HareRumpler Posted December 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2020 42 minutes ago, Oldbones said: Bjorn Akerfeldt: Was hoping to see the writeup on my smooth finish in but I'm glad to see my first fight in Suckerpunch put me into my rightful place in the top contenders. I see they decided to put me against a bear which for those of you who followed me from Checkmate you'll know my IAHFL (International Animal-Human Fight League) record put me at 1-0 against Grizzly Adamsonovich with a beautiful KO as you can catch on the replay, looking forward to putting me 2-0 in 2 categories! Lets GOOOOOO! Ending it with that graphic is awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2020 SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW Sucker Punch Pro Series 30 Hey all, we’re back and tonight we’re going to be over at Schooner’s Bar in Sydney for a great night of MMA action here at Sucker Punch Pro Series! And this one, SPPS 30, will be the last one in the “big” arenas for a little bit, as going forward we’re going to be trying to mix things up a little bit and step back to the smaller arenas with premium seating to really try to get some of that “up close and personal” feel going with our crazy fans out there! So anyways, here we go…I’m Hare Rumpler along with my partner and analyst Donkey “Dan” and we’ve got a ton of fun in store for everybody tonight with the Heavyweights and Lightweights mixing it up throughout the Undercard tonight, then a couple more Heavyweight bouts in to start up the Main Card, a Featherweight contest between Dino Ebedi and Luke Skywalker that is sure to get everybody going as we head into the Main Events...and then two Welterweight bouts, the first between talented young fighters Samuel Sanchez and Lors Loria, with the final one being a big time clash for the Welterweight Championship between challenger Juan Christiano and current, defending champion Igor Vovchanchyn! So, let’s hear from our sponsor and merchandise partner so we can get to the good stuff! 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 Anton Meshkov (2-3-0) vs. Demon Mask (0-3-0) Our first bout of the evening will see two Heavyweights come into the cage against one another to see who, if either, was able to gather themselves up and come in prepared for a change this month! The good news for these two? One of them has to get a win this time around…well, barring a draw. The bad news? Well, one of them is going to lose…again. Again, um, barring a draw. We have to give each of these guys some credit though, as it does appear that both are coming in this month, while still down on morale, better than they were last month and that’s after both took losses last time out! So…perhaps the effort is being put in to try to get these guys here fully ready to go? Maybe! Maybe next month they’ll both be fully amped and excited to have a go at it! This month, they’ll both be a bit down, with Mask being the worse off of the two. At 0-3 so far on his career, Mask has lost all three fights so far here at Sucker Punch against first Kingston Wall, then Devin Hill and last month Lanuola Sefina. Those are all tough fights, but made tougher by lack of morale and prep. However, Mask showed some good signs last month managing to take Sefina to the limit and forcing the judges to make the call. He wasn’t able to put a lot of work in but did show some life in trying to transition when on the ground and also throwing a couple strikes. That’s good to see, as tonight Mask will have the upper hand on the ground and should be expected to use it. For Meshkov, he’s suffered two losses in a row under current manager Kid Sunshine. Formerly with Checkmate prior to joining us under Sunshine he’d won a couple in a row via KO before struggling against Sefina and then Porter here at SPPS. He’s got exceptional boxing and respectable Muay Thai, so Mask should be prepared for Meshkov to want to stand and strike with him! Donkey…? Donkey’s Pick: Meshkov via TKO (Strikes) Well, I see Meshkov has come a bit more prepared than Mask and has at least managed to grab a victory in the past. I think perhaps tonight he’ll get a chance to even up that record and .500 and then, if he can come fully prepared next month, who knows where things might take him! But these two better be both ready to step up and get serious because I know Hare has been asked by more than one fighter already about getting a shot at these guys! *********************** Undercard Bout #2: Lightweights Guy River (2-2-0) vs. Cole Hotman (1-4-0) Our second battle of the evening is a big opportunity for both fighters as they step into the ring ready to do what they do best…throw hands! River has gone up against several ground based fighters lately that has made it a rough go, although he’s come through beautifully despite the loss to Furioto two fights back. For Hotman, he’s also faced several ground based fighters but hasn’t fared quite so well. Tonight, he gets the opportunity to stand and use those hands (and feet if he likes!) to try to get the job done and turn his four fight losing streak around! Now, I should note that Hotman has developed a purple belt of late in Jiu Jitsu, although I really do not anticipate he’ll attempt to use it. If he does, well, it would definitely show a strategic move and decision on his part knowing that’s his area of advantage, but it’d have to be more than defensive to be useful. River is ranked ninth overall in the division. He’d very much like to get this win and move up that ladder as he works to get into the Top 5 and into the discussion for contendership! What do you think about this one Donkey…? Donkey’s Pick: River via TKO (Strikes) I’m going with River here, but this fight is going to come down to strategy, using your edge and being smart about energy usage…all while watching out for that big shot! Hotman could definitely win if he has developed a ground game. But River has shown the ability to outlast more developed ground fighters. I’d say Hotman’s best shot, being the shorter of the two, is in the clinch. For River, swing away Merrill! *********************** Undercard Bout #3: Heavyweights Aron Egomi (5-7-0) vs. Thor Nordquist (3-4-0) Two more of our big fellas all geared up and ready to go here Donkey! And boy, the skills across the board don’t get much closer than this, with Nordquist having the slight edge in wrestling and boxing while Egomi will claim the minor advantage in Muay Thai! Other than that this is almost about as even as you get these days! At 3-4 Nordquist has lost four of his last five with two losses since he’s joined us here at Sucker Punch. He’s hungry, starving even, for a win and getting one over Egomi tonight would certainly go a long way towards easing grumbling in the gut! His win two fights ago came via a quick shot from the bell that ended it early against Alex Thompson over at GDL. Since then, he’s lost via both TKO and Submission. Will he try to stay on the feet tonight with Egomi, using his remarkable boxing and combination of proficient Muay Thai with superb wrestling, or will he take it to the ground and use that same wrestling along with his purple belt in Jiu Jitsu? Egomi has had success, and a bit more of it, more recently than Nordquist. But not by much. He lost his last fight to Kingston Wall but had defeated Mike Badmean and Rob Gaunce the two fights prior to that. Egomi has shown a tendency to want to throw hands…and a lot of them…in his fights, although in his last fight with Wall he also started to go for the clinch a bit. Is that a new approach or just a move out of respect for Wall’s skills on the feet? One thing is most likely…if Nordquist wants to stand and swing, Egomi will likely be game! How about it Donkey…? Donkey’s Pick: Nordquist via TKO (Strikes) Nordquist appears to be willing to use a wider range of tools potentially and we’ll see if that helps him in this one tonight. Egomi’s manager, Rob Hell, has made it clear that he’s going to move on and seek a chance to train Egomi and potentially work on him elsewhere for a bit. So this is Egomi’s last fight with Sucker Punch this evening. Perhaps he goes out with a bang? But will that be a good thing or a bad thing for him, depending upon who delivers that “bang!”? *********************** Undercard Bout #4: Lightweights Tua Graves (6-6-1) vs. Jamal Jameson (3-3-1) Donkey, how about this…two guys not only with .500 records…but both with draws on their records as well! That’s a bit crazy…I’d be more flipped out if the records were identical though! Jameson, managed by Knockout Bob, comes to us from Checkmate after having dropped his final two fights while there. One via submission and the last via TKO. Tonight is his lucky night, as nothing cures ills like that than when your opponent throws a grapefruit your way! That’s the case this evening as Tua Graves comes into this fight with absolutely zero focus or desire to be in the cage, his morale on just about empty! Here’s the crazy part…Graves had low morale last month, down to about 45%, but managed to slip past Dominguez with a surprise submission. Now, a win usually bumps your morale up…yet Graves comes in this month next to bottomed out in morale. So…how dirty are this kid’s clothes that he lost OVER 45% of his morale in one month? His manager also has not been present since December 5, so I think it’s safe to say that his days are over here at Sucker Punch following this fight, Donkey. For Jameson, the goal is clear. Get the win. If you want to do that on the ground, more power to you, as Jameson loves to work the GnP and sub game. However, be careful…even with no morale Graves has a strange ability to pull off a win. And that’s the saddest thing about this, that tells me that this kid could have been a GREAT fighter…if only his manager had cared. Well, what else do you have for us Donkey…? Donkey’s Pick: Jameson via TKO (Strikes) Jameson should pull off the win tonight. The situation with Graves is worse because his manager also has Victor Ballsawash with us, who will also fight later this evening. He also showed some really good promise and is on a huge four win fight streak…and was being considered as a potential Top Contender soon. But, his morale is also now in the tank and clearly his manager has had something go on that has led to these two floundering. I’d be surprised if either can get a win this evening. *********************** Undercard Bout #5: Heavyweights Lanuola Sefina (6-2-0) vs. Hero Shima (0-2-0) Hero Shima, managed by fellow Yabai-mate Carlos Castenada, comes into this Heavyweight contest desperately seeking his first win after dropping an early test fight to our own Broklyn Red and then his Sucker Punch debut against ZaDarius Haden back in October. After stepping back for a month to rethink and regroup, Hero is back and ready to take on fast rising Lanuola Sefina this evening in what should be a “Main Card” quality fight even though it acts as a primer right before we step up out of the Undercard! With solid skills across the board, exceptional boxing, sensational Muay Thai, remarkable wrestling and a purple belt, Shima has all the tools. Now he just needs to put them together and get results! No doubt Castenada is prepared to do just that this evening…at least that will be the intention! What approach will he use? Your guess is as good as ours as nobody knows what he’s been focused on during his two month hiatus from the cage! The man who will be trying to answer that riddle will be none other than Lanuola Sefina along with his corner and manager Kyle F as he steps into the cage across from Shima this evening. We’re told he’s coming in extremely confident but knows that this is a challenge for a reason. And that’s because an opportunity is on his plate to go after the belt against another Yabai managed fighter next month in the current Heavy Champion, the man nobody seems to conquer, the beast, Thoth Chontamenti! But first, he has to focus on a win tonight! Will Sefina try to use his ground and pound game accompanied with a few submission attempts again tonight as he normally does? Castenada is no slouch in the ground game either, so if so, this fight would be epic I think! Well Donkey? This is a big one I think, eh…? Donkey’s Pick: Sefina via TKO (Strikes) It is, it really is! And despite Sefina appearing to have the disadvantage in pure skills, you have to respect his experience, his ability to win and his manager’s drive. And…until Shima shows us he can win in the cage, we have to go with what we do know…and that’s that Sefina definitely can! But this will NOT be an easy outing for Sefina this evening against one of the top managers in the game in the other corner. And I don’t just say that because we’re associated with Yabai! *********************** Main Card Bout #1: Heavyweights Gary Porter (5-2-0) vs. Cu Chulainn (3-2-0) I’d really like to tell you that as we move into the Main Card here this evening that we can expect one of the best fights of the night between these two Heavyweights. Unfortunately, I can’t do that. Chulainn comes into this fight with multiple factors riding against him. First, his morale is low by close to 35%. Then his energy is slightly off as well. Worst of all, his manager has been MIA since about December 3. All of that adds up to what, Donkey? Yep, you know it, probably a loss. Porter is also off slightly on energy so that could be better for him, but most likely it won’t matter this evening. Martin O has his boy coming off wins in the past two months against Bubba Henderson and Anton Meshkov. Meshkov is notorious for coming to the cage unprepared, so perhaps that went to Martin O’s head on this one and he forgot how important it is to come ready to go! Chulainn is going to be in trouble in this fight. I’m almost all but guaranteeing a loss. First, Porter is going to want to take him to the ground and pound the living hell out of him. Chulainn likely won’t have the will or focus to prevent the takedown, nor the desire to put up with much abuse once down there. But, worse, Chulainn’s chin is extremely suspect. Even if his record didn’t tell you that, with a KO and TKO in his past two fights, his last fight against Deon Big Daddy at Empire does. It was mentioned that Daddy had the power to get to Chulainn’s chin…yet, Daddy showed “Cardio Machine” early on and while that may have just been a disguise due to having great stamina to start, it also doesn’t show a big right hand or KO power. So…you be the judge! Well Donkey, am I right thinking I know where you’ll go on your pick here…? Donkey’s Pick: Porter via TKO (Strikes) Yep, probably! Just as you said, this is going to the ground…if Porter doesn’t land a big shot before that ever happens. And once there, the ref is going to be saving Chulainn from abuse sooner than later! *********************** Main Card Bout #2: Heavyweights Victor Ballsawash (4-3-0) vs. Jairzinho Teixeira (6-3-0) As we move on to our second fight of the Main Card we’ll be honest, we’d love to see Teixeira coming into this one just a bit more prepared, as he’s off on morale by about 15%. It’s unlikely to matter this evening though! That’s because Ballsawash, as we discussed earlier in the preview for the Graves fight, is way off on morale! That should allow Teixeira to bounce back from his loss at CEC 701 where he fell to Zbigniew Pacula via TKO. Teixeira has shown that while he loves to throw em and throw em hard while standing, he’s also not opposed to grappling and working for position on the ground to continue that same assault while horizontal! He’s got a solid chin but just how solid is up for debate as it’s been tested several times with two KO’s and a TKO loss on his record. Ballsawash, when on his game, can bring the “pow!”, so despite the lack of morale, Teixeira better be prepared to protect that chin until he can establish dominance in this fight! Well Donkey, how’s this going down…? Donkey’s Pick: Teixeira via TKO (Strikes) I feel like a broken record calling for all TKO’s via strikes this evening, but I just haven’t seen a submission waiting to happen yet. And this fight certainly won’t be the one that brings it. Even if it goes to the ground, it won’t be with Teixeira trying to win via the fancy stuff! *********************** Main Card Bout #3: Featherweights Dino Ebedi (4-0-1) vs. Luke Skywalker (4-3-1) At 4-3-1 and 4-0-1 each, this fight tonight becomes a bigger one suddenly than either one of these two young men ever anticipated! Sitsongrit recently earned the title shot in the division but decided he wasn’t quite ready yet and wants to train a bit more. Cobain and Dismantle are both tuning up at this time and prefer not to take the next big step both “back” and “to” the big fight respectively until after next month. That leaves us with only Ebedi and Skywalker at this time as obvious choices for the next title fight and Aalto’s first official defense of the belt! So…that means this one is huge for Skywalker as a win means a title shot! For Ebedi, he’s turned down title shots on multiple occasions now, so it’s unknown if he would take it if he were to win. Ebedi has strong skills across the board and is very well-rounded. His only non-win…not a loss…just not a win…was against the very same Skywalker he’ll be facing this evening, hence why both of these fine gentlemen have a draw on their records! That fight saw Ebedi aggressive when separated, using his kickboxing skills to score points while Skywalker attempted to get into the clinch and assert himself there. Ebedi was able to hold his own in the clinch, again being the more aggressive fighter and the fight went the distance, pushing the judges to fail in their decision-making duties! Skywalker looks to have improved his ground skills considerably and even pulled off a surprise submission over Ramon Rabbit last month. Could he be planning another little surprise for Ebedi tonight in his quest to make that last draw go away…and now give him a title shot? We’re going to find out in just about five hours now! Well, got a pick Donkey…? Donkey’s Pick: Skywalker via Submission (Armbar) I do believe that Skywalker has been the one to expand his game and evolve more of these two. And for that, I give him the edge tonight! Plus, we know he’s hungry for a shot…so perhaps knowing he could get it sends him into overdrive! It’s going to be a great fight! *********************** Co-Main Event: Welterweights Samuel Sanchez (4-2-0) vs. Lors Loria (6-2-0) This Co-Main is set to rock the place at Schooners Bar tonight folks! Both of these guys are amped up, full of energy and focused on getting a win! Loria makes his debut with us tonight after coming off a win over at RRFC. It appears this man lives and dies via the TKO and KO, with his last four fights bouncing back and forth between wins and losses in that manner. While he has some ground skills, his real talent is in standup where he especially enjoys moving in close, dancing to the music and abusing his opponent…in the most loving way possible! Sanchez returns to the cage this month after dropping his Sucker Punch debut against Ronnie Bass last month in a third round KO. In his most recent fights, he, much like Loria, has been working the clinch which shouldn’t come as a surprise given he has similar skills in those areas as Loria. What he has that Loria doesn’t have though is a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu. In at least one of his recent fights he’s also shown he isn’t averse to going to the ground and trying to work the ground and pound. He didn’t have a ton of success, but if he’s been working on that that may be the direction he takes things this evening rather than roll the dice in the clinch against another Muay Thai artist! Donkey, what do you expect here…? Donkey’s Pick: Sanchez via TKO (Strikes) I like the diversity of Sanchez’s game coming into this one and think it may give him the edge. However, he should be wary…it could also be his undoing. If he goes for too many takedown attempts without succeeding and/if he also struggles to make good on it once on the ground, he’s going to get gassed out. Especially so against another clinch artist who is going to be trying to wear down the body. That gassing could turn into Loria’s advantage and see this fight go to Loria by the second round! *********************** Main Event: Welterweight Championship Igor Vovchanchyn (5-2-1) vs. Juan Christiano (7-2-0) Here comes the biggie Donkey! The Main Event featuring these two uber-talented Welterweights…both wanting to walk out of there with the belt after this thing! Christiano is a ridiculously talented fighter out of the camp of one of the most talented managers in the game, Action Jackson. You know, manager of one little known fighter called “Latrobe Arundel”. Maybe you’ve heard of him? Nah, didn’t think so! Anyways, getting away from that nobody, we’re back to Christiano, a fighter with exceptional boxing, sensational Muay Thai, wonderful wrestling and a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu. He defeated Lukas Reeves and Luka Marka in his first two fights here at Sucker Punch after previously having the belt over at Checkmate! Christiano CAN be taken to the ground if that’s your game plan, but realize that once down there, it’s extremely difficult to do much with him. His defensive grappling and transition ability is top notch and he can frustrate you to hell. On the feet, he strikes and strikes accurately, having no issues with finishing if he can, but more often than not simply outworking and outlasting you for a decision. Vovchanchyn is a fighter probably very much unlike any other Christiano has encountered so far in his career. Managed by P J Jones, Vov has great skills across the board as well similar to Christiano. Vovchanchyn also is no stranger to knowing how to work a fight and take it the distance as he’s done in his three prior fights! His fights are almost always active and engaged, having earned him not one, not two, but FOUR fight of the night awards and a KO of the night from earlier in his career. But, much like what I said about Christiano having now fought somebody like Vovchanchyn yet, the very same could be said in reverse…Vovchanchyn certainly has not seen the likes of a Christiano yet…a fighter who may be the closest we’ve seen yet to somebody who can go strike for strike, point for point, stamina for stamina against Vov! This will be a chess battle for the ages as we see who can come out on top tonight! Wow Donkey…? Donkey’s Pick: Christiano via Unanimous Decision I usually try not to be a homer and go for guys in the Yabai alliance, but I have a sneaky feeling that maybe Vovchanchyn has met his match this evening! P J Jones is a master at this type of fight though, so that is definitely another big time aspect to this fight…it’s not just these two fighters…it’s PJ vs. Action! Seriously, you want to see somebody come out proving that they’re the Bill Belichick of MMAT scheming…this is the fight to watch folks! *********************** So there we have it Sucker Punch fans! Our last big arena fight for a bit now folks, this is a great one to get your rears out to and see before we go more “intimate” with our venues again for a bit! And boy, if the action we have on tap tonight hasn’t convinced you, I don’t know what will! I know where Donkey and I will be in a few hours, hopefully you will be too! Till then…don’t forget… Keep it cheap and dirty…Sucker Punch Pro Series 355k+ style! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actionjackson Posted December 19, 2020 Report Share Posted December 19, 2020 Great writeup for a good looking card! Good luck to all! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted December 19, 2020 Report Share Posted December 19, 2020 Greatstuff Hare. I think Ballsawash wins his fight tonight and I also think Demon Mask gets his first win. Will have to see 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator001 Posted December 19, 2020 Report Share Posted December 19, 2020 Well done Action, I thought I had that, congrats 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2020 7 hours ago, Gator001 said: Well done Action, I thought I had that, congrats The Welterweight title fight last night was INSANE! Vov had that...had it going away for ALMOST five rounds...and then...well...Action and that darned swing for the fences of his I think given this line... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted December 19, 2020 Report Share Posted December 19, 2020 Yeesh I got clobbered in my match against Hero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2020 10 hours ago, kfuhrer said: I think Ballsawash wins his fight tonight and I also think Demon Mask gets his first win. Will have to see I feel like this may not have aged so well... ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2020 1 hour ago, kfuhrer said: Yeesh I got clobbered in my match against Hero Hero definitely showed back up to use his skills this time around! Given history, I expected Sefina to give him a big run for his money in that one but wow...yeah. Sefina will bounce back, he's a heck of a fighter though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actionjackson Posted December 20, 2020 Report Share Posted December 20, 2020 17 hours ago, Gator001 said: Well done Action, I thought I had that, congrats Thanks, fortunate to win that one frankly, well played. Rematch at some point I'm sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 POST EVENT CHEAP SHOTS Sucker Punch Pro Series 30 Hey Sucker Punch fans! I was gonna have my daughter, Risa, do this review again today…but she’s a slacker and left me hanging! Apparently she thinks Christmas shopping and studying for Finals for college is more important! Friggin’ failed on the priorities for this kid, didn’t I? So anyway, I’m Hare Rumpler along with my partner and analyst Donkey “Dan” and we’re going to run through all the craziness at Sucker Punch Pro Series 30 for you and see where things stand with those fights behind us! There were some big changes in rankings and…well, I won’t give away the big one…but you get the idea…it was a blast of a night and Donkey was pretty on his game, I’ll give him that! And you want to talk about craziness…we knew that this event was going to bring the “Boom!” to Sydney…and Donkey even predicted that there were going to be more finishes by (T)KO than not…but can you believe that every…single…fight…ended via a TKO or KO? So yeah, I just took some of the intrigue out of it for ya there, but I don’t think that really ruins too much of the fun! So, let’s hear from our sponsor and merchandise partner so we can get to the good stuff! 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: Heavyweights Anton Meshkov Defeats Demon Mask via TKO (Strikes) Well, this first fight of the evening was over in a very short fifty-two seconds folks! Mask went like this (looking for a takedown), Meshkov went like this (saying ‘oh no you don’t!’) and bam, pow, kaboom, just like a Batman cartoon on TV nine strikes and two more declined offers to go to the mat later this thing was all over as Meshkov went a perfect nine for nine in headshots and that was all it took! Here was the final sequence… “Meshkov's corner calls for a 1-2. Meshkov obliges with the 1 part as he scores the single shot and moves back out of range. Mask is rocked! The crowd are loving this. Great action here. Mask with a lazy takedown attempt and Meshkov scores with a counter punch that sends Mask to the canvas! Meshkov smells blood - he's punishing Mask with more strikes and the ref has stopped it! Mask has no idea where he is - he's tackled the ref... oh dear, poor guy, the crowd is in hysterics!” The fans loved it, and Meshkov coming to the cage with a bit more preparation…albeit not perfect morale yet, but better…definitely paid off for him! This one was easy to call and Donkey was able to start his night out 1-0 for his Picks. Donkey…? Donkey’s Takeaways: Meshkov does indeed come through with better prep and evens up that record at 3-3 now! That win also did wonders for his morale, cutting the deficit in half and if he focuses on some clothing changes over the next week or two, he should be primed and ready to go next month! For Mask, his manager continues to bring him to the cage unprepared and it continues to haunt him every single time. It’s a shame because if you come with morale so low there’s next to no chance for success. I say this time and time again, and while there is the occasional fight where I get proved wrong, those are definitely the exception to the rule. *********************** Undercard Bout #2: Lightweights Guy River Defeats Cole Hotman via TKO (Strikes) This second contest of the evening turned into an affair where River more or less seemed to take over control of the fight early and never let up. Hotman came in with a plan to use his feet…which he did exclusively through the just over one round that this fight lasted. While able to land a few shots, including a head kick and a few body kicks in addition to the many leg kicks he tossed out, they just weren’t having the same effect as Rivers’s. River seemed to be the overall better skilled striker both on offense and defense in this one and combined with his clinch game, which Hotman seemed to have no answer for, it was just a matter of working Hotman down until the big moment while I the clinch and first minute of the second round… “Hotman is trying to break free. River lands an uppercut in the clinch that drops Hotman to his knees! River keeps firing more shots against his stricken opponent and the referee jumps in to save him!” Guess that makes it 2-0 for you now, eh Donkey …? Donkey’s Takeaways: Well, I was definitely wrong about one thing in this fight. I had said that Hotman’s best shot was in the clinch potentially but that definitely does not appear to be the case here. River was eager to get it into the clinch and when he did was totally dominant there. I don’t know if Hotman didn’t intend to work an aggressive offense, or any offense, in the clinch or if he was simply determined to get out of it. But whatever the plan, it didn’t work. River moves to 3-2, and with two in a row and three of his last four is definitely on the right track! For Hotman, if he was in the hospital, they’d have now just moved him into the ICU. His situation is critical at this point as he lost to grapplers, strikers, you name it with five losses in a row. He absolutely, desperately needs to win his fight next month against Giuliani, another fellow striker…or…well… *********************** Undercard Bout #3: Heavyweights Aron Egomi Defeats Thor Nordquist via KO (Punch) Well, contrary to what Donkey had to say in the preview, there was no “wider range of tools” on display here in this bout! Instead, this was just over a minute of toe to toe, ‘Let’s go out there and punch each other’ action! Action that Egomi dominated with accurate, superior striking while Nordquist managed to land only one of his eleven shots offered. This was one of only two fights on the evening that ended with a true called KO and here’s the way this one finished… “Nordquist misses with a jab to the body letting Egomi counter with a right hand. Nordquist is rocked! Egomi ducks down and throws a big overhand right - it lands flush on the jaw, knocking Nordquist out cold! The fight is over!” Well, anything else to mention about this short one Donkey…? Donkey’s Takeaways: Got the wrong pick here, but I also thought Nordquist was going to mix it up more. That wasn’t the case and Egomi was able to capitalize and score a parting gift for himself as his contract with us ended and he’s chosen to step back and figure out what he wants in life. For Nordquist, this is a rough loss to take as he’s now lost five of his last six and all three here at Sucker Punch. He needs a win in a big way next month against Victor Ballsawash. *********************** Undercard Bout #4: Lightweights Jamal Jameson Defeats Tua Graves via TKO (Strikes) Well Donkey, we knew that Graves was coming into this one with zero focus and no desire to be in the cage and that’s exactly what it looked like in there! Jameson scored an easy win and went with his strengths on the ground despite Graves having shown a tendency to pull off submissions. Not to worry though, as Graves offered nothing in resistance, getting taken down right from the bell and only offering up a token strike in return and an attempt to improve position, both of which were futile. Instead, Jameson controlled for the entire minute plus that this one lasted, improving position and scoring five unanswered strikes, with the final one being a nasty elbow that stunned an already uninspired Graves… “That's one minute gone in the round. Jameson postures up and lands a whopping elbow - oh that's hurt Graves bigstyle! Two more strikes land for Jameson and the fight is over!” Well, what else do you have for us Donkey…? Donkey’s Takeaways: Jameson should pull off the win tonight. The situation with Graves is worse because his manager also has Victor Ballsawash with us, who will also fight later this evening. He also showed some really good promise and is on a huge four win fight streak…and was being considered as a potential Top Contender soon. But, his morale is also now in the tank and clearly his manager has had something go on that has led to these two floundering. I’d be surprised if either can get a win this evening. *********************** Undercard Bout #5: Heavyweights Hero Shima Defeats Lanuola Sefina via TKO (Strikes) Donkey, during the preview we were saying that Shima has all the tools, but just hadn’t put them all together yet. Unluckily for Sefina, Shima chose this fight to do just that! Sefina came out throwing combos and Shima was ready with a counter game to…well…counter that! And counter it he did, both early when he countered a double jab with a straight right down the midsection and then then just before the minute mark…as he made short work of a fight that as expected to be much more of a war… “Sefina falls off balance throwing a combination and Shima scores with a counter punch that sends Sefina to the canvas! Shima smells blood - he's punishing Sefina with more strikes and the ref has stopped it! Sefina has no idea where he is - he's tackled the ref... oh dear, poor guy, the crowd is in hysterics!” Donkey, what’s going on with our guys tonight, I think this is the second one this evening to tackle the ref afterward…? Donkey’s Takeaways: Shima gets rid of the goose egg in the left hand column with a big win here and as you said Hare, pulls the skills together into a big performance. Now, can he continue that trend? For Sefina this is a disappointing loss as there was a potential title shot on the line. That’s impossible to give for now until he works back to potential contenders status and he’ll need to do that against tougher competition than he’s seen prior to this fight here at Sucker Punch. Potentially a little more concerning for his manager will be the huge drop in morale after this loss. *********************** Main Card Bout #1: Heavyweights Gary Porter Defeats Cu Chulainn via KO (Strikes) With Chulainn coming into this fight under a mixture of bad factors it was no surprise that this thing didn’t make it out of the first round. Halfway through actually! First, Chulainn’s morale was off. Second, his energy was off a tad too. And third, his manager has been MIA. All of that combined to set him up for failure in this fight. Porter was more than happy to make that failure a reality for his opponent. With a takedown from the bell it went right to the ground exactly as we anticipated…and from there, outside the one reversal by Chulainn that was swiftly reversed back again by Porter, this thing just got ugly as the abuse was rained down by Porter with his love of the GnP. Porter was able to land half of his twenty-two strikes on the ground and that was enough to bring this… “Porter lands a couple of digs. Porter arches his back and unloads with a massive left and a right! Chulainn's eyes roll back into his head, he's out cold! The ref dives in to stop the fight - wow, they were hard shots!” Well Donkey, we both called that one huh…? Donkey’s Takeaways: Yep! We said in the preview, “…this is going to the ground…if Porter doesn’t land a big shot before that ever happens. And once there, the ref is going to be saving Chulainn from abuse sooner than later!” Sure enough, that’s exactly how it went down. Literally. With that win, Porter goes to 6-2 with three in a row…and easily gets himself into the conversation of possible contendership! If not now, perhaps after another win? His next fight was scheduled to be against Sefina to see if he was ready for the title shot. Sefina backed out, wanting to work on his training for a bit. So we’ll be looking to see what other combination we can come up with. For Chulainn this was certainly no way to come into Sucker Punch for your debut. With three losses in a row now and an absent manager it’s questionable if he’ll have a second with us. Certainly if we don’t see his manager around for another week that call will be made. *********************** Main Card Bout #2: Heavyweights Jairzinho Teixeira Defeats Victor Ballsawash via TKO (Strikes) Considering how off on morale Ballsawash was coming into this fight Donkey, I’m a bit surprised that it was actually one of our longest of the night going well into the second round! It almost didn’t make it past the first minute of action though as Teixeira rocked Ballsawash with a big right that sent Balls rolling backward and then bouncing back up off the cage! Ballsawash was able to recover though and even scored a takedown later in the round which he wasn’t able to do much with and the round came to an end with Teixeira clearly leading on the scorecards. The second round saw Teixeira continuing to get the better of the exchanges but with Ballsawash hanging in there and doing better than we expected given the morale disadvantage. But eventually Teixeira was able to break through, knocking Ballsawash down in similar fashion from earlier in the fight at just after the three minute mark here in the second and then finally finishing him with the ref jumping in for the save! Well Donkey …? Donkey’s Takeaways: Ballsawash sees a great run of four wins washed right down the drain in this fight as he came in unprepared with his manager off doing god knows what. Hopefully all is well at home. But with this loss, he moves from being on the verge of contender status to back to the middle of the pack. Teixeira on the other hand makes this three wins out of his last four and opens up his run here at Sucker Punch the right way, with the W! At 7-3, his record is looking great and with a win or two more over quality competition here at SPPS he could see himself in the position that Ballsawash previously held…being discussed as a possible Top Contender! *********************** Main Card Bout #3: Featherweights Dino Ebedi (4-0-1) vs. Luke Skywalker (4-3-1) Well, you got the pick right, just not the way it was going to go down there Donkey! Skywalker finishes this one before we ever hear the bell again in the first round as this fight stayed on the feet and saw Skywalker working the clinch to his advantage. Ebedi was able to get his shots in as well, but Skywalker’s were clearly the ones doing the damage. Skywalker was able to rock Ebedi coming out of the clinch just after three minutes in with a big uppercut that connected solid. A half minute later he took it back into the clinch for the final time, taking several shots for his trouble from Ebedi here late in the fourth minute of action but then got the control he wanted, landing a few body shots that softened Ebedi up again and opened opportunities for the final head shot… “Skywalker unloads with a big right hand that wobbles Ebedi! He's leaning against the cage trying to keep his feet but Skywalker is unloading with more strikes now! Ebedi drops to his knees and the referee stops the fight for a TKO!” Well, what did you think of that one Donkey…? Donkey’s Takeaways: A really even fight through three minutes in this one with both fighters working the other well. And then Skywalker got the sequence of action he wanted in the clinch that opened up the big opportunity and gave him the chance to land one of those powerful shots to put Ebedi down! With that win he earned himself a title shot against Aalto and will get his big opportunity to go after the gold! He’s won five of his last six with the only non-win being a draw to Ebedi two fights back, a lingering question makr which he just avenged and put to bed, so it’s a well earned opportunity! For Ebedi, it’s the first loss of his career and he could have had the opportunity much sooner, but didn’t want it. The amazing thing is, with the loss his morale barely budged! This is a man with a ton of confidence and an unshakable focus…no wonder he’s done so well in his career to date! *********************** Co-Main Event: Welterweights Samuel Sanchez (4-2-0) vs. Lors Loria (6-2-0) Honestly Donkey, I wasn’t sure which direction this Co-Main event between these two Welterweigths was going to go. You picked Sanchez and got the pick correct, but I wasn’t as certain. You had made a good point in the preview that if Sanchez failed on too many takedown attempts, something he was sure to try to do as he loves the nasty ground and pound, then he could tire himself out and become susceptible to Loria’s clinch and up close abuse! That was not to be, as Sanchez came in focused and nailed the takedown right from the bell after avoiding an initial shot from Loria! Loria did well once on the ground to reverse position, nullifying Sanchez’s abuse from above…for about one minute. After that Sanchez was able to reverse the reverse, regain position and start raining down the mistreatment once again! There’s only so much of that a guy can take before being worked over on the ground takes its toll and with Sanchez landing two-thirds of his shots, it was going to add up fast. After landing eight nasty ones on Loria time was up and we got this… “Sanchez lands a heavy elbow. Loria is rocked! Sanchez lands a heavy shot. That's hurt Loria! Sanchez sees the opportunity and turns up the heat - strike after strike land to the defenseless Loria and the ref dives in to save him! This one is all over!” Donkey, what you expected…? Donkey’s Takeaways: It’s about what I expected. Although I didn’t think Sanchez was going to get it to the ground quite so soon or easily if I’m being honest! In past fights, he’s used a lot of attempts for a few takedowns, so either this one was just an opportune time to score on the first attempt or he’s been working on the takedowns in general! That win moves him to 5-2 and gets him back to his winning ways after the loss he took at Empire and then dropping his debut here at Sucker Punch to Ronnie Bass. A few more of these tied together and he could see himself inching into some of the big discussions in the division, although of all the divisions this is one of the more competitive at the top with a huge field of talented fighters to wade through! Loria certainly wasn’t looking for this to be the way his debut at Sucker Punch panned out. Rather than being 7-2 he is now 6-3, still very respectable but he’s also been bouncing between wins and losses over his past four fights. He’ll need to establish some consistency and prove he can overcome up and comers in the division like Sanchez before he can work his way into the big conversation! *********************** Main Event: Welterweight Championship Igor Vovchanchyn (5-2-1) vs. Juan Christiano (7-2-0) Here it is Donkey! The big one! The Main Event which saw two of the toughest competitors go into what may very well be the most dangerous and tough fight for both in a title fight that this Welterweight division has seen to date at Sucker Punch! And wow…did it not disappoint with the theatrics and drama! We knew both of these managers were masters of the strategy game, especially as it comes to the long play! And that certainly was about to play out here…as our very own Juice Fluffer returned to the cage after being out with Covid for the past several weeks…and while he may have sounded a bit more drawn than normal, it was super exciting to have him back action and calling the big ones for us! So…let’s take a look back at his intro as he headed into the cage and then we’ll get into this fight! Juice Fluffer enters the cage… “Ladies and gentlemen…this is the Maaaain Event of the evening!” “The judges for this bout are Darius Henderson, Francis DeMontford and Topper Green.” “Our sponsor for this event is Shadow Warrior Nutrition.” “Annnnnnnd Now! For those in attendance and Sucker Punch fans around the world…this is the moment you’ve all been waiting for!” “LIVE!, from Schooners Bar in Sydney, Australia…” “Iiiiit’s TIIIIIIIME! Five rounds for the Undisputed Sucker Punch Pro Series Welterweight Championship of the World!” “Introducing first…fighting out of the blue corner. Holding a professional record of SEVEN wins, two losses and NO draws, he stands 180 centimeters tall, weighing a natural 175 pounds at 22 years of age, fighting out of Los Angeles, California, United States and hailing from Mevaseret Zion, Israel…The Challenger and Top Contender in the Sucker Punch Pro Series Welterweight division…Juaaan…CHRIIIIISSSSTIAAAAAANOOOO!!!” “And nowwwww…FIGHTING… out of the red corner. With professional record of FIVE wins, two losses and one draw, he stands 182 centimeters tall, weighing in at 170 pounds…he’s 22 years of age, hailing from Fesky, Ukraine and fighting out of London, England… THE REIGNING….DEFENDING…UNNNNNNDISPUTED Sucker Punch Pro Series Welterweight Champion of the World, ‘Little’…Iiiiiigorrrr…VOOOVCHANCHYNNNN!!!” And we were off Donkey! For five rounds of hard hitting, crazy fun and dramatic action! Our first round went similar to how we expected…Vovchanchyn was pushing the pace with Christiano working but also going about it with a counter approach. Both men were mixing it up, working both the body and head and also mixing in the kicks, with leg kicks being a trendy item and Vovchanchyn going for a few more body kicks than Christiano throughout the fight. There was a brief moment of clinch involved in the first, but nothing significant and we saw the round come to an end with Vovchanchyn taking it with the judges by all accounts. The second saw a lot more clinch both initiated and broken by Vovchanchyn as he worked to keep Christiano on his toes and continue scoring points while looking to wear Christiano down. Christiano continued to deliver but at a slightly less aggressive pace and working the counter into the mix. Again, the round went to Vovchanchyn and he was moving along in this thing, working but conserving energy and both fighters looked good, but clearly Christiano was falling behind on the cards. Rounds three and four were more of the same. Round three saw a brief one minute period of clinching again at Vovchanchyn’s call but outside that it was more of the same approach by both men, as was Round 4…and Vovchanchyn saw his lead building and adding up with the judges as it appeared from our angle and by trying to read the judges that most felt Vovchanchyn had won most if not all of the rounds through the start of Round 5! Round 5 came and the first four minutes were very much the same deal. One had to wonder what Christiano was thinking and had in mind as he was clearly losing the fight to this point and Vovchanchyn could pretty much ride this one out and even if he lost the last round by being less aggressive would win overall…and then…with about thirty seconds remaining…we noticed and so did the play by play guys… “This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff! Christiano lands a leg kick that knocks Vovchanchyn off balance momentarily. Juan Christiano has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!” So yeah, apparently Christiano was making his move, either out of desperation or strategy I’ll let you guys all decide as this is Action Jackson in the corner…and with eleven seconds left in the round…and a crowd of people all about to be left open-mouthed in shock… “Christiano scores with a big left there. The judges will like that one. Vovchanchyn gets clipped by a big right hand and goes down spinning to the canvas! Christiano gets the back mount and begins to drop bombs on his rocked foe! Vovchanchyn is too out of it to defend against the strikes and the referee jumps in to save him from the beatdown!” And with that, Juice Fluffer re-enters the cage as the referee has both fighters in the middle of the cage… “Ladies and gentlemen, our referee has called a stop to this contest at four minutes and forty-nine seconds of round number five…” “Declaring the winner…by Technical Knockkkouuuut…ANNNNNNDDDD NEWWWWW…Sucker Punch Pro Series…UNNNNNDISPUTEDDDDD…Welterweight Champion of the World… Juaaan…CHRIIIIISSSSTIAAAAAANOOOO!!!” O. M. G. Donkey did you just see that insanity! My god, that was no doubt a tough one to stomach for the Vovchanchyn camp and at the same time, did you see the Christiano camp go absolutely insane down there? And the crowd, my god the crowd!!! Donkey…? Donkey’s Takeaways: Absolutely insane! I, as well as everybody in this place, clearly thought that Vovchanchyn had this fight! But, as we’ve seen so many times from an Action Jackson managed fighter, Christiano comes out of nowhere and steals it! Unbelievable! As you said, luck or strategy, you make the call folks! I don’t need to tell you what this all means…clearly, congrats to our NEW Welterweight Champion, Juan Christiano…and at the same time, I think it’s fair to say this is NOT the last we have seen from Igor Vovchanchyn! He’s going to want a rematch sooner than later on this one, no doubt! And he deserves it! What a heck of a fight to cap off the evening folks. *********************** So there we have it Sucker Punch fans! So there we go and how about that drama to end the night folks? It was a blast, I’m happy to have been there with Donkey and all the rest of our staff as well as our amazing managers and fighters. And most of all, you the fans! Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did, and don’t forget, we’re back midweek this week on the 23rd to kick of the festivities before Christmas, and then we’ll be back with you right after that for Boxing Day the day after, on December 26th! Till then…don’t forget… Keep it cheap and dirty…Sucker Punch Pro Series 355k+ style! 1 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 Great stuff Hare 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 Just now, kfuhrer said: Great stuff Hare Thanks, appreciate it as always! Our managers, you guys, make this fun! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dein93 Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 56 minutes ago, HareRumpler said: Juice Fluffer enters the cage… I hear Bruce Buffer's voice... Every.Single.Time. lol 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator001 Posted December 21, 2020 Report Share Posted December 21, 2020 another great write up Hare as painful as that last second loss after dominating was. It was fun following the PBP....until the last couple of seconds lol (I think it was when the laptop hit the dog or maybe it was the refrigerator) Joking 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luiztorres Posted December 22, 2020 Report Share Posted December 22, 2020 Skywalker is very happy with the opportunity to fight for the title. This will be the third fight against a fighter who has never been defeated. (Ebedi, Drake and now Aalto) Aalto is a great fighter, but we will do everything to win. I expect a great show. See you in January! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2020 4 hours ago, luiztorres said: Skywalker is very happy with the opportunity to fight for the title. This will be the third fight against a fighter who has never been defeated. (Ebedi, Drake and now Aalto) Aalto is a great fighter, but we will do everything to win. I expect a great show. See you in January! The fact that you stopped into the forum for only your second post to put this out there warms my evil little sucker punching, cheap shot taking heart! Awesome. Focus on that camp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2020 SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW Sucker Punch Pro Series 31: Pre-Christmas Blast! Welcome Sucker Punch fans as we prepare to kick off a rare, at least these days, mid-week event over at Hard Knocks – Sydney! We’re in a smaller venue this week as part of a move that I, Hare Rumpler, am making to try to focus in our energies a bit, get some of the hardcore fans in there up close and personal and then extend at least 1,000 tickets to each even for free out to many of our every-day fans, putting them up close and on top of the action! In the meantime, we’ll be livestreaming the events…for free…to every Sucker Punch fan around the world to spread the fun we like to have down in Sydney! As always, I’ll be joined by my partner and analyst Donkey “Dan” as we run through all the upcoming action heading your way this evening. Tonight we’ll get the night going with a pair of single, three minute round sparring bouts between a few kids who just started out in MMA as part of what we call the “370k Batch”. We’ve got a couple of Middleweight matchups after that and then what I’m expecting to be a fantastic Light Heavyweight contest between Dolph Lindgren and Tito Slamcock to finish off the Undercard. For the Main Card tonight we get treated to the debut of…prepare yourselves here…Marcus Megnus Maximus Jr Maximus Jr…yes, he’s a double Junior and Donkey, on my cheat sheet behind the scenes I’ve taken to just calling him ‘M^3 Maximus Jr’. He’ll be going at it with Pietro Marchionni to start up the top half of the card and this is a fight that could propel one of these two right up close to the Top 10 when the new rankings come out! Tyrion Lannister will take on an unprepared Dennis Jorge in a Middleweight bout…and you may be wondering why I even mention it if Jorge is unprepared? I mention it because Lannister is hungry after dropping his fight last month and god knows, Jorge, being unfocused and lacking proper energy, is probably about to be turned into a human pretzel! While this one may not be competitive, it sure is going to be fun to watch Jorge become “Gumby”! There’s a reference for ya Donkey, let’s see who even has a clue about that one! What do you mean I’m showing my age? Buzz off you ass. Now, just before we get to the Main Events, we’ll have another amazing fight lined up at Welterweight between Mandinos and Mason Jones…a fight that could very well help shape the future of the division as undoubtedly one of these two is primed to be a Top Contender in the new future, especially if they can win tonight and back it up with one more! This is a big time, talented division at the top with a big batch of talented fighters trying to make a name for themselves, and these two are right there with them! Our Main Events will speak for themselves…although if you weren’t listening and need it spelled out…it should tell you something when our title fight for the night, a Middleweight Championship match between Hirst and challenger Jim Beam…is actually NOT the top billed fight! That’s not taking a thing away from these two as that’s going to be an amazing battle of diverse skills that I expect to see go everywhere in the cage…but damn, what a highly hyped fight we have coming up to finish things off when Ronnie Bass and Baldomir Barbosa step into the cage, two pure beasts at 170 pounds, ready to do serious battle this evening! You don’t get two more evenly matched fighters. You don’t get two more aggressive, bomb throwing fiends. You don’t get a fight that is more ready made for explosive fireworks than this one! Donkey, I can’t wait! So let’s hear from our sponsor and merchandise partner so we can get to the good stuff! 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: Welterweight Sparring Bout Fahad Al Hamadi (0-0-0) vs. Keisuke Hanzo (0-0-0) Two of Optimal MMA’s new young boys from his stable…or at least, hopeful members of his stable…will open things up for us tonight at SPPS 31, the last event before the holidays kick into high gear for many! This is a pretty straightforward affair, as the next fight will be as well. Really a sparring battle, a single-three minute round to see what these kids have and how one of them takes being handed a loss. Both are Welterweights, so we’ve put them into their proper division here tonight rather than the openweight class. As such new students to MMA, there really isn’t much to say here other than that Hamadi comes to the gym with a bit of boxing in his background while Hanzo is a Muy Thai fan. Will they get into it a bit tonight or go easy and just get in and get back out without much damage? We’ll see! Donkey…? Donkey’s Pick: Nope Not really necessary here as it’s all about just seeing what these kids might be hiding and, as Hare said, checking for morale after a loss. Good luck to Optimal with his new kids! *********************** Undercard Bout #2: Welterweight Sparring Bout Ganju Lama (0-0-0) vs. Agansing Rai (0-0-0) So basically just take what I had to say about the last bout, switch the names to Rai and Lama, mention that they’re part of P J Jones’ crew rather than Optimal’s and boom, you’ve got what you’re looking at here! Another single-three minute round sparring bout to see what these kids have and how one of them takes being handed a loss. Have to admit, for young hopefuls, I sure do like that they’ve come geared up with fresh custom pics done for them and all! Stylish! Again, both are Welterweights here, so we’ve put them into their proper division here tonight rather than the openweight class. Mr. Jones has switched things up from the typical build just a tad here for Rai, with both boxing and wrestling in this kids background before he really even gets going with his formal training. Lama is your typical kid who comes into the gym knowing how to clinch up and do some Muay Thai, but really with rough skills and needing a lot of development to see if he’s a future champ! Donkey…? Donkey’s Pick: Nope Again, we’re just here for this fight to see what the tale of the tape has to say and if one of them takes a loss a little too hard and gets a bit down on himself. Nobody needs a whinger and sulker hanging around the gym with the rest of the guys, so that’s something to watch out for! *********************** Undercard Bout #3: Middleweights Craig Kraig (3-2-0) vs. Edward Mills (3-4-0) The dim-witted yet lovable Mills comes into this contest tonight in the blue corner, but that certainly won’t make him the underdog in Donkey’s mind this evening as he and Kraig get ready for their Middleweight showdown! Kraig will be coming into the cage at least 40% off on morale and that’s sure to sway Donkey’s pick I’d think. Mills will have the standup advantage in this one which is just to his liking as it’ll give him a chance to go out there and put his, um, pickle punch, to good use! He’s pretty much a thumper, not a thinker, and any chance he gets to try to bop his opponent a few times really well is enough to make this guy’s night! With three losses in his last four and coming off a loss last month against Andy Hughes, Mill’s week in Sydney will certainly be made a happier one if he can pull off a win this evening! Kraig will have other ideas that don’t involve standing in front of Mills and getting bopped in a game of ‘whack a Kraig’! He’ll likely want to exploit his superior wrestling as he did last month against Kissy ONeill and get this one to the ground where, if he can gain the top position, he’ll choose to do a little bopping of his own! How does this one turn out Donkey…? Donkey’s Pick: Mills via TKO (Strikes) You know that 90% of the time I’m going with the guy who is better prepared. I truly believe that our matchmaking here at Sucker Punch typically pairs equally skilled fighters and that any advantage given up is bad for the one coming in less than ready to go. That’s the case here, as I believe the morale for Kraig may prevent him from committing to the takedowns he needs or being able to exert his will once down there. If Mills gets the pickle punch going early, this could be a painful evening for Kraig with the headache he’ll have after! *********************** Undercard Bout #4: Middleweights Brennan Brunswick (3-0-0) vs. Kissy ONeill (5-7-1) ONeill comes to the cage tonight with a pair of nasty, dirty, stanky tighty-whites on his back. Given the pair of losses he also carries into the cage, one from the QFC prior to joining Sucker Punch and the last here at SPPS against Craig Kraig, it certainly hasn’t helped his morale to recover to still be wearing those nasty unwashed clothes! Time for some customs and a morale tune-up my man! Coming in 45% off on morale is almost a certain recipe for “loser pie”. The man who will look to take advantage of ONeill’s lack of focus and preparation this evening is Brennan Brunswick. Brunswick technically made his Sucker Punch debut last month in a single, one-off Light Heavyweight bout where he downed Ian Justino. This month he officially joins us with an extended contract as part of the Middleweight division where he belongs. Already carrying a 3-0 record, he hopes to use his standup and Muay Thai skills that he honed while over at the Fighter House to move to a more than solid 4-0 as he prepares to climb the ladder here at Sucker Punch! ONeill will do his best to fend off being brutalized by Brunswick and get this fight to the ground where he can work his submission game. The question will be, does he have the focus, drive and determination to get it to the ground with that low morale? What do you see here Donkey…? Donkey’s Pick: Brunswick via TKO (Strikes) Another situation where one is low on morale and unprepared and that means I’m picking for the other side. My guess is that Brunswick gets this into the clinch and uses it to tear down what’s left of ONeill’s will and desire to be in that cage. *********************** Undercard Bout #5: Light Heavyweights Dolph Lindgren (5-2-0) vs. Tito Slamcock (4-4-0) Donkey, as we close out the Undercard here we should be in for a real treat as the evening starts to really heat up when these two Light Heavyweights enter the cage to square off! Slamcock and Lindgren are two nasty strikers who are both fully prepared to get in there and give it everything they’ve got this evening! Certainly, if you’re picking a time to show up for the big event and don’t plan to be in your seat right from the start, you definitely want to plan to be there by the time this one starts! Slamcock has the Muay Thai advantage in this fight and with very little pure boxing skills or Jiu Jitsu to work with will depend solely upon his clinch and grappling skills to get the job done this evening. He doesn’t want to be on the ground as evidenced by his last two fights which ended in submission losses. That’s not something he should have to worry about tonight! That doesn’t mean the evening will suddenly be an easier one for Slamcock than the past couple fight nights have been. Lindgren doesn’t mind being in the clinch even a little bit and while Slamcock has the advantage in Muay Thai, Lindgren has shown he’s more than capable of handling himself both in and out of the clinch as he did against Dorn last month. With split results in his first two fights here at Sucker Punch Lindgren will be looking to move into positive territory and extend his professional record to 6-2 with a win here this evening. Well Donkey, have a pick for us in this one…? Donkey’s Pick: Lindgren via KO (Punch) Both are strikers but I believe that Slamcock’s lack of diversity in his skillset and approach may limit his effectiveness this evening. He’s been in the MMA game longer than Lindgren but that won’t necessarily translate into any advantage. Actually, to some degree we have to question the effectiveness of Slamcock’s training gym or his attention to learning technique because he appears to be starting to fall behind his peers. Lindgren should be able to use multiple tools to carry himself to a sixth win this evening. *********************** Main Card Bout #1: Welterweights Pietro Marchionni (5-4-0) vs. Marcus Megnus Maximus Jr Maximus Jr (6-4-0) The toughest thing about this Welterweight battle is going to be the tongue twister that is Maximus Jr Jr’s name! The second toughest thing is going to be the matchup between these two as they are very evenly skilled and both come to the cage this evening fired up, energy topped off and ready to get at it! M^2MJr^2 comes to us after a long stint with GDL, one which saw the end of the run capped off with a win and loss back to back with Tatsuya Kimura. He steps up a weight class from Lightweight as he makes his debut with us here at Sucker Punch and will be focused on showing us his striking skills, something he’s comfortable with vertical or horizontal…although the majority of his success has come from the vertical disposition. If Emineminem does want to take it to the ground, that’s something that Marchionni won’t have any major objections to. At that point we can expect both of them to opportunistically try for the occasional submission attempt, but the main focus is going to be on gaining position, controlling the action and raining down abuse from above if they can get there. Well Donkey, what do you think here…? Donkey’s Pick: Marchionni via TKO (Strikes) Marchionni was able to do successfully impose his will last month against DJ Costune and will try to do the same again tonight. He’ll be on a quest to improve to 6-4 and with it move very, very close to the Top 10 if not into it! The same could be said for Maximus Jr, who is unranked for the most part at this time mostly due to not having fights with us yet at Sucker Punch. A win here would make him 7-4, prove that he’s ready for Sucker Punch competition and propel him towards the Top 10 in the next rankings update. Clearly, both men have all the motivation they need to leave it all in the cage tonight! *********************** Main Card Bout #2: Middleweights Tyrion Lannister (6-4-0) vs. Dennis Jorge (6-4-0) I hate to say something like this so far into the card, especially as part of the Main Card, but this next Middleweight bout should be nothing more than a formality. No, fights aren’t fought on paper, which is why we’ll send these two into the cage to officially work out their differences…but, the differences are significant here! Normally, that may not be the case as we felt this was a good solid…and classic…grappler vs. striker matchup. But Jorge comes to the cage this evening utterly unprepared, low on both morale and energy. And practically uncornered, as his manager has gone MIA for the past three plus weeks and has all but abandoned him. That means that we can expect that his four fight losing streak is about to become just a bit longer at five! And, he’ll also likely be unemployed tomorrow. With almost no ground game, and certainly no Jiu Jitsu to speak of, the chances of Jorge fending off the takedowns from Lannister are slim to none with an energy and morale deficit holding him back from being successful. Which brings us to what Lannister will do this evening. If he’s smart, he’ll just be careful not to get caught with a nasty shot from Jorge as he comes in for the takedown…but once he does make the attempts, the ground action should be following shortly after! Once down there, this is going to be a game of “does this bend…ohhhh, I dunno…here?” The answer to that is likely to be a painful one for Jorge! Donkey, a close one tonight…? Donkey’s Pick: Lannister via Submission (Kimura) No Hare, this will not be a close one. This one will be over well before the first round’s final bell and likely before two minutes are up. When this fight was put together we thought it might be a really cool matchup between two completely different styles. That won’t be the case with Jorge fully unprepared to put in any sort of solid effort. Disappointing and he certainly deserves to be let go after this fight. Lannister has been very good about putting a couple wins together but then dropping one in between which has prevented him from getting back into title contention. A win tonight could start the process again and if he’s found the right focus perhaps be the beginning of a run back to the top? *********************** Main Card Bout #3: Welterweights Mason Jones (4-0-0) vs. Kahdi Mandinos (7-3-0) As we mentioned in the preview, Mandinos and Jones are ranked well at #7 and #8 in a stacked Welterweight division. Tonight, one of them will earn the move up into the Top 5 most likely with a big win and be on the cusp of getting a shot to become Top Contender! This is the kind of opportunity you put in all those hours at the gym for, all those days spent sparring and rolling around on the mats with your camp, all that sweat, blood, sometimes tears and definitely pain. All the sacrifices! Does this fight get them the chance to wear the belt? No, not yet. But this fight can certainly prevent them from having that opportunity if they aren’t ready to step up and prove they should be in line! So…what can we say other than…expect them both to BRING IT! That right there should have you ready to just say, “Just bring on the fight Hare!” And that’s what we want too, trust me! Mandinos is an outstanding 7-3 with three wins in a row over quality competition. He’ll be looking to use his grappling…remarkable wrestling with a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu…to get the job done this evening. He’s made an art form out of ending fights via submission of late, especially via guillotine which he’s done in his last two trips into the cage. He likes variety though, as he also has two triangle submissions and two armbar submissions to his name. Could tonight be an americana? Rear naked choke? Will he even get the win? Not if Mason Jones has anything to say about it with his perfect 4-0 record being put on the line for this fight! Jones has respectable wrestling and a purple belt in Jiu Jitsu which has proved formidable enough to fend off a talented ground artist as he did against Pietro Marchionni last month in his Sucker Punch debut. He’ll certainly need every bit of that ability to hold off Mandinos tonight if this fight goes to the ground. Jones would much prefer to avoid that altogether and use his exceptional boxing to finish this on the feet! If his avatar pic is any indication he certainly looks ready! How about this matchup of styles Donkey…? Donkey’s Pick: Jones via TKO (Strikes) This is a truly difficult one to pick! Probably the first truly tough one so far on the card. Mason has a perfect record, so I’m going to go ahead and not put the bad mojo on that with my pick here. But yeah, this could very easily go the other way if it makes it to the ground! Let’s see this one out, it’s a great one! *********************** Co-Main Event: Middleweight Championship Fight Nyah Hirst (6-0-0) vs. Jim Beam (4-4-0) Donkey, on the surface one may look at this Middleweight Championship bout and think, “Wait, why is Beam here with a 4-4 record?!?” The record doesn’t tell the story here though! Beam has won four of his last five fights and has strung together an impressive array of wins over quality competition over the past five months, topped off with wins over Tyrion Lannister and Kiryu Kazuma. The Kazuma fight proved the diversity of his toolset and showed his evolution as he pulled off a submission victory in that fight, something we hadn’t seen from him previously. The win over Lannister proved he could fend off one of the better ground and submission specialists in the division! With solid skills across the board, Beam has superb boxing, Muay Thai and wrestling along with a purple belt in Jiu Jitsu. It’s impossible to say how he’ll attack this thing tonight against Hirst but it’s not crazy to think he may not want to stand and strike with one as skilled as his opponent this evening. What we can be sure of is this…it’s very likely that he and his camp have been focused on an approach they believe can get them the belt as an early Christmas gift tonight!...or at least…they hope! Hirst is a perfect 6-0 and uses his exceptional boxing and wonderful Muay Thai…but more the boxing…to find success. That…and apparently trusting “the light”. Whatever that means Donkey. We’ll have to ask Suzy, she’s had more conversations with him about this than we have…god bless her soul. Haha! Or is that the light that should be doing the blessing? I dunno. Anyways, Hirst also has a solid ground game with remarkable wrestling and a blue belt, so if Beam does decide the ground is his best road to victory it certainly won’t be one without obstacles. We expect Hirst to come out and do what he does though…strike…strike often and strike accurately. He overcame one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, champion Sucker Punch has seen to date in Wanderson Machado using that same strategy. Granted, it was a bit of a controversial decision…which I shouldn’t even mention as it’ll get Machado all riled up again…but a win is a win is a win as they say! A championship on the line…who comes away the victor and new King of the Middleweights Donkey…? Donkey’s Pick: Beam via Submission (Armbar) I know you’re going to be surprised to hear me say this, given we’re dealing with an undefeated champ here…but I’m actually very torn on this one. I think that Beam presents a very interesting challenge for Hirst. And frankly, I’m not sure if those curveballs he offers are going to be enough to change the course of this fight or not. But it’s extremely exciting to know that we can’t be sure which way this one is going! Here’s what I wonder…if Wanderson Machado can get past Landon McGuire just three days from now on Boxing Day…he’s coming back for his title. I can’t say for certain, but wouldn’t that have you looking over your shoulder some? I know I would be! Could Hirst be slightly distracted going into this and looking past it already? You know what, I’m just going to say it! I’m calling for the upset! *********************** Main Event: Featured Welterweight Bout Ronnie Bass (7-2-0) vs. Baldomir Barbosa (7-2-0) I don’t know if you saw it in the intro to this review…but there’s a damn good reason this fight is the Main Event this evening…even over a title fight! And that’s because this is a fight between two fighters with a ton of hype and popularity…two fighters who BRING it big time in the cage…and two fighters who are about to go to WAR tonight! And not a war for nothing…no, the spoils of this war are a title shot! So yeah, bring every weapon you have, bring the blood, the sweat and the pain…bring it all, because this is it…if you want the belt…you have to go through the guy across from you in the cage tonight! I can’t say it enough…with Ronnie Bass and Baldomir Barbosa stepping into the cage you have two pure beasts in there at 170 pounds! Barbosa comes in on a two fight win streak where he finished both in the second round, one via TKO over Andrey Nikonov and the last one via KO over John Fuller! He’s got respectable boxing and wonderful Muay Thai…with strong wrestling to compliment the clinch and help him control the action there. He’s accurate in the clinch, he distributes his strikes evenly just about between the body and head and he flat out wears you down. It’s a painful experience for his victims and one that Bass is going to want to avoid this evening! But even staying out of the clinch is not safe…Barbosa can land pretty close to 90-95% of his strikes while boxing and put a serious hurting on you there as well. Bass is no stranger to putting on a show with his fists in the boxing game! He has an 8-1 record with his only loss coming in his title defense against Konrad Wagner two fights back. He’s eager to get back to what he considers “his” belt…and tonight he’ll have the chance to go toe to toe with a fellow slugger and do what he does best…KO his opponent…if he can! Donkey’s Pick: Bass via KO (Punch) I don’t intend to take anything away from Barbosa here with this pick…but I have to make a pick. And we know both of these guys are hungry. If Barbosa can manage to drag this fight out some the momentum will shift to him and I could see him starting to run away with the fight. However, he better respect Bass’ instant KO ability, because Bass will undoubtedly be aiming to use it tonight. And he wants that belt back! *********************** So there we have it Sucker Punch fans! So how’s that for a warm-up and early Christmas treat folks? I know it’s just what I asked for and I cannot wait to see all of this amazing action in such a small, intimate setting as the 3,000 seat Hard Knocks – Sydney tonight! The fans that are there are going to have spectacular lines of sight on every single strike, every block, every takedown, every ground maneuver…and a hell of a lot to talk about and tell stories about later! Here’s hoping for something special…I know our fighters and managers will certainly bring what they’ve got to the cage to try to make it so! Till then…don’t forget… Keep it cheap and dirty…Sucker Punch Pro Series 355k+ style! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted December 23, 2020 Report Share Posted December 23, 2020 Great stuff Hare....Glad to see the pickle punch got mentioned haha 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 23, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2020 Presents The Night Before… …from the hotel bar with Suzy Sucker Punch! ********************************* Hi again everybody! Well, I have a little bit of bad news for all our fans out there. But also some good news! The bad news is that I found out too late that the majority of the guys would be heading out in different directions last night to check out the nightlife and what “Sydney” was all about at Christmas! Well, heck, good for them. No so great for me though? I was still down in the bar having a drink or two and generally mingling with the crew I know from the restaurant and hotel and just making myself available should anybody want to chat a little more informally. And that’s where the good news comes in! Yay! Turns out one guy had no interest in doing any of that and instead was lingering around the lobby. One of the wait staff had told me they’d seen a strange guy practicing “pouncing skills” as they put it whenever somebody walked through the lobby with one of those rolling luggage pieces on a leash trailing behind them. And it was starting to cause a bit of an issue to say the least. Knowing this was probably one of our Sucker Punch guys…and likely who…I went to investigate! Sure enough, I found none other than lovable…albeit dimmer than a 5 watt bulb…Edward Mills! I was able to lure him out of the lobby…and away from the manager's markedly annoyed stares…by asking him to join me for a drink and chat. They have some amazing selections in the bar and I figured perhaps a good ale would do the trick and he happily agreed…so off we went! ********************************* We found a cozy little spot over in the corner by the fireplace where the bar had a fake fire going and a bunch of festive holiday decorations up, making it feel at least a little like snuggling up back in the States at a bar around Christmas time. This despite that in Sydney it’s fully heading into summer now and yesterday it was in the mid to upper 70°’s F in Sydney (25 or so for the celsius folks!). We were greeted after just a moment by the same waitress who’d told me about Edward earlier and offered to take our drink orders… I ordered a warm spiced wine, one with apple tones which she assured me was delicious. That’s when I was reminded who I was sitting with and that things were going to get interesting as Edward chimed in for his order… EM: *looking over the drink menu…but clearly on the wrong page…* Yes, me will haf de Ginger Ale please. Is da good one? Mr. Kyle always say da ale wit de mostest bubbles is da best ones! Extra bubbles please! I had to do everything I could not to laugh here. Because there was no doubt in my mind that Kyle F, manager for Edward Mills, had somehow pulled one over on Edward to keep him from drinking actual alcohol. Possibly before fights, but knowing Edward, probably at all! Instead, Edward clearly thought that ginger ale…well…*smiles quietly* SSP: So Edward! So nice to see you and get a chance to sit down and talk for a bit! Welcome to Sydney, I hope your flight in was a good one? EM: Thank you miss Suzy. Me flight was so good I got all the ice cubes I wanted on da flight. I been here for a few days now. We did lots of good training for dis fight I learn to become a Saber Tooth Tiger for dis match. I am now stronger den da cold so that means I'm stronger den Crack Kraig. SSP: That’s right, you’re fighting Craig Kraig tomorrow night, right? He’s managed by Mark Greene who is going to have the same goals as you tomorrow...to get a win. But I’ve been told that his morale has been a little off, and nobody seems to really know why. Any expectations for the way things are going to go? EM: I always prepared Suzy I train many maany many times and I wear good cloths and shower. I fink Crack is going to try and wrestle cuz all peoples want to wrestle me. But instead I'm gunna pickle punch him in da face and win wiff a knock out. Just then I saw two more familiar faces over Edwards shoulder as they came bounding into the bar! Both were in a great mood goofing off and messing with each other as they took a look around, saw me looking over and started in our direction… Brennan Brunswick and Mason Jones, two of Robert Smith’s stable of fighters bounced up to the table with hellos all around and we quickly invited them to join us, the more the merrier! The waitress came over to get their orders and after they each got their drink of choice on the rocks “to take the edge off” as they put it, Edward ordered another “ale”…with Mason looking over with a smile… MJ: Ed, is that an ale you’ve got there buddy? EM: Eet is! And the good ones too! It haf all da bubbles! BB: Be careful there Mills, too much of that will put you under the table and you won’t be ready to go tomorrow! Brennan and Mason gave each other a knowing look and laughed while I glared at them disapprovingly for messing with Edward! EM: Eet will be ok! Mr. Kyle tell me haf a high tolerance and why I’s can bounce back from anything, even in da cage! Just then their orders arrived and with everybody set we settled in to chat and enjoy some downtime… SSP: So guys, I was just asking Edward about his trip in and all. How was yours and what have you been up to since getting here? BB: The Savage Krew arrived four days early. You got coach Eugene, our Manager Robert and then Sean Smith flew over cause he wanted to support us but he also wanted to see the Middleweight title fight in person. MJ: Yeah, we've been busy. Dropping weight, going over film, visiting the zoo. EM: Ohhh! Yu guys be going to study de Saber Tooth Tiger too? I sure to be de best tho, I do da pounce and practice all afternoon in big area by de desk today. MJ: Ohhh, yeah, of course Ed, we see you do these things and know it works so we figure we’ll just learn what we can, you know? Mason and Brennan nudge each other again but notice my glare before they can break into laughter, so they stifle it and we move on… SSP: Most of our fighters come from the north and it's quite the shock to show up in Sydney where it's summer now...is it nice to escape where you guys come from and get here? MJ: We live in LA, so it's never too cold out there. I do love being here when it's warm though. We can enjoy it more. BB: I like being here when it’s warm because that's what I'm used to. After a hard fought win being able to surf is always a plus!! SSP: I’ve never surfed but I hear it’s a blast! I’m afraid of the sharks and…well, the jellyfish though. I think I’m more a lay on the beach and watch others surf gal! Edward, speaking of hobbies, you have been constantly calling out Wanderson Machado. Do you have some issues with him and are you looking to get a match with him? EM: Wandering Son Mackimo is da best fighter in da Donkey League. If you want to be da best fighter in da Hare Donkey league you need to try to be like da best. So I try to do my hair like Wandering Son and I try to do da fist things he does. Maybe when I win more fights I get to fight wiff Wandering Son or maybe learn some new moves from Wandering Son. I fink he had his belt stolen and stealing is mean so I like him he a nice guy. We will fight one day I fink. SSP: Our event tomorrow for the Pre-Christmas Blast is being held at a considerably smaller venue, Hard Knocks - Sydney, than Sucker Punch has been using lately. Do you guys like a smaller, more intimate venue or are you a little disappointed it's not with the big crowd of Schooners Bar or The Bridge? BB: The Bridge is sick, I was here for Sean's last scrap and enjoyed it. Personally though, I enjoy the low key environment. MJ: Smaller venue means smaller cage. That means my opponent can't run and it gives the fans a greater chance to see a brutal knockout. SSP: Um, pretty sure the cage is the same size Mason…but I know you know that already! It’s funny, but at the smaller venues it always feels bigger for me looking in. I guess it’s different for you guys in the cage! Just then Mason and Brennan’s manager, Robert Smith came in and was looking around…once he saw that his boys were just over chatting with me he seemed to visibly relax. Probably just happy they weren’t out getting into trouble somewhere. He came on over with a smile for me and a nod to the guys… SSP: Hello Mr. Smith, how are you today! Great to have you join us! Perfect timing too, as I was just about to ask the boys about some of the business aspects to what we do. Hare decided to move to the smaller venue to go for a bit more of a focused feel to things for a bit here going forward. While the ticket prices are now premium, he still intends to give away at least 1,000 or so to fans so that the events aren't "out of reach" for the regular fan. And I'm told he has SPPS live streaming the events for free to make sure Sucker Punch fans all over are able to check out their favorite fighters. How do you think this changes things for the feel this evening and for the fighters? How about the fact that the show itself, while not live for many, is more widely available for so many fans to keep up with and potentially become fans from these fights? Robert Smith: Suzy, my clients make money off of their marketability and popularity. The more people seeing them fight means the better and brighter future for them. All for it! I see Kyle F show up in the doorway and know he’s probably worried that Edward may have run off and gotten into trouble or done something…well, less than smart. Instead, he looks over and sees us, points to his watch and waves for me to send Edward his way… SSP: Edward, I see Mr. Kyle there by the door is looking for you. It was great talking to you and thank you for stopping in to see me! Do you have any last words or comments for the fans, Hare, Donkey, your opponent or future opponents? EM: Miss Suzy, I now Mr. Saber Tooth Pickle Punch and I will win fights and if I lose fights I will learn more skills to win fights more often. I like da Hare and da Donkey and I gunna fight maybe Kissy cuz you shouldn't be kissing people when fighting you get germs dat way and I fink germs are bad so I need to help otters from germs so I want fight him next Suzy. You want to try drinking ice wiff me Suzy? it make you strong like a big cat. SSP: *at a loss for words…* Um, I think Mr. Kyle really wants you Edward… EM: Yes, you right. I gotta go! Bye. Edward turns to leave but then at the last second turns back, digs his hand into his empty ginger ale glass and takes a handful of ice with him, munching on a few pieces as he heads off with Kyle F! The guys can’t take it and burst out laughing! I admit, I let a small chuckle and a big smile go as well! SSP: Mason! Brennan! Leave the poor guy alone, he’s a nice guy! So you gentlemen will be able to get in there and take care of business tomorrow night and then get home in time for the holidays. Will you celebrate Christmas with the family? Get right back to work? Do something else over the holiday period if you don’t celebrate Christmas? BB: Most of us don't have wives or kids. I'm too damn young for all that. The gym, the team is my family. So for Mason and I and everyone else at the gym all we want for Christmas is a couple wins. MJ: Our team has been on fire lately. Sean is on the verge of a belt. Brendan Wallace just signed with SPPS, I'm undefeated, Brennan is too. We've been busy. So maybe after tomorrow night we enjoy Sydney and then head home and get back to work. SSP: So I asked Edward earlier about his opponent tomorrow night. About yours…obviously you're both up against opponents who are going to have the same goals as you both tomorrow...to get a win. They're looking prepared, how do you think things will go for both of you? BB: Kissy O'Neal is a legit threat on the ground. I have an advantage standing and he has one down there. The thing about that is all fights start standing and I only hit the mat after my opponents. I've trained hard for this fight. I'm ready to prove my worth to SPPS fans and authority. MJ: All these people think we are just going to falter because we didn't grow up in gi's. People need to realize we bust our asses seven days a week. We train with world class wrestlers, we roll with Abu Dhabi champions. There is nothing that is going to stop me or my team from being world champions. We may bend but we will not break. So I guess I think things will go pretty well. SSP: Well, Mr. Smith here has definitely got you guys heading in the right direction, that’s for sure! The team has really transitioned well into Sucker Punch Pro. A lot of you are here now and have shown your grit and determination. I know I speak for myself and the fans when I say we are looking forward to tomorrow night. Thanks so much Mason and Brennan for stopping by! And Mr. Smith, it’s great that you give the guys the chance to come talk to us a bit more off the record like this, a chance for the fans to learn more about their favorite fighters, thank you as well! ********************************* Everybody got up, the pleasantries were given and I paid the bill. On Hare of course! It was a fun evening getting to chat with several of our fighters heading into the event this evening. I hope all the fans out there enjoy some of what these great guys had to say! Enjoy the show at Sucker Punch Pro Series 31: Pre-Christmas Blast over at Hard Knocks - Sydney tonight folks! 1 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dein93 Posted December 23, 2020 Report Share Posted December 23, 2020 8 minutes ago, HareRumpler said: EM: Eet is! And the good ones too! It haf all da bubbles! 9 minutes ago, HareRumpler said: EM: Wandering Son Mackimo is da best fighter in da Donkey League. ??? I'm Ded... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted December 23, 2020 Report Share Posted December 23, 2020 Great stuff Hare. I loved how you integrated in all of my terrible content from Edward Mills ?. Edward likely already forgot that he had a fight with Sean Smith and lost . One of these days Little Mac is going to have to answer the call and fight Mr. Pickle Punch haha 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Therobbsmith Posted December 23, 2020 Report Share Posted December 23, 2020 After SPPS 31 : Pre- Christmas Blast the media met with the winners of tonight's event. The Savage Krew made their presence known earlier in the evening with two massive knockout wins. Brennan Brunswick in under a minute and Mason Jones in less than two minutes. They take the stage with their manager Robert Smith and top SPPS Middleweight contender Sean Smith. Press : Brennan , tonight you made your official company debut after signing a long term deal at Middleweight. You got a huge win and made an instant impact on the rankings I am sure. How did you feel in there at 185 for the first time? BB : I ended it quick , felt good and sent a message to the rest of the division. The weight cut was easy , we've been working with nutritionists to make sure we did things the right way. Press : Mason , you now have your second win since signing with a new manager in Robert Smith. Can you tell us what the last few months in this new stable and new team has been like? MJ: I love my team , my manager , everyone around us. We are a family and I can honestly say I haven't missed a step. The transition has been great. I'm sitting in the top ten of my weight class and top twenty of the company. Press : Sean Smith , tonight you were merely a spectator and supporter for your teammates but we know you had eyes on that Middleweight title fight. What are your thoughts on Jim Beam becoming Champion? SS - Shit, I'm elated. Andy Hughes is on my hit list and when that fight is over and my hand is raised bet your ass I'm calling out JB. I want all the smoke, bring the ground game , bring the whiskey and bring that cracked chin because I can't wait to break it. He's been ko'd four times, and three of those times he got beat by dudes that aren't even close to my level of striking. I'm ready for Hughes and then I'll be ready for JB. Press : Sean , you now have two teammates in your division with Breenan dropping weight. He has a climb but what happens if you two become top two in the devision? BB : We fight!! If a title is on the line then we fight. No excuses. SS: You want us to throw down you gotta pay us right and the title got to be on the line. But youngblood is dedicated and I know us being the two sharks in this division is only a matter of time. Press : Mason , for you what fight makes sense next? MJ: Everyone ranked above me is booked but Loria and Bass. Loria just lost so I ain't fighting em'. Ronnie to me is the most hyped and popular guy in this division. Ronnie puts on the type of fights I enjoy. He has a hell of a lot more experience and I know I would be in for a hard night but if I got to choose I'd pack my lunch and prepare for a war against the former Champion. Press : That on paper sounds like a really fun scrap. Brennan as you climb the ranks at 185 what would you like to do next? Who would you like to fight? BB: Well you said climb the ranks , to me that sounds like I need opponents ranked above me. Right now only two of those guys exist and they both fought tonight. Tyrion Lannister with a big win and a ground game that would make camp not fun is available and the former Champ, Hirst is available. I doubt the promotion offers me the former Champ but if they did I would accept. MJ: In our team , at our gyms a saying we have is prove your worth. Tonight Brennan did that , he did it last month against a much bigger opponent on days notice. If anyone can go in there and step up to a pissed off former Champ it's him. Whoever they give him I know this kid will bust his ass to be ready for them. He's 18 , most kids his age are in college partying and sleeping around. This guy is in the gym every day, he's making his dreams come true. I know Nyah Hirst is a big test but at some point they're all big tests. Give the kid what he wants , what he deserves. Press : This one is for your manager Robert Smith. Robert, you have a stable of men with a combined SPPS record of 11 wins and two losses. This is obviously one of your favorite fight organizations. What or who is next to come to SPPS? RS: Well first off I absolutely agree with your statement , we all love this organization. We all love Hare , Donkey , Suzi and everyone behind the scenes. I have Sean and Ibrahim coming back on January ninth and Brendan Wallace makes his lightweight debut in late January. I'm hoping to get one of both of these guys on that January 20th card as well. As far as new talent to keep an eye on though, look no further than 8-2 grappler Joey " The Goods" Woods. He left CACC after fulfilling his duties and winning a tournament there. Now he'll probably spend the first quarter of the year training stand up but in early summer or late spring you can expect to see him in SPPS. I'm already bugging Hare about it. MJ : We appreciate y'all for having us. BB: Thanks, Everyone. Happy Holiday's. SS: Here in Australia our boy Brennan can drink legally. So we're going to go have a few drinks to celebrate tonights wins!! Thanks for having us!! RS: In 2020 The Savage Krew made their names known. In 2021 , we eye Championship Gold. Many thanks to Hare and the entire SPPS family for all your hard work. Looking forward to another fruitful year for all of us!! Happy Holidays!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfuhrer Posted December 23, 2020 Report Share Posted December 23, 2020 The night played out exactly the opposite of how I saw things going. M3 Jr dominated in his match, which I thought was going to be a very tough outing. I think Sub of the night honestly. And Edward Mills fell totally flat which I did not expect, I assumed he was going to ko Kraig with little issues (Not that I underestimated Kraig). Guessing Kissy is a good match for Mills now as they are both more or less the bottom of the division. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleakardor Posted December 23, 2020 Report Share Posted December 23, 2020 Were some good fights on this one, interested in seeing the post-event write-up. Hare, now you've got me reading some of your fights even when I have nobody fighting. But, now I'll have a few more opportunities. Yip Man III J.W. "On behalf of Team Hardman, and our camp of extraordinary fighters, I would like to introduce former top contender of WPFA, Yip Man III to Sucker Punch. While Yip is in a transition period after the closing of WPFA, and still looking for a 360k restricted home, he expressed his desire to work along side of Donkey, Suzie, and that other guy around here for a while as he tests his might against others within the lightweight division. " Yip "Thank you! Great honor to fight here. Great honor to family to practice marital arts with these fighters. Greatest honor to allow to hit in all vital spots and no be in trouble! I am Yip Man! Most honorable low blow specialist now in Sucker Punch!" 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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