention to detail which could be why he’s been losing of late. He’s been extended by three fights on his contract but I’d be lying if I said that he’d see the end of that contract if he continues to come unprepared. The Middleweight division is one of our deepest here at Sucker Punch and there’s just no room for falling ranks due to bad prep! This is also a rematch fight, making it three of our four fights tonight that that’s the case, and Zhao managed to win their last contest back in November via KO in just under a minute of action. This is no gimme for Zhao despite Hall coming in a little underprepared and also despite making it look easy last time. Zhao has struggled in a big way with only two wins in his last eight fights. Three in his last eleven! Every fight on his career has been here at Sucker Punch and if it weren’t for some big ones along the way his rank would be bad enough we wouldn’t be able to match him up any longer. That said, this is more or less a ‘Must Win’ for him tonight and you can bet he’ll try to put some power on display again! Donkey’s Pick: Zhao via TKO (Strikes) Have to think that Hall’s lack of preparation and somewhat suspect chin are going to be huge targets and a big opportunity for Zhao this evening! *********************** Undercard Bout #5: Lightweights River vs. Revorg II Guy River v Repus Revorg Our final fight on the Undercard is yet ANOTHER rematch here! Wow, I almost thing this should have been an entire card of rematches, that would have been pretty awesome! Anyways, the last time these two met was just over a year ago and you can bet they’ve evolved a bit over that time. River won that first meeting via a Unanimous Decision in a battle that saw him win in most areas of the fight…boxing, kicks and even in the clinch. The onus will be on Revorg to bring something different to the fight this time around or to show that his skills have improved enough to make this a real battle! While both fighters appear to be about equal in boxing, Muay Thai and wrestling, it’s Jiu Jitsu where Revorg has clearly pulled away a bit with his black belt over River’s purple. A submission last month over Carvaleho put those skills on display but it should be noted that most of his recent fights have still gone to decision, win or lose. River was on a long run of wins at one point, with the second in a string of five W’s coming against Revorg last time. That run culminated in a championship with a win over future HoF’er Logan and a successful defense against Yip Man lii. Logan was able to reclaim the belt in the second defense and since then River seems to have lost a bit of confidence, going 3-5 since holding the belt. Granted, the losses have all been against elite, champion caliber opponents. Donkey’s Pick: River via Unanimous Decision Interestingly, River dispatched Carvaleho as well two fights ago with a KO in the third round. Could the the two different approaches between Revorg and River be an indication of the way this fight may go this evening also? River dominated the fight so well last time I have to give the nod to him again here tonight. But a year has passed and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Revorg pull off some magic to show us he’s a much improved fighter now. *********************** Donkey and I are taking a quick break and we’ll be back with the Main Card very soon! *********************** Main Card Bout #1: Lightweights We ended the Undercard with one Lightweight battle and we’ll kick off the Main Card with another! Both Solic and Sukulaku are fully, and I do mean FULLY, prepped for this fight so we can expect everything they have left in the cage this evening folks! Soldic will have a slight edge in Muay Thai but outside that these two are very closely matched. He’s 1-1 since arriving at Sucker Punch under new management with Alex K. backing his new squad. He fell to Takahashi in a tough split decision that earned ‘Fight of the Night’ honors in his SPPS debut at Featherweight but has since moved up to Featherweight again, where he used to fight back at HFC prior to WCF…and with that move was able to pull off a slick Triangle Choke against Uesugi last month. He, however, was not the instigator of the move to the mat in that contest and Uesugi probably regrets his part in that still to this day! Knowing that Soldic can pull off submissions, the question will be does he stay standing against Sukulaku or initiate the takedowns this go-round? Sukulaku, much like Soldic, started his run here at Sucker Punch along with a management change. Previously managed by Marky Mark, he’s now been with Sucker Punch for five fights under Golden Finch with a 3-2 record result. He stumbled a bit in a bid at the Championship when given a chance against former champ Maede and then came back for a hangover loss to Yip Man lii the fight after. However, last month’s TKO win over Guy River definitely showed he’s still a dangerous fighter who can bring power to the cage and that his strikes are something to be concerned with. Donkey’s Pick: Sukulaku via TKO (Strikes) Sukulaku has also pulled off some submissions in the past so that’s something to consider also if Soldic does take this fight to the ground tonight. But, Suku has also lost via submission, so maybe the risk is worth it? We’ll have to see what Soldic and his team decide, if they can dictate where the fight takes place. The biggest concern would be not getting tagged with a power shot from Sukulaku while deciding or making that attempt! For now, with the flip of a coin…ok, and a little consideration given to Suku’s power and Soldic’s only “solid” chin…I’m going with Sukulaku this evening. *********************** Main Card Bout #2: Light Heavyweights Thai vs. Ecker III I am absolutely loving the preparation of our fighters on this card tonight folks! Seriously! These two Light Heavyweights are more than ready to throw down, sorta, with Thai being a ground specialist and Ecker being the slammer in this one…and I can’t wait! And this one, unlike the many other rematches tonight, is a third go round for these two with Ecker having gotten the best of Thai the first two meetings via KO and then TKO! You can bet that Thai will want one back tonight. Ecker was on a roll with four straight wins from November to February with that final win being the second contest against Thai here. That win was huge for Ecker as it earned him a title shot but unfortunately for Ecker he was unable to stay standing against Izanagi when a head kick landed for his opponent…a highlight reel one that earned ‘KO of the Night’ honors for Izanagi…along with capturing and reestablishing the belt for the Light Heavyweights! Ouch. Ecker also fell to Tribute the following month via KO as well but has bounced back since with a win over Iron Side earlier this month, a TKO just moments before the end of the first round. Thai has extra incentive to go get this one tonight beyond just having lost to Ecker twice in the past. The last time cost him a title shot, one he’d been eyeing and working towards since his last one in December of…yes…2020!!! It was a long time coming and missing that opportunity had to hurt like hell. With two shots in his career so far, first against my own Sacrificial Lamb early on in the Cockshot Sorter Series Finals and then that other opportunity against Jacob Parker, a third is the one that Thai is hoping would be a charm. With a 4-1 run prior to his run-in with Tank Tribute earlier this month he was on track again and once again an opportunity for a Championship fight passed him by with Tribute getting that opportunity. Thai should be coming in here with a fire in his gut tonight to end this dramatically…and if he does it will have to be via submission most likely. But…he’s always susceptible to the big punch…so… Donkey’s Pick: Thai via Submission (Kimura) It’s simple for Ecker…he wins by KO, loses by KO or potentially falls to a solid ground game as he’s done with submission losses to Akerfeldt and Hasanov in the past. And that’s the one reason I think Thai has a chance to really get one back here tonight…if he can figure out how to get it to the ground without having his head knocked off his shoulders in the process, I think he can win this one. *********************** Main Card Bout #3: Featherweights Cabrera vs. Delisle II Halfway into the Main Card and our last fight before the Main Events and we get two Featherweights who, like all before them tonight, are fully prepared with tanks full and morale on high! Excellent! This is a necessary step for one of these fighters to move within two fights of a Top Contender status or even a potential title shot, so you can expect they’re focused and ready to really go at it! Delisle will be the more talented ground fighter this evening. He has a slight edge in wrestling and a black belt over Cabrera’s brown in Jiu Jitsu. He also pulled off a stunning ‘Sub of the Night’ armbar against Karl Hermann last month to earn the ‘W’, once again bouncing back and forth in yo-yo fashion between losses and wins. He’s 2-1 since joining Sucker Punch though and a win tonight along with another solid one over a top tier opponent next month could certainly put him into the contender discussion. But one fight at a time folks! Delisle will have his hands full this evening with Cabrera! Heller had never lost a fight in his entire career until he fought Chulalongkorn last month for the belt! He was 8-0 prior to joining Sucker Punch and didn’t miss a beat upon arrival as he ran off three more wins over my former kid, Adim Bulb, Delisle himself in their prior meeting and then former champ Michael Aalto, a truly impressive win! A win tonight would show if he’s still in the form he was after that loss to Chulalongkorn and set him up for a huge battle for Top Contender most likely. Although there is a bit of a logjam right now with folks waiting upon Chulalongkorn’s return from Combate 100 this coming weekend. Donkey’s Pick: Cabrera via TKO (Strikes) The last time these two met Delisle worked hard for a takedown but only managed one on fourteen attempts. And once there Cabrera was able to escape back to the feet. He’ll need to be much more efficient than that tonight if he wants to get this fight on the ground and potentially win it there…otherwise Cabrera may demonstrate for us once again what he can do with a solid kickboxing attack…and the power to make it hurt! *********************** Co-Main Event: Featured Heavyweight Bout Our Co-Main Event gives us an explosive showdown between two of the most talented big boys in the business today! Wrecks, former champion here at Sucker Punch with two successful defenses, will throw down with an equally talented and just as dangerous Ben Slam! Slam had two opportunities for the belt at SFL, both against Conor The Barbarian, but was unable to find an answer to the uncultured one with KO and TKO losses in both…the latter coming via a doctor stoppage due to cuts. After that final bout with Barbarian Slam slid over to us here at Sucker Punch but came up short in his debut against Hero Shima with a TKO loss just over halfway into the first round. Certainly the tone was set and the gloves were off with that introduction to the top tier here at Sucker Punch! And you can bet Slam is prepared to come back with a vengeance tonight looking for his first win! At 17-8, Slam has won much more frequently than he’s lost over his career and the vast majority of his wins have come early in the fight with a HUGE display of power! Not much needs to be said about Wrecks’ capabilities as his history here at Sucker Punch pretty much speaks for itself! He was 3-1 in QFC fights prior to joining us and we wondered if he could translate that success to org competition…and he answered beautifully by KO’ing four straight fighters here at SPPS! Then, upon earning a title shot, he defeated a tough as nails Hero Shima to take the belt…and yet some of us still wondered if it was a flash in the pan and perhaps a lucky win? Wins over Magomedov and then a follow-up second defeat of Shima put all of those questions to rest! Donkey’s Pick: Wrecks via TKO (Strikes) Wrecks did finally lose the belt to Noah Anderson last month…a loss that probably hurt even more due to the resulting lost opportunity to go fight at Combate 100…but a win over Slam would certainly put him right back in line for the title! Anderson may want to see the winner of Shima/Fuentes first potentially, but Wrecks would be the next in line clearly! But first things first…his attention needs to be fully on Slam because this fight is anybody’s for the taking! I’ll go with the man who went through just about all comers here, and given Slam’s loss to Shima that pick has to be the one I got with, but I would not be shocked if this fight flips to Slam instead either! This is going to be a contest of BOMBS and I don’t expect it to make it past the first round! *********************** Main Event: Featured Featherweight Bout Our Main Event will give us one of the most anticipated fights here at Sucker Punch in a long time! And why wouldn’t you have excitement when you have one of the most decorated restricted ID Lightweight/Featherweight/Bantamweight fighters of all time making their unrestricted debut here at Sucker Punch…and in immediate contention for a title fight?!? That’s exactly what we have here as Ryan Anderson, FOUR TIME champion at WCF in THREE different weight classes…comes into what may very well be the most difficult fight of his entire illustrious career! Petsuwan Sitsongrit has only lost twice in his entire MMA career. One of those fights was an early on test fight. Since then, he’s won the Featherweight Championship here at Sucker Punch, defended it successfully THREE times and only lost once to arguably another of the greatest Featherweights in the business, Magnificent Chulalongkorn. And you can bet he wants a shot at that belt back from the same man who took it from him, still holds it and is currently on a walkabout at Combate 100 this coming weekend! But there is no mistaking the need for Sitsongrit to be focused here. He has slight advantages in the main three primaries, both areas of standup and even a brown belt over Anderson’s purple in Jiu Jitsu. But Anderson’s resume speaks for itself and only a fool would go into this one tonight lightly! Sitsongrit is no fool! Donkey, who are you picking and what do you see these two doing tonight? Donkey’s Pick: Sitsongrit via Unanimous Decision Sitsongrit is going to attempt to teach Anderson a thing or two about elite technical striking. That is his go-to move and there’s no reason to expect him to diverge from what works! Anderson is all about the power! But does he dare against a man who has made a career out of nullifying other fighter’s power? Chulalongkorn proved that it is possible to get to Sitsongrit…but he did it via a doctor stoppage. Something you can bet Sitsongrit is probably very bitter about. But did that show a template for Anderson to use? We’re gonna find out!!! I have to go with our longtime boy Sitsongrit in this one tonight, but damn this is going to be one for the ages I think!!! Let’s get it on! *********************** So there we have it Sucker Punch fans! We’re coming up on SPPS 148 with a quickness here folks and very soon folks will be pouring into the parking lot and the arena at the 93,000+ seat Tokyo Bowl…ready for a great time with explosive action! We’ll be heading over there shortly as well, and given all the amazing energy and excitement on tap tonight, hell, I may even partake in a tailgating beverage or two myself Donkey! I say let’s set this night off with a bang!!! If you can’t get there…catch the amazing THREE HOUR PPV…LIVE…tonight covering all of the action with the best production that money can buy folks! 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...
imcool Posted May 25, 2022 Report Share Posted May 25, 2022 14 hours ago, HareRumpler said: Main Card Bout #1: Lightweights We ended the Undercard with one Lightweight battle and we’ll kick off the Main Card with another! Both Solic and Sukulaku are fully, and I do mean FULLY, prepped for this fight so we can expect everything they have left in the cage this evening folks! Soldic will have a slight edge in Muay Thai but outside that these two are very closely matched. He’s 1-1 since arriving at Sucker Punch under new management with Alex K. backing his new squad. He fell to Takahashi in a tough split decision that earned ‘Fight of the Night’ honors in his SPPS debut at Featherweight but has since moved up to Featherweight again, where he used to fight back at HFC prior to WCF…and with that move was able to pull off a slick Triangle Choke against Uesugi last month. He, however, was not the instigator of the move to the mat in that contest and Uesugi probably regrets his part in that still to this day! Knowing that Soldic can pull off submissions, the question will be does he stay standing against Sukulaku or initiate the takedowns this go-round? Sukulaku, much like Soldic, started his run here at Sucker Punch along with a management change. Previously managed by Marky Mark, he’s now been with Sucker Punch for five fights under Golden Finch with a 3-2 record result. He stumbled a bit in a bid at the Championship when given a chance against former champ Maede and then came back for a hangover loss to Yip Man lii the fight after. However, last month’s TKO win over Guy River definitely showed he’s still a dangerous fighter who can bring power to the cage and that his strikes are something to be concerned with. Donkey’s Pick: Sukulaku via TKO (Strikes) Sukulaku has also pulled off some submissions in the past so that’s something to consider also if Soldic does take this fight to the ground tonight. But, Suku has also lost via submission, so maybe the risk is worth it? We’ll have to see what Soldic and his team decide, if they can dictate where the fight takes place. The biggest concern would be not getting tagged with a power shot from Sukulaku while deciding or making that attempt! For now, with the flip of a coin…ok, and a little consideration given to Suku’s power and Soldic’s only “solid” chin…I’m going with Sukulaku this evening. *********************** Suck it, you Ass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted May 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2022 Holy crap, Sucker Punch family!!! Please join me in congratulating both Anderson and Chula who went off to Combate 100 this weekend and returned with a couple of trophies in the form of two Combate belts! Dammmmn!! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjornmma1 Posted May 29, 2022 Report Share Posted May 29, 2022 3 hours ago, HareRumpler said: Holy crap, Sucker Punch family!!! Please join me in congratulating both Anderson and Chula who went off to Combate 100 this weekend and returned with a couple of trophies in the form of two Combate belts! Dammmmn!! Magnificent Chulalongkorn 21-6-0 11 p4p145lbs Olympic Gold winner 2022 Can I get a bigger belt cabinet for my birthday please boss? We Sucker Punch guys are just kicking too much elite asses lately. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRussellMMA Posted May 29, 2022 Report Share Posted May 29, 2022 Congratulations to both Noah Anderson and Magnificent Chulalongkorn on being crowned Combate champions. A huge thank you from myself and Combate to Hare and SPPS for allowing them to compete! Obrigado 🇧🇷 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted May 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2022 SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW Sucker Punch Pro Series 149 Hello out there Sucker Punch fans! Hare Rumpler here along with my analyst and buddy, Donkey “Dan”, as we get set to take a look at all the upcoming action for SPPS 149! We’re off to the Colliseum in Los Angeles again this weekend and we’re also back to getting the title fights going here at Sucker Punch. Good stuff, great stuff, let’s get ready for some amazing action! The Light Heavyweights will be heavily, no pun intended, featured on this card with FOUR fights lined up from the division. Granted, three of the fights are somewhat lower tier battles for the LHW’s, but the final bout between Ryan Bolt and Wallace Cobb will offer a look at some of the best action the division has to offer. And given it’s the final fight before the two Main Events, every fan will have eyes on these two and be wondering if we’ll see one of them in a title fight soon! We also have a bunch of Welterweights going at it this evening. The portions of the Undercard that aren’t taken by the Light Heavyweights are fully populated by the Welterweights, so much so that the first fight on the Main Card is also a Welterweight contest! That means that the first six fights this evening will bounce back and forth between LHW and WW, with the final Welterweight showdown being one I’m looking forward to…a battle between Rick Segura and Ryo Hamada to open the Main Card! That’s going to be a fun one to watch folks! The remainder of the card includes a bit Lightweight rematch between Red Crow and Yip Man lii as well as a big boy Heavyweight rockem’ sockem’ throwdown between Lampi and Conchobhar in the Co-Main Event! That fight right there is likely to determine a future Top Contender so for folks who are fans of the masses of humanity in the cage, this is definitely one to watch! Finally, last but certainly not least, our Title Fight on the evening as one of the GOATS here at SPPS…and in MMAT as a whole…Frankie Logan…defends his Lightweight belt against challenger Kurt Cobain who comes to the championship fight this time around under new management and with a brand new focus…eye of the tiger baby! Wow, so let’s get to the detailed action right after we hear from our sponsor and merchandise partner! 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, let's get to it! *********************** Undercard Bout #1: Light Heavyweights Dennis Nilsen v Cyrius Python We’ll start the evening out with one of your classics, at least going strictly by the primary skills, with a ground versus striker battle on our hands! In this case, it appears that Light Heavyweight Python, who comes in specifically on a one fight deal to take on Nilsen, will be the stronger striker while Nilsen has the ground advantages. And then…you look at their history! Python actually has a history of two submission wins over his last three fights and quite a few from earlier in his career! Honestly, shocking for a fighter with only proficient wrestling and a purple belt in Jiu Jitsu! On the other side of the cage, Nilsen definitely appears to lean on his ground skills in much the same way. The difference? He has exceptional wrestling and a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu. If Python is smart, he’ll mix things up tonight and switch to a striking approach in there as that clearly looks to be Nilsen’s weak spot with only respectable boxing and feeble Muay Thai! The lack of standup striking skills has left Nilsen without a win over his last three fights, with all ending in KO or TKO losses. Before that, he was a dangerous man on the ground. He’d love this fight to go to the ground and if Python takes it there, bonus! Donkey’s Pick: Nilsen via Submission (Armbar) Not sure how many adjustments will be made or if they will matter. If this fight gets to the ground, no matter who puts it there, the advantage swings to Nilsen short of a lucky submission catch for Python! *********************** Undercard Bout #2: Welterweights Kai Rossiter v Vladimir Rurikovich This early card Welterweight matchup is going to be a very interesting one this evening as both fighters appear to have plenty working against them yet, barring a draw, one is going to walk away with a win! Rurikovich has lost his last four fights including the one in early May under his new management team. A man who typically won via KO, he’s been taking losses in the same way of late and that’s a tough sign. It’s difficult to say what the issues may actually be as early on in his career he showed a lot of strength and stamina in his first couple fights, but that masked any hiddens that may have been uncovered in the tale of the tape. He may lack chin, he may lack heart, he may have just been unlucky or have not developed his agility and striking defense enough yet. Rossiter doesn’t come into tonight’s fight in a much better situation. Actually, it’s worse. He’s lost his last three fights via decision, but the more concerning issue is that he has been coming in unprepared on a regular basis. Tonight is no exception with his morale about 30% off and with a P4P ranking well over 2500 a loss would almost certainly send him packing. Honestly, that applies to both fighters as Rurikovich is over 3200 P4P now and in a deep division that’s almost impossible to overlook when trimming roster and making spots available for others. Donkey’s Pick: Queen via Unanimous Decision Due to the preparation issues I have to go with Rurikovich here. And a win could buy him a little more time for his new management team to continue showing forward progress. A loss would be devastating for him though, especially against a struggling, unprepared opponent. Rossiter is likely to take the loss I’d think and with it the loss of a contract as well. *********************** Undercard Bout #3: Light Heavyweights CJ Robinson v Igor Warlovski Ok, if this is the way things are going to go this evening then I’m going to end up in a really bad mood before it’s time for Mrs. Rumpler and I to go see Top Gun: Maverick! Robinson and Warlovski are both coming into this fight unprepared to one degree or another, with Warlovski off by about 14% morale and Robinson significantly more at about 34% down. Not good. And due to that, this look at the fight is going to be very short. Both are about even in skills, with Warlovski slightly better in boxing and wrestling but Robinson having a slight edge in Muay Thai. Warlovski has lost four fights in a row including his last on May 1st under his new management team. At a P4P ranking of close to 2400, he’s on the wire in terms of potentially being set free from his contract…and actually I have it on good accord from Hare that he hasn’t been offered an extension yet for just this reason. A loss here would guarantee no extension offer unfortunately. Robinson has come in to us on a four fight contract, this being his first fight on that contract, and has four wins in a row, a TKO and then three KO’s straight. Going back further, he’s 6-1 over his last seven. But…and it’s a big BUT…many of his recent fights, all but one of those seven, have been QFC battles and a lot of times you can get away with bad prep in those just due to getting matched against some poor sap. And that does appear to be the case in at least half of those fights. He’s sitting just shy of 2300 overall P4P ranking so we wanted to give him a shot. If the lack of prep tonight ends up in a loss, that opportunity will likely be very short-lived. Donkey’s Pick: Robinson via TKO (Strikes) I don’t really want to even bother with a pick here, honestly. But, given the run of success leading into this fight, I’ll take Robinson despite the lack of morale. But going by preparation, I should be taking Warlovski. *********************** Undercard Bout #4: Light Heavyweights Bobby Minnagh v Stefan Muller Alright folks, now we’re talking! Finally a couple of kids who know how to step to the cage correctly with proper preparation! And, with both having won their debut here at Sucker Punch in their last fight, this should be a good one between the two. Muller beat a struggling Warlovski earlier this month but will definitely see a step up in opponent caliber in this fight. Minnagh should offer him a great contest with the two very even in most areas of MMA short of Muller’s advantage in Jiu Jitsu. That probably won’t factor in from a submission standpoint but from what we’ve seen Muller definitely isn’t opposed to laying down some serious strikes in ground and pound fashion! Minnagh has been on a near perfect run since joining Donald Trump’s team. Have they embraced a “Make Minaugh Great Again” philosophy? I don’t know, but whatever’s going on, it’s working. All but one of the last five straight wins have been via KO or TKO and his team would like to keep the type of streak he started developing at HFC alive here at Sucker Punch. Mike Bard fell midway through the second round to a solid KO from Minnagh last time out and given Bard’s history that’s a nice win. Minnaugh will need every bit of that striking, and the ability to deal with some ground moves as well from Muller in this one. Very similar to the Bard fight. Donkey’s Pick: Minnagh via TKO (Strikes) I’m going to go with Minnagh right now until I see what Muller can do here against tougher competition. No other reason than that, both of these kids have a great shot depending upon their approach and strategy and I’m excited for the fight given they’ve both come prepped fully! *********************** Undercard Bout #5: Welterweights Justin Kulina v Thomas Hearn We’ll finish out the Undercard with, at least in my mind, one of the more interesting matchups so far tonight! Hearn has been a bit on and off, hot and cold over his recent run but came into Sucker Punch with a solid win in his debut back in April. There’s been a delay getting him back in action due to some manager absences and such, so it’s great to get him back in action tonight against a longtime SPPS member in Kulina! Kulina was riding high on a three fight win streak from December through January until he ran into Samuel Sanchez in February and took a decision loss. Kulina’s career has included a few finishes here or there, but more or less has been dominated by decisions, mostly in his favor! If not for that loss to Sanchez, he’s probably have been looking at Top Contender status and a potential Title Shot. A win over Prodigy in March certainly helped get him back on track and then he took a break for a bit, thinking about hanging them up and potentially switching to coaching. We’re happy to say that the itch to be in the cage himself must have been one that was too much not to scratch, because he returned with an eye on seeing if he can push further than he thought! A win over Hearn here would reinforce the decision and put him on a fast track to TC status once again! Master Leader, manager for Hearn, has to be a bit frustrated with the inconsistency over the last half year or so. Hell, that goes back almost a year at least as Hearn has yo-yo’d back and forth between wins and losses the majority of his career. With a win over Capac in April, perhaps he’s ready to start stringing them together and make that big push? Much like Kulina, he’s predominantly a decision fighter but has shown he can finish via TKO now and then. Donkey’s Pick: Kulina via Split Decision Kulina and Hearn bring such similar styles to the cage that this should be a tough fought fight through a full three rounds I think! Unless one of them catches the other with a nasty shot that lands just right. I expect them to bring technical striking to the cage though in a master class demonstration! And it could be razor close in the end. I’m going to go with Kulina here, but when you’re picking by split decision, that says everything! *********************** Donkey and I are taking a quick break while Mrs. Rumpler and I run out to catch Top Gun: Maverick here this afternoon! We’ll be back shortly and may be able to finish the Main Card before we go, but if not, it’ll be out by about 7 pm ET! *********************** Main Card Bout #1: Welterweights The Main Card gets going here with the Welterweights continuing to jump into the cage action! I’m happy to see that both are fully prepped and we seem to have left the unprepared behind in the early fights tonight! Segura was on a rough patch from hell with five losses straight but I had it on good word from his management team that despite that he was the one they felt had the better potential still versus his camp mates such as Kulina. Their faith paid off earlier this month when Segura was able to score a win over Rurikovich and now it’s about backing that win up with a second to develop some momentum! Segura tends to enjoy getting down and dirty on the mat with some nasty ground and pound and having the advantage tonight in both wrestling and Jiu Jitsu should very much help him in that endeavor. Hamada was also struggling a bit to start out the year with a trio of losses in just about every way possible. TKO, Decision (majority), submission, you name it, the cards just weren’t going his way. Then he got back to his roots with scoring points and using solid technical striking, on and off the ground, to score back to back wins over Bea Mason and Pinales. Granted, those opponents don’t offer the highest level of opposition, so tonight’s fight against Segura is a chance to make a statement. On whether Hamada can step up in the division or…not. Donkey’s Pick: Segura via Unanimous Decision Much like the Kulina/Hearn fight, these two offer each other a similar style with ability to strike on and off the feet. This is likely to turn into a battle for control over position and where the fight takes place. Segura is a tough step up for Hamada, so for now I have lean in that direction. *********************** Main Card Bout #2: Lightweights Man lii vs. Crow II Our first fight of the evening that involves a rematch which is much different than SPPS 148 where two-thirds of the fights were rematches! Unfortunately, we’re not going to see the very best that both can offer here tonight because Crow is coming in down about 40% in morale. And we know what that means for Donkey’s picks! These two are matched perfectly across the board in primaries. So the lack of prep for Crow will play in even more than normal. Crow is still wearing his original tighty-whities which is absolutely unbelievable to me. That, and he’s also managed by Stef Power, a manager who was once ranked as high as #6 overall, so I think it’s safe to say that Mr. Power simply is not as invested in doing the little things right now as he could be. And has been in the past. Unfortunately, that bodes badly for Crow tonight! Man lii was so…so…close to a potential tight fight after huge wins over Paetmar and Sukulaku in February and March. Then, he fell short in a potential Top Contender battle against Herve Cabrera. And…back to the drawing board! His prior fight with Crow back on Christmas Eve ended in a loss via TKO just five seconds into the second round. With Crow’s lack of preparation I expect that result to be reversed this time around! Donkey’s Pick: Man lii via TKO (Strikes) Solid striking from Man lii should put the demoralized Crow on his heels tonight and give Man lii a distinct advantage and opportunity to put the fight away early! *********************** Main Card Bout #3: Light Heavyweights Halfway into the Main Card before we get to the Main Events tonight we’ve got a HOT one for everybody! These two Light Heavyweights are dead even in overall skills right down the line and both are about as proficient and talented as you get! Bolt already managed to put himself into Top Contender status here at Sucker Punch by coming in with two wins in his pocket and then taking three of his first four fights here at SPPS. Unfortunately for him and his team, the Title Fight against Radu Dracul didn’t go his way on the judges’ scorecards after five long, hard fought rounds! A technical, decision fighter by nature, Bolt will look to bring solid kickboxing to the cage tonight against Cobb. Cobb, making his Sucker Punch debut this evening, is one to watch closely here as he carries a trio of wins under his current management team with him from RISE. Cynic Chris has got all the right things going for Cobb and if he can maintain the momentum he’s got Cobb will undoubtedly claim Top Contender status shortly. But first…he has to face a tough as nails Bolt! A tough as nails striker who brings power both in and out of the clinch, his approach is a stark contrast to Bolt’s typical strategy. Donkey’s Pick: Cobb via TKO (Strikes) We’re going to find out here who wins out…the power striker…or the technical striker! If Bolt can withstand shots from Cobb he can drag this one out over three rounds and most likely get the nod from the judges. If not…ouch. He might be wondering what happened once the trainers wake him up! *********************** Co-Main Event: Featured Heavyweight Bout One of these two beast of men is about to elevate themselves into Top Contender territory after tonight’s battle in the Co-Main Event! Both are fully prepped, so it’s nice to see possible future contenders taking things very seriously! Lampi is the former two time Light Heavyweight champ here at Sucker Punch. But as of April decided to take his power striking and make the move to Heavyweight. Might have been a great move, as he’s 2-0 since with big wins over Brazil and ZaDarius Haden! The fight with Haden was especially hard-fought as he pulled off a split decision against another solid striker. Conchobhar has been on a heck of a roll with five straight wins coming into tonight’s fight! The only thing holding him back so far from making it to Top Contender is the quality of competition to date. That got stepped up a bit last month when he took on David Jones and he came out impressively with a TKO in the early part of round two. A win here against a former champ would immediately put him into Top Contender battle territory. He’s shown he too can strike with power but also switch to technical striking when needed…so does he come at Lampi and take him on in his own game or switch it up? Donkey’s Pick: Lampi via TKO (Strikes) It’s hard for me to overlook Lampi’s power…and his experience as a former champ. This is a TOUGH test for Conchobhar, but if he passes it I’ll be a full believer! *********************** Main Event: Lightweight Championship Bout Logan vs. Cobain II Our Main Event gives us a rematch for the title…but not your typical one! The last time Cobain challenged Logan it as for the Lightweight title as well, but the difference being that that was under former manager Andrew Wittig! He’s now with team Runt for the past three fights and after an adjustment period for the first fight he’s run off two solid wins over Cabrera and Connor. Solid wins and putting him in fine form for a Championship rematch with new leadership at the helm! Logan is…well, what can we say, it’s Logan! We’ve gone over all the accolades multiple times for this man…a sure fire HoF’er for us here at Sucker Punch! Now that he’s once again claimed the throne at Lightweight it’s just a matter of wondering how long he’ll hold it THIS TIME! A nightmare for all others who’d like a shot at the title, to be sure! I’m expecting a contest to see who is the better striker tonight…the elite, technical kind that Logan brings to the cage…or more power from Cobain? Or…does Runt switch things up some on us?!? I can’t wait to find out! Donkey’s Pick: Logan via Unanimous Decision The pick for how this goes down is almost automatic when Logan’s involved. It has to be. But the fight isn’t fought on assumptions and paper, so every man who steps into the cage has a shot! Cobain and his team know this…and will be ready for that shot!!! We’ve got two fighters fully prepped and ready to get at it! Let’s let em! *********************** So there we have it Sucker Punch fans! We’re heading over to the Colliseum shortly for an amazing night of action and fun folks! I’m certain we’re going to find the parking lots already filling and plenty of tailgating taking place! Hope you’ll join us, but if not, catch the amazing THREE HOUR PPV…LIVE…tonight covering all of the action with the best production that money can buy folks! Till then, have fun and don’t forget… Keep it cheap and dirty…Sucker Punch Pro Series style! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted June 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2022 SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW Sucker Punch Pro Series 150 Welcome back all you crazy Sucker Punch fans! Are you ready for some cheap shot, low blow, dingle dangle cracking fun tonight? Well, if so, then it’s time for SPPS 150 over at the Tokyo Bowl! Sure, we’re in Tokyo, so trust me, all of those things will be done with honor and respect. Sorta. Well, maybe not! Tonight, Cambodian born Shen Po will be defending the Middleweight Championship against three-time former Middleweight champ, Wanderson Machado! That’s right, Machado is back looking to reclaim his belt and make it his own once again for the fourth time after he lost it under former manager Bwang Jong Sr but has been back in business as usual under the guidance of Alex K. This is Po’s second go round with a Middleweight title after previously holding the belt at Combate. He’s hoping that this time around he’ll be able to successfully defend and that task is all about how he performs tonight! The rest of our divisions are well represented this evening as we have back to back Lightweight bouts leading up to the Main Event. Both the fight between Ulatov and Rebel Smith as well as the Co-Main Event between Alderidge and Izpapa…pfft, whatever…will give the winners an opportunity to be one step closer to Top Contender status! Earlier in the evening we’ll have a couple Heavyweight bouts, the same with a pair of Light Heavyweight contests and even representation from Featherweight, Welterweight and Middleweight early on! Nice…something for EVERY SINGLE SPPS FAN out there! Now, let’s get to the detailed action right after we hear from our sponsor and merchandise partner! Do you find that you’re resting your fighters too often? Two, three, maybe even 4 times a week sometimes? If that’s the case, you’re probably not supplementing their training, and if you are I’m thinking you’re not doing it with Shadow Warrior Tea 160Q, which is Shadow Warrior Nutrition’s outstanding energy loss reduction supplement. It’s the best 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, let's get to it! *********************** Undercard Bout #1: Heavyweights Paulius Zurauskas v Earnie Shavers Zurauskas will have the advantage in most primaries tonight as the Heavyweights kick things off for us at SPPS 150. He’s also on a three fight win streak but both of these men come into the cage fully prepped and ready to go so that gives Shavers a solid shot here this evening as well. Shavers carries two wins into this fight tonight and is hoping to make it a trifecta by the time all is said and done. A QFC win over Jan Nowak via decision and then a TKO victory against Alzado for his SPPS debut in April have built some momentum for him and his team. He’s shown that he’s willing to strike in and out of the clinch and has a history of KO’s as well as a rare submission, but more often than not Shavers is content to score points and win with the judges. Well, maybe content isn’t accurate, but he’s not turning down the win via decision, that’s for sure! Zurauskas is more a submission specialist but certainly can crack somebody’s skull open if given the chance. While Shavers is going to want to avoid the ground game and keep this standing, he has to watch for the shots to ole melon that Zurauskas is liable to throw out there as well. Donkey’s Pick: Zurauskas via Submission (Armbar) Going with Zurauskas for now as we’ve got a bit more on him and given Shavers does tend to take more fights the distance that gives more chances for this fight to end up on the mat. He needs this win to avoid going back over 2500 P4P ranking as well so he should be pretty motivated! *********************** Undercard Bout #2: Welterweights Javier Pinales v Edward Mills Our second bout of the evening will see Pinales come in with a significant advantage on the ground and a history of submissions. Which means, Edwards Mills will have to be focused on never letting this fight get to the mat and landing his big strikes effectively! Mills picked up a much needed win over Dennis Nilsen at the beginning of May with a highlight reel fourteen second KO that snagged him ‘KO of the Night’ honors! That win was the difference maker in being sent packing or not as he’d lost five in a row before that between Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight. Now down to Welterweight, Mills has slimmed down and…according to sources…switched his approach from channeling his inner sabre tooth tiger to being a pickle punching lion instead. Honestly folks, I have zero idea what that really means. I guess leaner, faster…and well hydrated with electrolytes from the pickle juice? Your guess is as good as mine! “El Jefe” comes to the cage for his second dance with Sucker Punch this evening after giving up his debut to Ryo Hamada via decision on May 1st. A fighter with a history of submissions, his goal will be clear. Get. It. To. The. Ground. Period. End of story. If he gets it there, he can at least give Mills a run and force Mills out of his comfort zone. If not…well, this probably won’t go well for him as he’s NEVER finished via KO or TKO. Donkey’s Pick: Mills via TKO (Strikes) I think Welterweight will be kind to the pickle-puncher and this may be his happy place. We’re about to find out! *********************** Undercard Bout #3: Light Heavyweights Aboubacar Mandiang v Philo Beddo Ii Surprisingly Mandiang comes into this fight with new management but energy that is slightly off by about 10%. I’d have expected him to want to make the best impression with his new team and this is certainly no way to approach carrying a 1-3 run into this fight, with two losses immediately preceding! Beddo li lost to Averyanov in his SPPS debut early in May via a mid-first round KO. That one had to hurt, but it wasn’t shocking as this man lives and dies by the (T)KO! Although, surprisingly his last win at ICE was via an armbar submission. That is not the norm though and this man usually looks to dish out some pain, specifically in the clinch! Mandiang has lost his last two fights via doctor stoppages due to cuts and that has to be a concern tonight given Beddo li’s love of the clinch! Outside that, he’s a mix normally between decisions and KO’s but under new management it’s really impossible to say how he might mix things up some tonight, if he does. Donkey’s Pick: Beddo li via TKO (Cuts) Those cuts worry me and facing a clinch specialist doesn’t make me feel any better about Mandiang’s chances. I have to go with Beddo li here on gut feel alone. *********************** Undercard Bout #4: Featherweights Kalmisto vs. Casey II Apophis Kalmisto v Yellow Belt Casey Our next fight on the evening will be a rematch between Featherweights Casey and Kalmisto. They first met back in September last year, so they’ve had quite a bit of time to process the prior fight and evolve separately as martial artists. Both are more or less prepped with only Casey showing his morale off slightly, but likely not enough to have a significant impact. The last time these two met Casey came away with a submission victory. And it as the last time he won via submission with everything else since being mostly TKO related, for and against. He carries a loss to Drake into this one, again, TKO, but had three wins prior to that over Dankula, Phat Bhoy and Lomanchenko. He needs a challenge now similar to Drake’s ability and Kalmisto should offer that. Kalmisto hasn’t fared well against ground specialists in general. The loss to Casey via submission was followed up three months later by a loss to Drake via triangle choke in January. He’s an excellent striker who demands respect while on the feet though and if he tags Casey right he could easily end this in a flash. And Casey has been playing with fire on the feet of late… Donkey’s Pick: Kalmisto via TKO (Strikes) It’s like Hare said…Casey has been playing with fire of late and if he does it again tonight…or if Kalmisto has worked on his defensive grappling or takedown defense, this could turn into a highlight reel finish. If not though…hmm…has time rolled around for another submission? *********************** Undercard Bout #5: Light Heavyweights Colin Penn v Misak Grigorian Our final fight on the Undercard will bring a pair of Light Heavyweights into the cage with Grigorian having the advantage in primaries…on paper. Penn has been just as hot as Grigorian of late though so we’re in for what I think should be a great showdown here! The only real unknown? Penn has dropped from Heavyweight to Light Heavyweight here so we’ll have to see how that affects things! Grigorian was on a three fight win streak until we stepped up the competition for him a bit against Kuznetsov early in May. A decision loss in that fight set expectations a bit and Grigorian may need more time before he’s ready to head into the upper half of the division. This fight against Penn should help to determine which is rising faster and will be ready sooner to make strides forward. Typically a striker who doesn’t mind being in or out of the clinch, he’ll certainly give Penn a tough into to the Light Heavyweight division! Penn has won four of his last five with only a loss two fights back to Conchobhar marring that span and his stay at Sucker Punch so far! Penn will strike while standing but once he’s able to get the fight to the ground his opponents need to know he’s going to be looking for submissions. Will Grigorian still be willing to mess with the clinch tonight knowing Penn is likely to try to get things to the mat? Donkey’s Pick: Grigorian via Unanimous Decision I’m thinking a tough fought contest that could really go either way tonight! I’ll call Grigorian with two of the three rounds but really I wouldn’t be surprised if Penn pulls off a finish either. *********************** Donkey and I are taking a quick break and we’ll be back with the Main Card very soon! *********************** Main Card Bout #1: Heavyweights We’ll get the Main Card going here with your classic striker versus grappler matchup! Republic will have the advantage on the feet with his boxing and Muay Thai while Fett is the better wrestler and Jiu Jitsu artist tonight. Both are more or less fully prepped so we should have a good one here to start things off in the second half at the Tokyo Bowl tonight! Republic had bounced back from losses to Haden and Brazil with wins over Alzado and Watts. Granted, those were a lesser level of competition but with those wins it was time to step him back up a little. Early in May he came up short by decision against my own Akuma Manivong though and that has put him back to the drawing board when it comes to defining where he belongs on the division’s ladder. He’s a solid striker who likes to offer shots to the noggin’ for his opponents, no matter in or out of the clinch. Fett was in a similar situation. He ran through three opponents to start the year but then ran into a hot and rising Olafsson who managed upset Fett’s run via TKO in the second round. He’ll be interested in trading strikes with Republic tonight, but only if they can agree to do that on the ground…with Fett on top! LOL! Yes, this man loves the GnP and will be looking to move the fight to the mat immediately! Donkey’s Pick: Fett via TKO (Strikes) I’m really, really torn on this one tonight. But, when I’m torn, I do tend to lean towards a ground fighter, which certainly was a solid move when SPPS was restricted ID. Now that fighters are more developed it works out less often in my favor but I’m doing it again tonight anyway. *********************** Main Card Bout #2: Middleweights Karter vs. Law II Not many rematches on the ticket tonight but this will be one…our second so far actually. The first time these two met was just a few months ago in February where Karter fell to Law via submission. The only submission loss of his career so far. Tonight, with both more or less fully prepared, Karter will get a chance to avenge that loss while Law attempts to prove that it was no fluke! Law is now a black belt while Karter is a blue belt in Jiu Jitsu. That’s a significant difference and Law will simply need to ensure that Karter’s better boxing and Muay Thai don’t finish this before he can score a takedown! If he does, then things get ugly for Karter quickly. All four of Law’s prior four fights have ended via submission…although one was a loss to Watkins three fights back! Law is an all or nothing fighter when it comes to submissions…he either gets the sub…or loses. No other way about it. Which means Karter is going to want to avoid falling into Law’s trap at all costs. He can score the points to win via decision…but he has to make it there to get that. Better might be to get a TKO like Blikstein did back in December against Law. With a TKO and KO against Nimoy and Liee going back over the last two fights, he’s got the right idea to finish this one quickly…both of those fights were over within the first two minutes or so. That has to be the game plan tonight! Donkey’s Pick: Law via Submission (Kimura) Karter’s odds of getting the shot in are good. But Law is very good at getting submissions as well and I think this one hits the mat. *********************** Main Card Bout #3: Lightweights Alright, almost to the Main Events but one more here before we get there! But this is going to be a very good one I think and also brings some new blood to SPPS, so that’s definitely exciting! Rebel Smith makes his Sucker Punch debut with us this evening and comes in with two wins in a row and three over his last four, mostly from HFC. I’m going to be honest here, I’m dying to see what he brings to the cage now here at Sucker Punch because he’s been hard to judge up to this point…he’s won via decision quite a bit lately, but also has a submission over his last four. But that was the only submission of his career…at least in his favor. He’s also run off quite a few TKO’s and KO’s previously, but just not of late. What do we get tonight? He doesn’t have the Jiu Jitsu advantage this evening, so my guess is he will work the striking and keep it standing…if he can. Ulatov also makes his debut with SPPS tonight and, strangely, also put a one stop in at Frostbite Promotions, something I’ve never heard of, last trip to the cage in April. Same as Smith. Before that, he had three wins in QFC contests so we’ll see if he can translate his success in QFC fights over to org competition! His success in true orgs prior to this, such as Combate, had been very limited. He’s a submission specialist, so even more reason for Smith to keep it off the ground tonight! Donkey’s Pick: Smith via Unanimous Decision I really need to see Ulatov show something outside the QFC before I can start putting my hat in his corner. He’s just preyed upon QFC fights a bit too much over his career so far and org competition is a whole different animal. *********************** Co-Main Event: Featured Lightweight Bout Our Co-Main Event gives us a look at a bit of new blood to the division once again, piggybacking off the prior fight, while also giving us a look at one of the better fighters in the division in…well, er, Pablo. I’m just not trying that last name again! Both are fully prepped, so we should get a great show here and undoubtedly the winner will set themselves up with a solid argument for Top Contender consideration! Alderidge has elite skills across the board and a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu. As his own bio says, he’s a jack of all trades, master of none and unfortunately for him and his team his recent results demonstrate that as he’s gone 1-2 over his last three, with the win at least being the last fight prior to joining us here at Sucker Punch. He’s been involved in decisions in his last five fights but his early career was dominated with KO and TKO finishes. He was a former Lightweight champ at Caged Warriors MMA but looks to have left there without ever losing the title. He also won the Lightweight title later on at Dynasty but was unable to successfully defend the following month, losing via submission. A win tonight could re-establish his status as a top fighter, now at SPPS, and give him some big opportunities going forward. Pablo has had two title opportunities in his career and has been on the verge of Top Contender on other occasions here at Sucker Punch. The first opportunity was at BFC where he lost to Graham Mantle after having run off three wins to earn the fight. Here at Sucker Punch, he was one win away from Top Contender twice, but losses to Yip Man lii and a draw with Ozbourne delayed his opportunity. Two wins piled onto that draw gave him a 5-0-1 run and earned him a shot at Frankie Logan in early May, but he was unable to get past the future HoF’er and Lightweight GOAT. There’s no doubt he wouldn’t like another shot at it though, and a win over Alderidge could put him back within a couple steps! Donkey’s Pick: Itzpapalotltotec via Split Decision Both these fighters know how to get the fight to the judges. And typically win there. But only one can tonight, barring a draw! I’m going to go with Pablo on this one, but Alderidge certainly has the experience and pedigree to upset the Sucker Punch veteran here! *********************** Main Event: Middleweight Championship Bout Our Main Event gives us current champ versus multi-time former champ for the Sucker Punch Pro Series Middleweight Championship! Both are prepped and ready, as they should be for a title fight, so we’re in for some fun here folks!!! With Po being fairly new to Sucker Punch this is the first time these two are meeting, but I suspect it won’t be the last! So, for some background, let’s go back to my intro to the preview here… “Cambodian born Shen Po will be defending the Middleweight Championship against three-time former Middleweight champ, Wanderson Machado! That’s right, Machado is back looking to reclaim his belt and make it his own once again for the fourth time after he lost it under former manager Bwang Jong Sr but has been back in business as usual under the guidance of Alex K. This is Po’s second go round with a Middleweight title after previously holding the belt at Combate. He’s hoping that this time around he’ll be able to successfully defend and that task is all about how he performs tonight!” So there’s some background! Po has only had three fights at Sucker Punch…the first a stellar, solid win over tough as nails Krsto Vujić. He surprisingly fell to former champ Kiryu Kazuma, former Sucker Punch champ, in the Olympics but after that pulled off a great win over Silent Bob to earn a title shot. He made good on that shot against Zett Jukassa with an armbar submission to score the victory in the first round. Now, he’d like to prove that he can defend the title. Machado…oh, wait…um, I think I’m being sent to the store for ice for Risa Roo’s knees…and it looks like…er, wait, and a smoothie apparently…shit, I’m being taken advantage of here…um, don’t be surprised if she jumps in here and also takes over for Donkey! Anyways…um, here you go… Risa’s Thoughts: Machadoooooo. Wanderson Machadoooooo. That’s fun to say. Now Donkey the Ass tells me that Machado has some sort of “It Factor” that keeps him winning fights he shouldn’t win. My guess is confidence. I mean when you’ve held the title three times, you’ll have some confidence. My swim coach always says swimming is 90% mental and 10% physical. I’m sure MMA is the same way. Machado’s got a pretty good record to defend, and if he can keep his head in the game and that confidence high (but not so high that he gets sloppy), he might just go for that fourth title run (under new management every time. Never let them know your next move I guess, gotta keep it switching up). If he’s smart, he’ll end the fight early before Po can lock him into a sub attempt he can’t reverse. I’m thinking 30 second KO win bud. Risa’s Pick: Machado via KO Machado knows how to win back a championship. And his name is way cooler than Po’s, so that gives him street cred by default. Plus, I hate rooting for a reigning champ, though Po is relatively new to Sucker Punch, so who’s the real underdog here? In reality, Machado has proven time and time again he knows what it takes to win even when the odds are against him. I also just love me a good KO so I’m manifesting it here. *********************** So there we have it Sucker Punch fans! Risa still here with you btw…so…now you get my closing also… We’re coming up on SPPS 150 folks. I mean, it’s tomorrow for fuck’s sake. Bring your friends, bring your wives, and bring your moms (especially if they’re hot moms). I know flights are expensive right now, but this one will be worth it, so fly those moms into Tokyo! This should be a hell of a PPV as well for those who can't make it in person and hopefully these fights leave everyone involved feeling like they got hit by a shit-storm-tornado the next morning. If there’s no KO's, we’re firing someone. I don’t know or care who, someone will be fired. I’m excited, how about you guys? Till then, have fun and don’t forget… Keep it cheap and dirty…Sucker Punch Pro Series style! (Risa out!) 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted June 1, 2022 Report Share Posted June 1, 2022 Pickle and Fett on the same card.... Seems to be working for the Pickle but not for Fett haha 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted June 6, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2022 Congratulations Sucker Punch crew!!! One of, if not THE, highest rated events ever to date! And it pushed us up into the 4th spot worldwide, at least for the moment. Awesome!!! I can't wait to do a review for this one today! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator001 Posted June 6, 2022 Report Share Posted June 6, 2022 Well done Hare great job 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldbones Posted June 6, 2022 Report Share Posted June 6, 2022 5 hours ago, HareRumpler said: Congratulations Sucker Punch crew!!! One of, if not THE, highest rated events ever to date! And it pushed us up into the 4th spot worldwide, at least for the moment. Awesome!!! I can't wait to do a review for this one today! Well there was a laser focused Kazuma so are you really surprised? Admittedly after oversleeping and not planning at the highest level of the Olympics (and then finding out the silver medal was a con as well) definitely had some lost confidence which let Jukasa squeak by but lo and behold, a few weeks, some more Paddy's Enhancing Drugs and we're back on the ball and Zett got to see his ancestors for a few moments before the smelling salts kicked in. And here we are again, Kazuma V. Machado IV, keep my belt warm for my Wanderson and make sure its spit shined up bright for when I take it again. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted June 7, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2022 SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW Sucker Punch Pro Series 152 Welcome to our look forward at the mid-week event which, as usual, will take place in Tokyo tonight folks! SPPS 152 is coming at you and this will be a quick preview as I’ve been under the weather for the past two days. No titles on the line tonight, just ten great, energized matches that are sure to leave our Sucker Punch faithful craving more! The big fights tonight will include not one, not two, but THREE Welterweight contests to close out the evening! Jinx and Jones will be featured in a Main Event that will determine the next challenger for the title Wagner and Lankinen have had it out on June 12th. The Co-Main Event featuring Rahman and Matsuzaka will determine the final member of a Top Contender battle against the waiting Darry Curtis, a matchup that will ultimately determine a contender for the belt sometime around late July. And Sinclair versus Aleksy will move one of those two just a bit closer to Top Contender territory in the future as well if they can keep the winning going! Another Welterweight contest between Lee and Martin will be the second fight of the evening but outside those four total Welterweight contests, and a single Featherweight bout between Joseph and Wright that should be one of the better fights of the evening, you’ll get a bunch of the heavier divisions going on with three Light Heavyweight contests on tap and a pair of the big boy’s going at it as well! So, with that said, let’s get right into the details as soon as we get a few words in about our merchandise partner and sponsor here! Do you find that you’re resting your fighters too often? Two, three, maybe even 4 times a week sometimes? If that’s the case, you’re probably not supplementing their training, and if you are I’m thinking you’re not doing it with Shadow Warrior Tea 160Q, which is Shadow Warrior Nutrition’s outstanding energy loss reduction supplement. It’s the best 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, let's get to it! *********************** Undercard Bout #1: Light Heavyweights Ibrahim Camara v Shogun Silva We’ll kick things off with two very skilled fighters who have struggled to put things together recently despite having elite skills in many of the primary MMA disciplines! Camara will have the edge in wrestling but outside that these two are even stevens! Silva managed to alter course a bit last month in his Sucker Punch debut with a win over Caleb DeCoteau via kimura submission in the second round. He desperately needed that win, and apparently a change of scenery, after losing four straight over at CFC. That submission was only the second of his career with the first coming early on and given he’ll be at a wrestling disadvantage this evening he may decide not to take his chances in back to back fights. He has more than a few KO’s on his resume and has proven he can get it done on the feet whether in or out of the clinch. So all options are on the table tonight. Camara has the considerable advantage in wrestling tonight, as mentioned, with sensational over Silva’s proficient. He’ll most likely want to lean on that advantage as he has now dropped three fights in a row after winning his first two at Sucker Punch under current management. With all three losses coming via KO, or, in the case of the first, TKO due to cuts, and a history of losses via KO or TKO with his manager prior as well…the chin is something he needs to worry about. Donkey’s Pick: Silva via TKO (Strikes) The chin concern is one that could be said for both fighters tonight given Silva has shown a history of TKO and KO losses on par with that from Camara. Which makes selecting a potential winner here tough as hell to start the card out! I’m going with Silva here on a hunch, but it’s nothing more than that. *********************** Undercard Bout #2: Welterweights Bald Martin v Mister Lee Our first of four Welterweight matches for the evening is up next folks! Lee will have the advantage over Bald Martin tonight in Jiu Jitsu with his black belt while most other areas of focus are about even. Both are more or less fully prepared, so the fight should be a decent one early on the card here! Lee has been struggling lately with two losses in a row and a 1-3 record over his last four. Going further, it’s been a 2-5 run back into the holidays last year. While his earlier career wins and the occasional win recently have kept him from falling further than the mid-1500’s or so in P4P ranking, wins are something he needs to find sooner than later. He’s known to have solid kickboxing but also the ability to finish on the ground with slick submissions at times. Could tonight be one of those times with the BJJ advantage? Martin is also coming off a loss but has been at least a bit more consistent of late, going 2-1 over his prior three and 3-2 if you go back a bit more. Which was a big change from his HFC dayswhere he put up a 0-4-1 run…ouch! Granted, at an almost 3200 P4P ranking, he desperately needs a win…even more than Lee does. Let’s be honest, being ranked dead last in the division…one of our deeper divisions here at Sucker Punch as it is…puts him into a win or walk away scenario tonight even with another fight remaining on the contract. Donkey’s Pick: Lee via Unanimous Decision Another tough one just going by results, but Lee has faced the tougher competition of late and I think that has to put the ball in his court due to strength of schedule so to speak. I’m thinking he pulls this one out and pushes himself back up the ladder some, giving breathing room and also potentially starting to build some confidence! I’m thinking perhaps submission, but more likely decision. *********************** Undercard Bout #3: Light Heavyweights Iron Side v Abraham Barnes Much like the fight just before this one, the blue corner is going to have the advantage in Jiu Jitsu while the rest of the skills are fairly even. Both are fairly prepped and ready to go, so hopefully we have yet another good one here! Barnes has elite wrestling and a black belt making him a dangerous opponent on the ground tonight! He doesn’t have a history of pulling off submissions, but he will try them to keep his opponent honest while laying down some nasty ground and pound! He lost his last fight in early May to John Fury but ran off three wins prior to that against Akerfeldt, Mandiang and Kuznetsov, all (T)KO finishes. Iron Side made his Sucker Punch debut last month but lost via TKO late in the first to Devin Ecker. That made two losses in a row and has him hovering just below the 2k mark P4P. He needs a win here this evening if he’s got a hunger to return to the days where he was a champ at WPFA! His typical approach is to stand and strike, usually without too many kicks involved, so he’s going to have to bring some solid takedown defense to the cage tonight to keep this fight standing where he wants it! Donkey’s Pick: Barnes via Submission (Armbar) I’m feeling the submission for Barnes here to change things up, he’s due! Iron Side just hasn’t semed to be able to pull it together and being one-dimensional with his hands and boxing tonight may become an issue. *********************** Undercard Bout #4: Heavyweights Thoth Chontamenti v Ali Amir Our next to last fight on the Undercard…and we get a dose of the masses of humanity, the behemoths, the big boys heading into the cage! Amir is almost equally matched with the man formerly just known as “The Beast” here, and that’s impressive. What must disappoint them both is that they are part of the undercard, but hey, this is a chance for each to move up the ladder again and avoid that in the future! Both are fully prepped, so they’re set to make the most of this opportunity! Amir has been under new management for the past two fights and it’s paid off apparently as he’s got back to back wins over Lou Slugger and Beardsley. Going back to his run under Bradley Burns, he’s also 4-1 over his past five so this man has more or less been rolling along outside the occasional hiccup like he had against Bobo Brazil in March. The vast majority of his wins are via TKO without the feet really getting involved much. He does typically attempt to clinch up and appears to have a pretty accurate game there as well. Chontamenti looked near unstoppable back when he was with the Xavier camp. He solidified himself as a potential future HoF’er with that run but since then it seems that he’s found it difficult to gel with other managers as he’s been with both Arcalimon and now Mikey C with mixed results so far. He’s 1-1 under Mikey C, with the win coming in his last fight in May over Crewman V, but was 2-4 under the “middle management” team between. Can he get back to his prior dominant ways? He’s trying, and if he pulls it off it’s going to be hard for opponents to predict what he’ll do as he was able to win via TKO, submission or decision on any given day! Donkey’s Pick: Chontamenti via Submission (Armbar) This is a very, very tough one to call. I want to call for the former dominant champ here. But Amir has been very, very solid of late and that’s tough to ignore. I think perhaps Chontamenti brings a few more weapons to the table tonight, but there’s also a concern about cuts lately. I’m going to lean in Chontamenti’s direction but if Amir is able to dictate where the fight takes place he gains the advantage! *********************** Undercard Bout #5: Light Heavyweights Patrick Thomas v Choctaw Bloode Our final fight on the Undercard will unfortunately bring two relatively unprepared Light Heavyweights to the cage. Not one…but two. Both. Yeah, color me disappointed! In this case, Bloode is off slightly on morale but more importantly low by about 25% on energy. Thomas is even worse on energy at only 68% or so, 32% off. All of this is a bit of a shame for Bloode as he is 4-1 over his last five with a very sweet KO over Camara last month. But at least his manager has been around. Randall McSweeney, manager for Thomas, has been MIA since mid-May or so and obviously we hope all is ok for him. But…that leaves his fighter pretty much untended and perhaps even unprepared strategy wise tonight. What does all of this lack of prep mean? Well, it means I’m not really bothering with much of a fight analysis here. Donkey’s Pick: Bloode via Unanimous Decision Not thrilled to have to make a pick at all as I put this on par with a sparring bout in terms of “DGAF”. But Bloode’s manager is at least around and he should be prepared strategy wise. Have to give him the advantage here. *********************** Donkey and I are taking a quick break and we’ll be back with the Main Card very soon! *********************** Main Card Bout #1: Heavyweights Alright folks, Donkey and I are back and ready to get going on the Main Card here! And to open thing up we have our second of as many big boy contests this evening! Crewman V will have advantages in Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu this evening and a wide margin of experience. That said, Olaffson has been doing very well of late and needs a step up in challenge to see if he’s ready for contender consideration! Let the fun begin! If there was ever a man who is a “win by the sword, die by the sword” guy, Crewman V is that man! Under current management, which includes the last fourteen or so fights, he has never had the result go to a decision. Unfortunately, at 5-9 over that run, he’s been felled by the sword more often than he’s dished out justice for his camp. He’s 1-3 over his last four, including a win and loss here at Sucker Punch. Early in his career, he showed that he was powerful. Which…more or less means he had been a gym rat prior to starting his MMA training so while he was very strong, he didn’t give us much of a hint as to his KO power or chin. But based upon his history, I think it’s fair to assume he has decent KO power…but maybe nothing more than a solid chin, if that. Surprisingly, Olaffson is in a similar boat! He, too, showed he was strong early on…and has won his fair share of KO or TKO finishes. However, much like Crewman V, he has also lost his fair share including a couple via cuts that could be cause for concern. A striker who also seems to know to pull it back a bit at times and go for the points, he’s won and lost a fair share via decision also. At 4-1 over his last four, with the loss bookended by double wins on both sides, he’s in position to make a run at Top Contender status with a big win here. Especially if it shows his days of taking losses via finishes might be left behind. Donkey’s Pick: Olaffson via TKO (Strikes) Going with Olaffson here who’s been a bit hotter of late. However, the cuts worry me, especially against Crewman V who may have some power. Don’t be surprised if this pick goes sideways and it ends via doctor stoppage or a finish for Crewman V! *********************** Main Card Bout #2: Featherweights Woooooo! We’ve got a great one lined up here folks! These Featherweights are about as prepared as you can get for a fight…and they’re also about as even in skill as you get as well…minus perhaps the slight edge for Wright in Muay Thai! Oh, and records? 13-5 and 12-5….yeah, these two are about to get it on!!! That all said, Joseph is coming off back to back losses here. Granted, one was from the Olympics where he was dispatched in the first round against a very strong, very tough Diogo Jimenez. The other was back here in a rematch against SPPS Featherweight Champ and Olympic Champ, Chulalongkorn. So no real shame in either of those losses. Prior to that he’d defeated strong opponents in Dismantle, Cabrera and Aalto, so this man can get it done as a former champ himself here at Sucker Punch! Would he like to wear the belt again? I’m sure! But to do that, he’s going to have to find a way to not only claw back to the top with a couple solid wins, starting here with a tough Cleon Wright, but there’s a solid chance he’ll need to figure out how to overcome Chula as well, who has dispatched him twice already! Wright, led by Mikie Patterson, is on a nice run of wins himself with a trio leading up to tonight’s fight. Granted, the competition was more mid-tier in the Featherweight division than what Joseph has seen, but you can only defeat those you’re scheduled to fight! That said, he too has faced Chula back when he was with BBFC and that resulted in a first round TKO loss. A former GDL champ…twice for that matter…Wright does know what it takes to get to the top so don’t expect him to just lie down and offer the opportunity to Joseph here tonight! Donkey’s Pick: Joseph via Majority Decision Wright loves to box and also doesn’t mind taking things into the clinch for a little up close and personal action! That said, his move seems to be to go for a more technical striking approach as he’s evolved and matured, as opposed to the finishes he claimed early on in his career. Joseph has always been very much a technical striker who will cash in on a finish if it’s there. But the fact that he overcame an elite technical striker in Baptiste to claim the title here at Sucker Punch back in October last year should tell you that his skills are formidable! I’m going to give him the nod here tonight due to strength of opposition of late, but that doesn’t throw any disrespect to Wright! *********************** Main Card Bout #3: Welterweights Alright folks, the second of our four Welterweight fights tonight and the beginning of the final run of three in a row to finish out the evening! This Welterweight matchup between Aleksy and Sinclair will take us right into our two Welterweight Main Events! And just like our last fight, these two are FULLY prepped, gas tanks on full, confidence on high…yeah baby! Aleksy will have the Muay Thai advantage while giving up the edge in Jiu Jitsu this evening. He’ll also have a considerable experience advantage. He came into Sucker Punch on an absolutely tear after having lost his last two fights as Grunge. But the 4-1 streak he went on here at SPPS, with the loss being his second fight here followed by three wins, earned him a title shot against Konrad Wagner back in April. Wagner was able to come out on top with a TKO finish a bit over halfway into the second round on that evening which set Aleksy back a bit and seemed to possibly affect his confidence heading into the fight with Darry Curtis in May which he also lost via TKO at about the same point in the fight. He’s looking to rebuild now and get his ranking back up with a few quality wins and one tonight would be a great start! Sinclair isn’t where he needs to be…yet…to be looking at contender status. But certainly his wins leading up to this fight, which include his debut last month over Samuel Sanchez, help to impress as he’s 3-1 including his Newark Regional Circuit days. With only a nasty KO loss midway through the second round to Marko Jankovic in his final NRC fight over the last four he’s in a great spot to string together some key wins and make a solid impression here at Sucker Punch. We mentioned he’ll have the Jiu Jitsu advantage this evening and that’s not a good thing for Aleksy as Sinclair absolutely knows what to do with that opportunity…he’s got two submission victories over that four fight run. Donkey’s Pick: Sinclair via Submission (Kimura) Aleksy will undoubtedly be headhunting tonight as he loves to throw hands! That said, he better also be watching for the takedown because if Sinclair gets it the situation becomes bad quickly. *********************** Co-Main Event: Featured Welterweight Bout Our Co-Main Event will give one of these Welterweights a chance to go fight Darry Curtis who sits waiting. And that fight will determine a future Top Contender and title shot winner! Big stuff on the line there so it should come as no surprise that both are ready to get at it, fully prepped! Rahman will have the skill advantage on paper this evening as he’s the better Jiu Jitsu artist and also has the smallest edge in Muay Thai. He also has a slight edge in experience as well with about five more fights under his belt. When he arrived at Sucker Punch we honestly weren’t sure what to expect. He has all the skills in the world on paper but had a rough streak with a loss at Grunge and then two losses at CFC. That didn’t drive him off course though as he came into SPPS with his hair on fire and put up four straight wins, earning an opportunity to fight for Top Contender against Nova Lankinen in May. Unfortunately for Rahman and his camp, that fight ended just shy of the two minute mark in the second with a devastating KO…not in his favor. With such a great run under his belt, it won’t take much to show that that may have been a fluke and he’s still ready for a run, but a win tonight is really important for him to prove that. G Wad finally brought Matsuzaka to the promised land back in March when he earned the belt on his fourth overall attempt in a title fight! This is a man who has seemed to find some artistry in ripping up his opponents and bleeding them out and he used that to grab gold! Unfortunately, Matsu was unable to successfully defend and lost the belt back to former…and former…and former champ, Wagner, in March. A loss to Lankinen put a stop to a run right back at the belt again and allowed Lankinen to cash in on a Top Contender opportunity as we discussed in the last fight. Now…to the present…Navarro fell to Matsu last month via a fantastic second round KO just out of the bell! Nice. Now that’s how you show that you’re back on your horse! But Matsu may have just been taking out some frustations there as typically he’s very much been a technical striker for points (or blood!) later in his career here. Tonight, a big opportunity to get past Rahman, make it two solid wins in a row, and prove that he’s ready for that Top Contender title again…can he make good on it? Donkey’s Pick: Matsuzaka via Unanimous Decision Here’s the thing. Matsuzaka doesn’t often…if at all…lose to a TKO or KO finish. Actually, I’m pretty sure he’s never been finished in his entire career! Rahman is about power and finishes. And has fallen to them. I think Matsu has the inside track here tonight and gets the decision! *********************** Main Event: Premier Welterweight Featured Bout The winner of this Main Event fight tonight…gets a title shot…so to quote Jeff Probst…”Worth playing for?” You bet! And you can bet that Mason Jones and Leroy Jinx are both geared up and ready to make the most of this opportunity! I mean, just look at how animated they both are in their pictures! Jones will be at the skills disadvantage on paper this evening as he gives up the edge in everything but boxing, and even that he may be down a point. Don’t think for a second that that’ll shake his confidence though as this kid is a giant-slayer! He’s downed an up and coming Hadr Bari. He’s downed a tough as nails, power punching Ronnie Bass. Hell, he even pulled out a surprise submission on John Fuller to score a revenge victory after losing to him under former manager Robert Smith! He’s 4-0 since returning to Sucker Punch after a walkabout with CMMA with new manager Bradley Burns. The only question is…can he handle the technical striking that comes with a P J Jones led disciple in Jinx? Jinx is elite in everything but Jiu Jitsu where he has a brown belt. Which still tops Jones in that department also. And he’s a two-time Welterweight Champion from BBFC and right here at Sucker Punch as of this past February and March! Unfortunately, he was unable to successfully defend the title after winning it from Demetrius Jackson as Matsuzaka swiped it due to doctor stoppage the following month. A loss in the first round of the Olympics also concerned fans and made many wonder if his confidence was rocked at this point…but a big bounce back win over Barbosa last month showed he’s still ready to get in there and make the magic happen! Now the question is…for a fighter who has strayed a little bit from the typical P J Jones approach of mostly pure technical striking…is he ready for the youth and hunger of Mason Jones? Donkey’s Pick: Jones via TKO (Strikes) I’m actually calling for the upset here! Why? Because it’s fun damnit! And you can’t always take the favorite. Jinx is definitely the favorite, both on paper and with the odds makers I’d think. That said, Mason Jones has found a way to impress and come up with wins. And P J Jones can’t win them ALL, can he? Well, yeah, he can, I suppose, but tonight I’m thinking perhaps it goes the other way. Or…not. *********************** Alright, we’re all set for mid-week action in Tokyo with SPPS 152 folks! I’m amped for all the fun and I hope you folks are too! I know it’s a bit of a hop, jump and either a flight or a swim to get there, so if you can’t be there with us be sure to catch all the action LIVE on our fabulous THREE HOUR PPV tonight! 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...
Gator001 Posted June 8, 2022 Report Share Posted June 8, 2022 Is someones mum doing the picks? You are going to be very disappointed....My peak isnt even close 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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