Sucker Punch Pro Series (Unrestrained) Opens in Sydney

[HareRumpler]

2 hours ago, Bleakardor said:

Greatest honor to allow to hit in all vital spots and no be in trouble!

LMFAO!!!!

[HareRumpler]

Hey all...no need to comment here and clog up the forum...but...if you want, send me a message in game...and tell me which of these three posters you think I should use for the Christmas Hangover Event on Boxing Day, Dec. 26 in Sydney...?

   

[luiztorres]

Nice one!

 

Santa Claus!

[HareRumpler]

2 minutes ago, luiztorres said:

Nice one!

 

Santa Claus!

That is the one I used by default and the one I'm leaning towards.  Thanks for your feedback!

[Aconors]

@CarterOrtizMMA

The boss man Hare text me that I've been called out. I look everywhere online ? I see nothing. Boss says Little Igor Vovchanchyn text me and wants a fight, again I see nothing. You young boys get a taste of Gold and feel invisible but Little Igor is 5-3 , finished 3 times. That's not so invisible.  I'm old man to you. I'm stepping stone to you. But unlike you,  nobody has ever put a blemish on my career. You want a fight? Step up and call me out like a man. 

 

Xoxo

Your Daddy, Carter Ortiz.

?

[HareRumpler]

11 minutes ago, Aconors said:

@CarterOrtizMMA

The boss man Hare text me that I've been called out. I look everywhere online ? I see nothing. Boss says Little Igor Vovchanchyn text me and wants a fight, again I see nothing. You young boys get a taste of Gold and feel invisible but Little Igor is 5-3 , finished 3 times. That's not so invisible.  I'm old man to you. I'm stepping stone to you. But unlike you,  nobody has ever put a blemish on my career. You want a fight? Step up and call me out like a man. 

 

Xoxo

Your Daddy, Carter Ortiz.

?

Literally.  Rolling. ?  Now THIS is a reverse call-out if I've ever seen one!  LMFAO!!!!  "Xoxo Your Daddy"  My god...dying here.

New nickname...Carter "Diablo Chihuahua" Ortiz!

[HareRumpler]

I wanted to take a quick moment here,  now that it is officially Christmas morning in Sydney, to wish all of our managers, fighters, fans and associates a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays for those who may not celebrate but deserve all the happiness, warmth and cheap shots that the holiday season can bring!  

Enjoy time with your families, doing whatever hobbies you enjoy most and generally reflecting on the blessings so many of us still enjoy despite what a crappy year it's been in many ways.  As they say, it is an ill wind that blows no good, or, there's always some silver lining.  It's just a matter of perspective and how you look at things.  That doesn't take away from the struggles, difficulties, challenges and disappointments, of course not and those are not to be overlooked...but there is always a bright star to find somewhere in the sky...and hope to keep one moving forward and joy to be found, even in the little things!

From all of us and my many personalities...Hare, Donkey, Suzy, our writing staff...and my actual daughter Risa who has done some writing for us (she's workign on the review of SPPS 31 today as we speak!)...we wish you and yours health, happiness and your own star of hope!

And if all else fails...find somebody you care about and give them a good, ninja-like shot to the boys!  That never fails to bring joy!  (at least for you!)

Take care all, we appreciate you being part of the Sucker Punch Family!

Hare

[HareRumpler]

Risa Roo Reviews...

Sucker Punch Pro Series 31!

Pre-Christmas Blast

What’s up Sucker Punch gang? It’s Risa here, back at it again with another review. It’s our Pre-Christmas Blast!

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First match of the night! This one was between Fahad Al Hamadi and Keisuke Hanzo. Both of these guys look like Mortal Kombat characters. It’s fantastic! It was a one round fight. Contrary to these two’s Mortal Combat worthy appearances, the match was the opposite. If it were Mortal Combat, it must’ve been a match between two kids who had never played before and were just hitting random buttons and hoping. These guys missed swings and kicks left and right the whole time, and barely connected any hits throughout the three minutes. The crowd was not impressed, rightfully so. Hanzo ended up winning the decision on the match, better luck next time, Hamadi.

Donkey’s Takeaways:

Unfortunately for both these kids it appears they just didn’t have what it takes to make Optimal  MMA’s stable.  I’m a little bit surprised about that in the case of Hamadi though.  He showed a big right hand, which indicates KO power and only had about a 24% drop in morale with the loss.  Unless he has a borderline learning speed or ends up showing a suspect chin, he could potentially be a reasonably good free agent for a new manager to grab!  Hanzo has probably seen the first and last of his professional outings though as he threw determined as his hidden, something not a ton of established managers will hold onto unless he’s an incredible learner.

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Match two was between Ganju Lama and Agansing Rai. It was the debut fight for both of these fighters! How exciting! This one was another one round fight. The bell rang and they were off! This match started off way more exciting than the last one. Takedown within the first minute, Our fighters stayed on the ground for over a minute before the ref had to stand them up. The fight ends in a pretty anti-climactic way. Couple of missed hits and lazy swing. Lama ended up taking the match in the decision. Congrats bro, winning your debut is a great start.

Donkey’s Takeaways:

PJ Jones got a chance to see what two of his youngest prospects had under the covers with this fight and while not blown away it appears he’s at least content with the results for now!  Lama showed a big heart, which while not the same as a granite chin can be a very, very useful trait to have.  We don’t know anything about morale though as he won the fight.  For Rai, he’s got heavy hands and in the loss only dropped 10% of his morale, which shows incredible focus and confidence.  Most definitely a keeper and if he was let go he’d likely be grabbed by somebody else fairly quickly.

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Match three! This one was between Craig Kraig and Edward Mills. Last time I wrote about Mills, I talked about how I was sure he trained against saber-toothed tigers, but I was disappointed to find out from his manager later on that the reason Mills had lost the match I wrote about was because he DIDN’T train against the saber-toothed tigers. Disappointing, but apparently more recently Suzy found out from Mills that he is not just training to beat a saber-toothed tiger, he’s training to BE the tiger. We’ll see if it works. Side note: Kraig has some frizzy hair. You gotta get some Frizz-Ease for that stuff my guy. This was an exciting match! Takedowns! Mills threw some sass (“I don’t think so!”)! Both went for a sub attempt in the second half of the match. Kraig beat Mills down pretty hard at the end and won with a TKO. BOP BOP!! The ref had to pull him off of Mills. I guess Mills still has some work to do to achieve saber-toothed status!

Donkey’s Takeaways:

Mills gave a few good shots in this one but then fell victim to the takedown and ground and pound from Kraig as we indicated in the preview would be the goal of his opponent.  “Mr. Saber Toothed Pickle” forgot to use more of the tiger and less of the pickle it seems and may have also forgotten that cats are supposed to land on their feet and not on their backs!  The concern for Mills at this point has to be that three out of his last four losses have been via KO or TKO.  While he has great confidence and morale, that may bring his chin or heart into question.  For Kraig, a solid win here where he was able to go in with a plan and execute.  At 4-2 and two W’s in a row now, both here at Sucker Punch, he’s ready to step up and see some higher level competition!  But what level?  Alexei Rodionovich won his debut here at Sucker Punch last month and seems a good next step…and whoever wins that contest between him and Kraig will continue moving up the ladder!

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Our fourth match of the night was between Brennan Brunswick and Kissy ONeill. I had to check Brunswick’s age, because he looks JUST like someone I went to high school with! Yeah, crazy right? That guy posted selfies with a white claw in his hand every weekend and lost his vape at least once a month at school. Pretty sure he joined a frat out at Penn State this semester. Real stand-up guy. I get the same exact vibes from Brunswick! On to the fight! This match was over pretty fast. Brunswick controlled basically the whole time and ended it with a massive uppercut. KO! Brunswick of course told all the fans how amazing they were at the end. I’m sure he really meant it… right?

Donkey’s Takeaways:

Brunswick came into this fight with both he and his manager determined to show that despite his age and relative inexperience he can win at multiple levels and is ready for good competition. After joining Sucker Punch for a quick one off fight last month at Light Heavyweight he stepped into his natural division and long term contract with this fight and came out golden!  With a quick finish he captured the KO of the Night honors and definitely made the statement to the division that he and his  manager said they were looking to make!  For ONeill, this is a tough loss. It makes three in a row and moves the record further and further from .500.  On top of that, it reduces an already lacking level of morale down to about zero and means that if that situation isn’t address with a few clothing changes this next month they’ll likely be looking at a fourth loss in a row in January.

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Match five! This match was between Dolph Lindgren and Tito Slamcock. Slamcock already looks pretty busted up in his picture, hopefully he doesn’t add too many more bruises or cuts to what he already has! 31 seconds. This match lasted 31 seconds. What am I supposed to say about this? I’m not complaining, I’m getting paid to write about 31 seconds of fighting, but still. Lindgren pulled out a bop of a submission and took the win. He then proceeded to spend longer hyping himself up after the fight than he did fighting. Took the W in the fight but the L in winning the crowd over.

Donkey’s Takeaways:

Our second “of the Night” award, for Submission this time, was claimed by Lindgren in this super quick finish that took just thirty-one seconds to complete.  Slamcock literally got off one strike attempt in this fight before then taking the fight to the ground.  Likely looking to go in a direction that Lindgren hadn’t shown a propensity for in the past, the strategy backfired as Lindgren was more than prepared for a ground battle and was able to capitalize with a quick submission victory, skills he hadn’t shown before!  Surprise!  For Lindgren, moving to to 6-2 with two wins in a row is definitely the right idea and we can’t wait to see if he can extend that streak next month, although we probably won’t know who he’ll face until after the fights on the 26^th in a couple days.  For Slamcock this makes three submission losses in a row and has to be a disappointing result given he may have been able to keep this on the feet and win there if he hadn’t decided to get “cute”.  An unfortunately backfire as we said in his plan.  We’ll see if the “Most Dangerous Badboy”, which is a questionable nickname at this point, can turn things around next month!

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The sixth match of the night was between Pietro Marchionni and Marcus Megnus Maximus Jr (so many M names, try saying that 5 times fast). This was a fun match! Takedown! Sub attempt! Reversal! MMM locked in a arm triangle! That looks painful. Marchionni tapped out! Triple M wins. Nice job 3M! Although, I don’t believe he really said that “all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites.” Sounds like something Hare would add into an interview he spent hours on to make himself feel better!

Donkey’s Takeaways:

This result likely threw most people for a loop as I don’t think anybody saw the end to this coming via submission.  At least not by M^3Jrwhatever. Marchionni got what he wanted with the takedown but then got surprised by an opponent who had much more of a ground game prepared than anybody could have anticipated!  With one sub attempt from the bottom and then a surprise reversal MMMM&M was able to put this one away in shocking fashion, with nobody more shocked than Marchionni and his corner.  Rather than moving to 6-4 and improving to two wins in a row Marchionni finds himself sitting at an even 5-5 and wondering how he’s managed to lose four of his last five at this point?  Marchionni will get the opportunity to bounce back in a statement making way next month against heavy handed Baldomir Barbosa in a classic striker versus grappler battle.  Emineminem…who Hare’s daughter just informed me got several different names from her in her review as well above, haha…comes into Sucker Punch and gets it done the right way!  At 7-4 he’s looking like a real threat going forward.  After the 26^th’s fights we’ll know if he’ll face John Fuller or DJ Costune next month!

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Seventh match of the night! This was a fight between Tyrion Lannister and Dennis Jorge. I was told that Jorge absolutely did not stand a chance in this one by Hare, so it was no surprise that this fight was over in less than two minutes. Jorge clearly didn’t want the smoke, and he tapped out pretty fast. That’s what happens when you end up posting up with a submission specialist! Lannister thanked the fans afterward, how nice!

Donkey’s Takeaways:

Hare and I both mentioned that this fight was going to be over in a flash and sure enough we were dead on! Heck, I think it was either Hare or myself who said it would likely be over in less than two minutes and this thing came in at 1:59!  Lannister made short work of this, getting in there, getting it to the ground and surprised us by not only dominating, but NOT winning it by twisting things in the wrong way!  Instead, taking the back and getting the rear naked!  Nicely done.  He’ll face a rising striker next month against Wick.  For Jorge…well, there is no next month.  He came into this fight totally and completely neglected and unprepared…and that was the last straw with Hare.  Done.  Cut.  Goodbye. 

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

Match numero 8! It was between Mason Jones and Kahdi Mandinos. Jones’ profile “picture” is so fun. BOP BOP! Love it. The fight starts and they go straight into a clinch! Break the clinch! Clinch again! Jones knocks Mandinos down. Just like his profile, Jones pulls out a BOP BOP BOP and wins by TKO! The ref had to pull him away from the fight! Mandinos is going to feel that one in the morning for sure!

Donkey’s Takeaways:

Mason Jones came in with a 4-0 record and the determination to walk out with his goose egg intact!  And for whatever reason, whether it was Jones’ approach that threw a wrench into things by immediately taking it into the clinch or just not having an “on” day, Mandinos just never got into this fight.  Once into the clinch, which happened almost immediately, Mandinos attempted to take it to the ground. That offer failed and instead Jones was able to run away with things putting Mandinos almost entirely on the defensive which didn’t go too well. At 5-0 Jones now has a solid case for being considered a top of the division fighter and if it weren’t for being in a stacked division would probably already be offered a title fight.  Instead, we probably need another month or so to work out opportunities, but he should know…we see you Jones!  Mandinos will be disappointed with this setback which, while not sending him spiraling down the rankings, does set him off the front-leading pack.  He’ll have some work to do and need to bounce back with at least two wins in a row before he can make the case that a title shot should be considered. He’s still a talented, dangerous fighter, but he better hope that Jones didn’t just expose a hole for everybody against him, and if he did, he better work on closing that hole fast!

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Our ninth fight was between Nyah Hirst and Jim Beam, and it was for the middleweight championship of the worlddddddddddd (you have to read that like an excited ring announcer is saying it). This fight was supposed to be five rounds, but it only lasted one round riddled with sub attempts from Beam. After four minutes, Beam finally locked an armbar in, and Hirst tapped out. I don’t blame him, that looked painful! New champion alert! Congrats Beam, now if only you could get that post-fight attitude in check. We all saw you win, you didn’t need to keep hyping yourself up, bro. 

Donkey’s Takeaways:

In what many will consider the upset of the entire card we say…”Congratulations to the NEWWWWW Sucker Punch Pro Series Champion…Jim Beam!”  I’ll have a drink to that!  Ha.  Hirst will not be thrilled with this outcome.  But, it’s a chance to step back and perhaps fill in a few holes and work on building an even more tight and formidable skillset!  We saw the possibility that this could happen…I even called for the potential upset in this one.  We’ll have to see who he fights next as he works to get back up into position again in the future, for now we’re having some “issues” working that out.  For Beam, newfound glory and he’s beat his teammates to the punch so to speak.  But now…as he should know well by how the title has changed hands in the past month or two…he has the target squarely on his back and will only have the BEST of the BEST coming at him!  And he may find that out the hard way sooner than later…as the fight between future SPPS Hall of Famer and former multi-time defending champion, Wanderson Machado, and new challenger Landon McGuire will determine his next opponent!  Ouch.  Prepare thyself and get into that gym sir…the hounds are coming!

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Last match of the night! It was between Ronnie Bass and Baldomir Barbosa. This one was a three round fight, and unlike the majority of the fights last night, this one ended up coming down to the decision after all three rounds. At the three minute mark in the first round it looked like Barbosa might not last much longer after a hard hit, but he shook it off and managed to stay in it. Barbosa did get a nasty cut for his trouble in the first round, though he returned the favor to Bass early in the second round. They seemed pretty evenly matched by the end of the second round, and it was clear the third round would be the decision maker. The third round had lots of action, and it ended with Bass barely pulling the win. Good job to both of the fighters for a long and entertaining match.

Donkey’s Takeaways:

In what we knew would definitely be a heck of a fight and a standup battle royale, this one did not disappoint!  What is surprising is that this didn’t get finished, as we were sure it would be with these two hard hitters involved!  Instead, Bass and Barbosa take each other the distance with Barbosa winning a close one 29-28 on all scorecards.  He earns his way back to a title shot with this one and a chance to avenge his loss of said belt.  Being that that title fight has to be a little further out than normal he’ll have all the opportunity in the world to hit the gym and really fine tune his skills before that fight.  For Barbosa, not the result he was looking for with a title shot on the line.  But also, still an extremely talented striker at 5-4 and he’ll get the chance to come back and prove his skills…and his diversity of approach…next month as we talked about earlier against Pietro Marchionni next month!  That will be one to watch for sure!

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So there we go folks!  Thrilled to have been there with our fans and  hoping everybody at home got a chance to watch the live stream from Hard Knocks - Sydney for this event!  We're coming right back atcha again the day after Christmas so unwrap those presents, hang with the family, have some great meals and then prepare for one last treat as we kick off Sucker Punch Pro Series 32 from Hard Knocks - Sydney again on Boxing Day, December 26th!  We'll see you there folks!

[kfuhrer]

1 hour ago, HareRumpler said:

I don’t believe he really said that “all the coolest people spend all day on MMA websites.” Sounds like something Hare would add into an interview he spent hours on to make himself feel better!

I bet Hare wrote this for sure haha

[kfuhrer]

Emineminem, MMMM&M, 3M, M^3Jrwhatever, M3JrX3 I can't keep up with all the names Hare and Risa! 

Since the the Pickle Saber Tooth isn't doing well I may need to think of a character type for this guy. I'm thinking know it all university student haha 

[HareRumpler]

2 minutes ago, kfuhrer said:

I bet Hare wrote this for sure haha

Don't encourage her, she's insufferable to begin with!  ?

[jjsquirrel]

Sucker Punch, better than ever - now boosted by child labour. Too bad Mills lost, I like the character.

[Gator001]

On 12/24/2020 at 9:21 PM, Aconors said:

@CarterOrtizMMA

The boss man Hare text me that I've been called out. I look everywhere online ? I see nothing. Boss says Little Igor Vovchanchyn text me and wants a fight, again I see nothing. You young boys get a taste of Gold and feel invisible but Little Igor is 5-3 , finished 3 times. That's not so invisible.  I'm old man to you. I'm stepping stone to you. But unlike you,  nobody has ever put a blemish on my career. You want a fight? Step up and call me out like a man. 

 

Xoxo

Your Daddy, Carter Ortiz.

?

 Igor

Excellent so we are fighting then, Good man!! How about a loser retires fight or we can just do normal?

Never realized you were an old man until you posted that, 28 years old and 8 fights only?? (sounds like you have been getting protected big time, nice to see your balls have finally dropped).

Lets be honest you are not getting a title shot after beating only cans so big chance for you here against me with my 3 losses, a chance to earn some respect

I wasn't looking at you only. I'm just looking for opponents with hype and unlucky for you there is only four that have any hype in the division. You, Juan, (champ), Bass (who i guess will fight for title next) and me. I would love a title rematch but I have to wait unfortunately

So that leaves me and you and thank you for stepping up

I know you only have bum fight hype but its still worth it. Its a good for you to, if somehow you get a sub you can say you beat a champ

Set the date

BTW its invincible not invisible ?

[kfuhrer]

2 hours ago, jjsquirrel said:

Sucker Punch, better than ever - now boosted by child labour. Too bad Mills lost, I like the character.

Mills is such a slow learner.... Has made it hard for him to do well. That said hes only 19 so I'm hoping I can still turn him around. His chin is starting to really come into question at the moment.

[HareRumpler]

4 hours ago, jjsquirrel said:

Sucker Punch, better than ever - now boosted by child labour. 

Hahahah!  Well technically not true, since she'll be 19 in less than two months!  And...trust me, she demanded compensation for the job!

4 hours ago, Gator001 said:

 Igor

Excellent so we are fighting then, Good man!!

Set the date

 

Date will be set shortly!  Let's get it on!

Merry Christmas ya nasties!

[HareRumpler]

SUCKER PUNCH PREVIEW

Sucker Punch Pro Series 32:

Christmas Hangover!

Hello, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our Sucker Punch fans out there round the world!  I’m Hare Rumpler and I’ll be joined by my partner and analyst, Donkey “Dan”, as we take a look forward to all the action coming your way tonight from Hard Knocks – Sydney for Sucker Punch Pro Series 32: Christmas Hangover!  Suzy flew home to the States to be with her family and we wish them all the best in both holiday cheer as well as good health.  Stay masked Suzy!

We’ve got a great one on tap tonight as a way to cap off, or continue for some, the holiday season and we can’t thank our managers and fighters enough for being willing to come out and put on a show for you guys on Christmas night for many who travelled to Sydney from the west!  And for those who were further east and already are on the 26^th as we are here in Sydney, happy Boxing Day!

Tonight’s action will kick off with a sparring bout to get things going between two hopeful Welterweights, then bounce back and forth between Featherweights and Welterweights over the course of the first four fights.  The Undercard will get topped off by what should be an outstanding contest between Lightweights Ramon Rabbit and Venali Paetmar! 

Heading into the Main Card we’ll have a pair of outstanding bouts continuing the fun as Morioka Shigemasa and my own Sacrificial Lamb do their thing followed up by a fight with big implications as Titus Fury takes on Devin Ecker!  Our final match before the Main Events will be between Lightweights Charles Chester and Conor Aldo, two extremely talented young fighters and that’ll just about have the place totally amped up for our two Main Events!  The first Co-Main will be a highly anticipated war between former Middleweight champ and future Hall of Famer Wanderson Machado and Top Contender hopeful Landon McGuire!  The winner of that bout is headed off to a title for the Middleweight championship in January!  Our evening will then come to an explosive conclusion as Maximus Furioto clashes with Lightweight Champion Frankie Logan and attempts to usurp his throne at the top of the Lightweight division!

Are you all ready for this and ready to see some post-Christmas magic?  I know I am, 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!

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Undercard Bout #1: Welterweight Sparring Bout

Project Ww Three (0-0-0) vs. Project WWTwo (0-0-0)

Our first bout of the evening will see two of Don Xyel’s hopeful young warriors heading into the cage to show what they’ve got when the lights come on and things get real!  It’ll be a short bout, one-three minute round to see what they bring to the table and how the loser might handle taking a loss morale wise.

WWTwo has a wrestling background as he kicks off his formal training with team Xyel.  Three also has the same, so these two couldn’t be more evenly matched and I wouldn’t be surprised if bloodshed is avoided entirely this evening with them simply coming out, hitting the mat, rolling around a bit and then coming over to their corners so Don Xyel and his team can discuss what they’ve seen and give each of them some post-fight analysis and feedback.

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 Don Xyel with his new kids!

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Undercard Bout #2: Featherweights

Ripper Stallone (3-5-0) vs. Hiki Antsa (3-5-0)

While we had hoped this matchup was going to be something special it looks as if it’s going to come up short of our expectations.  It will still serve as a nice early, opening bit of action but Antsa is not remotely prepared to be as competitive as we’d  hoped for this one.  His morale is down to just about zero and his manager has been MIA for a little over two weeks now, both of which combined are sure to lead to a disappointing evening for Antsa and potentially an easy go for Stallone tonight.

Stallone is coming off a much needed win over Warran Peace, another fighter who came in unprepared.  So this makes a couple in a row where he’s had an easier run than it could have been.  However, you still have to fight the fights and he certainly won’t complain after having been on a four fight losing streak before that.  Stallone  used the ground game to work the ground and pound when he could in the prior fight but was also fairly accurate with the few strikes he let loose on the feet.  Antsa has ground and submission skills so despite the lack of morale for his opponent Stallone may want to be very wary of the ground situation against Antsa this evening.

Donkey…?

Donkey’s Pick: Stallone via TKO (Strikes)

Stallone should get his second win in a row tonight against a fully unprepared and unfocused opponent. This will be Antsa’s last fight with Sucker Punch as we’ll let him go after this despite having three more fights on the contract. If Stallone can win here he’ll have another month to continue looking at what’s working and what’s not, and to prepare for a better motivated opponent next month!

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Undercard Bout #3: Welterweights

John Fuller (4-4-0) vs. DJ Costune (4-5-0)

This next fight should be a very hard fought battle between Welterweights who are aspiring to move up the ladder in the division and either even up their record, in the case of Costune, or improve into the black as is the case with Fuller.  Costune will be slightly down on both morale and energy coming into the fight, but most likely not enough to affect the end result. 

Costune has lost four in a row coming into this fight after starting out his professional career 4-1.  All four of those losses have come via TKO or KO and while he showed heavy hands and KO power early in his career there is some question as to whether his chin or heart may leave him vulnerable.  He has balanced skills across the board with respectable boxing and wrestling, competent Muay Thai and a purple belt in Jiu Jitsu.  He’s won via both TKO and submission earlier in his career, so it’s likely he’ll try to use whichever approach this evening gives him the best chance to exploit his opponent’s weaknesses.

That opponent is Fuller who is coming off two losses of his own against both Kahdi Mandinos and Baldomir Barbosa, first via submission and then most recently via KO.  Finding an area to take advantage may be tougher for Costune than he anticipated given Fuller is also very balanced with respectable boxing and Muay Thai, proficient wrestling and a purple belt in Jiu Jitsu.   These are two very evenly matched fighters heading into the cage this evening!  Fuller has won via both TKO and submission in the past as well, so for both of these fighters tonight’s contest is key in determining how they want to utilize their skills going forward and whether they can bounce back from recent struggles.

How does this one turn out Donkey…?

Donkey’s Pick: Fuller via TKO (Strikes)

Flip a coin here folks!  I know Hare said that the shortness of morale and energy for Costune was negligible, but when two fighters are this balanced and even you have to use something to make a pick.  I’m using that here and can only say that the way this fight goes should be interesting as it’s hard to determine what skills either will use to find success this evening.  Costune should hope that my pick here is wrong though, as five losses in a row could be just a bit too much.

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

Undercard Bout #4: Featherweights

Alex Kozlovski (7-4-0) vs. Jean Jacque Custo (2-4-0)

Our fourth fight of the evening and Donkey, frankly, I know you’ll be a little bit disappointed here. I know I am.  Both fighters come in with the morale just a bit off. Both are about 20% low, which isn’t overwhelmingly bad but being off that much isn’t great either.  The deficit by both should balance out and won’t factor in this evening but against another fighter who was more prepared for either of these guys it could have meant the difference between a win or a loss.  Change those clothes boys!

What you’re going to see here is a classic grappler versus striker matchup.  Custo will likely want this fight on the ground and if he can get it there he’ll want to work the ground and pound with an occasional submission thrown in if his prior fights tell us anything. 

Kozlovski has almost no Jiu Jitsu skills and will likely use an aggressive approach boxing with a lot of head shot focus and high kicks to get the job done.  He better be careful with those high kicks this evening, because those will leave him wide open for the takedown by Custo if he misses.

What do you see here Donkey…?

Donkey’s Pick: Custo via TKO (Strikes)

I’m going to assume that Kozlovski’s approach remains relatively unchanged for this fight and that the high kicks will indeed be the reason this one ends up on the ground.  Now, once there can Custo take advantage?  That’s the part I’m not entirely certain of.  But we’ll find out!  If Custo doesn’t pull this one off, he’ll drop into 2-5 territory overall and have three L’s in his last four.  That’s not something he’ll want to see and will desperately need to recover from so focusing on this fight tonight should be a huge priority for him.

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Undercard Bout #5: Lightweights

Ramon Rabbit (6-6-0) vs. Venali Paetmar (3-3-0)

Our last fight on the Undercard this evening will see Lightweight Venali Paetmar going after Ramon Rabbit.  Paetmar has put himself at a slight disadvantage here by coming in just a bit off on both morale and energy.  He’d better hope that doesn’t contribute to a loss as nobody wants to drop below .500 due to lack of preparation!

Paetmar lost his Sucker Punch debut last month to Charles Chester, forcing the fight to go the distance but coming up short with the judges.  He has balanced skills but specifically he has the advantage this evening against Rabbit with his Jiu Jitsu.  He showed off an ability to get a submission early in his career and getting another tonight would be perfect timing for those skills to re-emerge!

Rabbit will have a significant striking advantage this evening but he’s lost his prior two fights via submission. Tonight, if Paetmar does decide to try to take advantage of his purple belt over Rabbit’s blue we may find out just how susceptible Rabbit is in that area. When Rabbit is on his game he’ll keep the fight on the feet and use an extensive mix of kickboxing along with the clinch when needed to punish his opponents.  Undoubtedly he’ll want to do that exact thing tonight.

Well Donkey, have a pick for us in this one…?

Donkey’s Pick: Rabbit via TKO (Strikes)

Paetmar has the age advantage in this fight but we may be at the point where that no longer matters or provides a benefit at this ID level for fighters.  I suspect that is the case.  He should be able to control things in the ground, but can he get it there? That’s where his shortness of morale and energy, while not a big deficit, could play in in a tight contest.  This is the type of fight you need to come completely prepared for and he may have done himself a disservice this evening.

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

Main Card Bout #1: Light Heavyweights

Morioka Shigemasa (2-1-0) vs. Sacrificial Lamb (6-3-0)

As we head into the Main Card this Light Heavyweight contest will see my very own Sacrificial Lamb try to bounce back from his loss last month against John Doe in what should be a hard fought contest against Morioko Shigemasa tonight.

Hare is fully prepared morale and energy wise but has lost two of his last three and very much needs to find his way back to the form that earned him a championship in this division only four months ago.  That’s easier said than done in a division full of talented fighters!  He’ll have the boxing advantage this evening and a slight edge in Jiu Jitsu as he has a brown belt over Shigemasa’s purple.  Shigemasa on the other hand has a significant edge in Muay Thai. 

Shigemasa lands over 50% of his head shots and is relatively aggressive in his approach normally.  That’s a dangerous thing and has been a similar approach that has felled Lamb previously, specifically against opponents like Kuznetsov.  Lamb on the other hand has depended upon counter striking to score points that wear his opponent down and using the clinch.  Will he do the same tonight? Will he attempt to exploit the ground advantage?  Hmm…here’s a secret…I know…but I’m not telling!

Well Donkey, what do you think here…?

Donkey’s Pick: Lamb via TKO (Strikes)

This is the first and only time I’ve picked in favor of Lamb as I tend not to want to be a homer and pick your guy Hare.  But, I have it on good word that Shigemasa’s manager has been a bit down about some things lately and I’m suspicious of whether he’s coming to this fight fully prepared game plan wise.  If he isn’t, this is an extremely tough fight for both fighters and could signal the difference in the fight. 

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

Main Card Bout #2: Light Heavyweights

Titus Fury (10-2-0) vs. Devin Ecker (2-2-0)

As we inch closer to the Main Events for the evening we get to this Light Heavyweight battle that has serious implications for both fighters!  First, Devin Ecker is 2-2 on his career but has fantastic skills, a solid involved manager and a big win over a talented Steven Jones in his last fight which he won via TKO!  On the other hand, Titus Fury while appearing to be at a significant disadvantage skill wise, at least from a “what you can see in primaries” perspective, has been on a heck of a streak with three wins in a row and a rather impressive 10-2 overall record. This guy just seems to find a way to win and as such, this fight could give him the chance to fight John Doe next for Top Contender status and a chance at a Light Heavyweight championship with another win there.  But that all depends upon first managing to find a way past Devin Ecker!

Fury’s approach to things is quite straightforward.  He needs to find a way to get this fight to the ground and then submit Ecker as he does against most opponents.  The challenge here will be that he’s used to using an advantage with his superior wresting and purple belt in Jiu Jitsu to do just that.  Tonight however, Ecker actually has the advantage with sensational wrestling and also has a purple belt!  However, while Ecker may be able to fend off Fury’s sub attempts with his wrestling, to gain the advantage on the ground he’ll need to get to the top where he can employ his ground and pound skills.  If he can prevent it from going to the ground it the first place, he should be able to dominate on the feet, both in and out of the clinch.

Donkey, a close one tonight…?

Donkey’s Pick: Ecker via TKO (Strikes)

It’s easy to go with Ecker here just from a skills perspective and I’m going to go ahead and fall into that easy trap and do just that.  However, what’s not to be misunderstood here is Fury’s intangibles and ability to find a way to finish and get a win!  He just does.  More often than you expect him to!  If he gets the win tonight, it shouldn’t be shocking…but he certainly will have earned his shot at Top Contender status against John Doe!  If Ecker wins, he moves a step closer to putting himself into that same conversation.  He won’t get the TC battle shot quite yet, but he’ll certainly be in the mix to figure out if he does shortly!  Lindgren, who is standing in the wings, would likely be the next guy forward due to scheduling and current fights in the org, win streak, etc. to get the shot at John Doe instead.  Expect that Lindgren is watching this fight VERY closely this evening as John Doe will be as well!

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

Main Card Bout #3: Lightweights

Charles Chester (9-3-0) vs. Conor Aldo (5-3-0)

If you thought there were big things on the line I that last fight, well, this fight certainly doesn’t fall short of the same!  Both of these Lightweights will be looking at this fight tonight as a “must win” if they want to progress toward their goals and get into the title picture in the Lightweight division.  There are two fights that play into the next Top Contender battle for this division in the next couple weeks, the first is this fight and then the other is the Achilles/Revorg fight. 

While Revorg is nowhere near established in the org or division yet and cannot be considered anywhere closer to Top Contender status, that is not the case for Achilles who essentially is already there and just needs to stay in “tuned up mode”.  He’s waiting for the other next best prepared fighter to present themselves…assuming he beats Revorg…and that next fighter is going to be determined by this contest tonight between Aldo and Chester!   The winner here, and Achilles if he wins, will meet towards the end of January to determine who gets a title fight in February.

So Aldo and Chester…Aldo is 5-3,  has a huge win over Rey Bargos last month and has won three of his last four.  That’s the good.  The bad?  Well, he’s come into this fight tonight unprepared with low morale which is EXTREMELY disappointing for a guy we were considering a step away from Top Contender contention.  In a top fight like this one, well, that’s probably going to have Donkey picking against him.  And what a shame for a kid who has worked hard to get here.

Chester, managed by Bobb Mogg, will not care why or how he gets the win tonight, so long as he gets it.  He’s 9-3 with a win over Paetmar last month and has won six of his last seven fights with only a loss to Wei Ru on the Island before joining Sucker Punch.  He’s an aggressive fighter who uses a balanced attack of head, body and combination shots to obliterate his opponents.  He better beware though, Aldo has some power and could get a finishing shot in if he’s not careful despite the morale.

How about this matchup Donkey…?

Donkey’s Pick: Chester via TKO (Strikes)

Easy pick for me to make.  I’m not saying it’s guaranteed, I’m just saying I don’t have to stop and think about what my pick will be.  With the morale being off that makes my pick simple and means I’ll expect Chester to take advantage of the lack of preparation by Aldo.  Chester’s approach reminds me a little of Oosthuizen’s and that didn’t go well for Aldo.  With the lack of morale it could be worse this time.

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

Co-Main Event: Middleweights

Wanderson Machado (8-1-0) vs. Landon McGuire (2-0-0)

We don’t even need to say a lot about this next fight Donkey!  This fight should already carry more than enough hype on its own, with every Sucker Punch fan out there knowing who’s involved, what’s on the line, and what’s been going on for the past month leading up to this fight!

Wanderson Machado returns to the cage tonight as the most celebrated and decorated Middleweight our young org has ever seen.  Hell, he’s close to if not the most decorated fighter this org has seen, Middleweight or not!  This man, nay, beast, won and established the Championship Belt for the Middleweight during the finale of the Cockshot Sorter Series tournament and then went on to successfully defend that title three times!  It wasn’t until last month’s split decision by challenger Nyah Hirst, a decision some will tell you was highly controversial depending upon who you ask, that somebody managed to unseat this man from his throne.  Since then you can bet your bottom dollar that he has had laser focus on one thing, and one thing only…getting back to the championship and regaining HIS belt.  To do that, he has to go through Landon McGuire.  So that puts a target directly on McGuire and makes him the man that Machado sees as the obstacle to be obliterated and removed from play.  Considering many, including Machado, consider it a travesty that Machado’s fight this month is not a rematch with Hirst…who just lost the title to Jim Beam…well, that’s just even more motivation to prove that his rightful place is at the top.  And he’ll likely attempt to do so with superior striking that deflates his opponents will and desire…if he doesn’t KO him first!

McGuire believes he is in no way a stepping stone to Machado’s goals.  Having spoken with him and his manager earlier in the month they not only believe that they belong in this fight, with McGuire’s relatively young 2-0 record but outstanding skills, but that they can and will succeed and be the camp that  moves on to the title fight!  McGuire has strong striking and put that striking on display last month against Kirill Krasnov with a KO victory in the first round.  Tonight, his striking is not necessarily his advantage against Machado so we’ll get to see if instead he decides to surprise with ground skills, using his wonderful wrestling and purple belt in Jiu Jitsu to find the advantage on the mat. 

A championship opportunity on the line…who comes away the victor and heads into the cage next month against Beam, Donkey…?

Donkey’s Pick: Machado via TKO (Strikes)

I actually very much like McGuire’s extensive and varied skillset and believe it could very well prove a deciding factor this evening.  But I’m also not crazy enough to put my bid in against a man scorned and likely on the warpath to get back what he believes is rightfully his!  Until McGuire puts an end to any question that he should move forward rather than Machado, I have to go with the former champ!

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

Main Event:

Lightweight Championship Bout

Frankie Logan (7-1-0) vs. Maximus Furioto (9-4-0)

Completing a fantastic top of the card in this Main Event is a championship contest that is one of the few fights possible that could possibly be worthy of Main Event’ing with that last fight!  This one will see yet another future Hall of Famer in Frankie Logan, our Lightweight Champion, defending his belt against hungry challenger and very dangerous ground specialist Maximus “Snakebite” Furioto!

Furioto brings a skillset to the cage tonight that should challenge Logan in a way he’s never been challenged in before during his title reign!  Furioto has very little standup skill to speak of but has a scary and dangerous ability to get you to the ground with his exceptional wrestling and once there, submit you in a variety of ways!  He has nine wins to his name, and eight of those wins have been via submission with only his very first test fight back at the beginning of his career going the distance for a decision.

That’s where things get very, very interesting for Furioto and Logan tonight…and for all the fans out there watching!  While Logan has made a name for himself here at Sucker Punch and during this championship run with his incredible boxings skills and ability to control a fight, pick apart his opponent and exploit their weaknesses…he also has a proud and successful history on the ground!  This is a man who boasts a TWGC title belt in his belt cabinet with four straight wins in TWGC 29, two of which came via decision and two via submission.  And he hasn’t exactly slacked off on his training in that area as he has exceptional wrestling and a brown belt!  Furioto may be scary on the ground but he’d also better respect Logan, as Logan is the champ for a reason and could turn the tables on Furioto in a nasty way this evening!

Donkey’s Pick:  Logan via Submission (Armbar)

You hinted at it and then pretty much said it more or less Hare.  Just because Logan hasn’t utilized the ground game as his first choice of attack in most of his recent fights recently doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the ability to do just that.  And he may decide to keep the on the feet and defeat Furioto standing tonight.  But at the same time, you shouldn’t be surprised if he can top Furioto on the ground either.  That’s the more dangerous path to take obviously, as you’re entering an area where Furioto has confidence…and certainly it goes to the ground, the odds even up significantly for Furioto.  This will be a blast!

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So there we have it Sucker Punch fans!

So there we go folks, all the action coming at us tonight and once again, we say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!  Donkey and I will be over at Hard Knocks – Sydney ready for the action in just a couple hours now and we hope many of you out there will either be joining us for the fun or watching on the live-stream as the event is aired for all to enjoy!

Till then…don’t forget…

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

[762x39]

Great writeup. I hope Landon is ready. 

[Gator001]

Frankie Logan

59 take down attempts and 32 sub attempts, ye are in the wrong game boy! A nice easy dominant mat session against a button masher

(adults only)

 

[danny0201]

Conor "The Notorious" Aldo

Shocking to read that my morale was such an issue. Of course it was lower than normal with all these lockdowns. But to be written off like that? You really think i only signed to get a paycheck and get out asap? When the cage closes its fight time, high morale or low morale.....its a FIGHT! Dont ever doubt me again. Merry Xmass MFers. 

[Bleakardor]

1 hour ago, danny0201 said:

Conor "The Notorious" Aldo

Shocking to read that my morale was such an issue. Of course it was lower than normal with all these lockdowns. But to be written off like that? You really think i only signed to get a paycheck and get out asap? When the cage closes its fight time, high morale or low morale.....its a FIGHT! Dont ever doubt me again. Merry Xmass MFers. 

HAHAHA  Love the fighting spirit.. now go change your clothes!

[danny0201]

oops

[danny0201]

31 minutes ago, Bleakardor said:

HAHAHA  Love the fighting spirit.. now go change your clothes!

Change my clothes??? My morale is way too high for that!

[HareRumpler]

36 minutes ago, Bleakardor said:

HAHAHA  Love the fighting spirit.. now go change your clothes!

 

4 minutes ago, danny0201 said:

Change my clothes??? My morale is way too high for that!

LMFAO!!!  @ both!  ?

This was the strangest damned card right after Christmas!  Normally Donkey is pretty spot on with most of his picks, especially as it comes to preparedness!  But this card, man, it was like everybody was out to prove that preparation is overrated! LOL!!!!

[ClubberWinger]

2 hours ago, HareRumpler said:

 

LMFAO!!!  @ both!  ?

This was the strangest damned card right after Christmas!  Normally Donkey is pretty spot on with most of his picks, especially as it comes to preparedness!  But this card, man, it was like everybody was out to prove that preparation is overrated! LOL!!!!

On God ???? something wasn't right 

[kfuhrer]

Great write up Hare