UFC 168 Main Card Picks

Merry Xmas and holiday joy to everyone out there in Rabbit Punch Nation!  Tis the season for giving, and the UFC has left us something very special under the tree this year with one of the most anticipated fight cards of the season.  No one, not even our crack staff of MMA divinators and prognosticators knows which way this fight is going to go.  If Silva can’t knock down Weidman with his pinpoint strikes, I think that Weidman’s power is going to carry his through this one, but either way, I’m pretty sure that someone is going to get knocked out.  So on that note, stuff these Rabbit Punch Main Card Picks down your stocking!

Poirier by TKO, Miller by decision, Barnett by ‘Roid Rage, Rousey by submission, and . . . Weidman, maybe, by KO.

TUF 18 / UFC 167 Reaction - GSP Hangs Up His Gloves

It’s official.  GSP and MMA are on a break.

The biggest news post-UFC 167 has been the recently announced not-quite-retirement of perennial welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre , who has held the belt consistently since 2007.

Ever since I saw his trilogy against Matt Hughes, I knew that GSP was something special.  At the time, it looked like we were getting a new wrestling king, but what we got was so much more.  A complete mixed martial artist, GSP blended his standup and ground games, showing a mental and technical flexibility that only great champions possess.  Not only an athletic superman, GSP was also possessed of a true martial artist’s spirit, displaying grace, respect, and moral courage in his professional life, whatever his private issues.

I, for one, think that this is the right time for GSP to move on with his life.  Repeated head trauma has already started to wear on the 32-year-old St. Pierre, who has reported losing time both in and out of the ring.  There are also indications that St. Pierre’s perfectionist nature may have developed into a legitimate disorder over the course of his training camps.  It is my hope that this man can find a sense of balance and peace in his new life, after having given so much to the fans and to the sport.  It would be upsetting to see what happened to Brett Favre happen to GSP.

So, no matter how much Dana or anyone else flap their gums, the entire staff over here at Rabbit Punch wishes Georges St. Pierre a fond (i)au revoir, along with our heartfelt gratitude for more than a decade spent in the fight game.

Of course, we couldn’t bring up UFC 167 with flapping our own gums about the bru-ha-ha over GSP’s split decision win over Johny Hendricks.

I am sick and tired of all the BS and belly-aching that we’ve seen in the wake of this fight.  When in the world did fight fans become such big ‘effin crybabies?

Judging is subjective.  This cannot be escaped.  But your view is also subjective, and the certainty with which people are labeling this a “robbery” irks me more than anything.  For all the talk of better judges, better refs, better commissions, I’m starting to think that MMA needs better fans.

“But Kevin!  St, Pierre’s face wuz more jacked up than Johny’s!”

But douchebag, that’s not how we score MMA!  If you want to have a conversation about how we score fights, then let’s have that conversation, but don’t sit around bitching to me because the judges didn’t use your own personal fantasy criteria.

I do think that we need to revise the judging and scoring system, and I’d love it if someone came up with something better than the 10-point-must system.  Not being up to the task myself, I’ll settle with rehashing the obvious flaws in the current system.

10-9 has become the default score, with razor-thin rounds scored the same as virtual blow-outs.  10-8 rounds are rarely glimpsed, and a 10-7 round would surely get someone fired.  I say we use the tools we already have, and show a little more discrimination in scoring.  A close round should be scored a 10-9, a clear round 10-8, and a blow-out round, what currently would draw a 10-8, should be scored 10-7.

While this would make a little more sense than the current judging regime, it would not solve the inherent subjectivity of judging, nor would it take the emphasis off winning rounds as opposed to fights.  In a 3 or 5 round bout, each round counts so much that .  More discrimination in the judging would slightly reduce the ?discrepancy? between what happens in the cage and what happens on the scorecards.  We need to be more explicit about how and what we score, and damage needs to be returned to the criteria.  After all, damage is the name of the game.

As for the now vacant welterweight title, I would be happy to see either Hendricks or Lawler make a run of it for a while.  Both are exciting fighters with heavy hands, and always a joy to watch.

Well, ENUFF about that, it’s time to talk TUF!

That’s right, the 18th season of The Ultimate Fighter is in the books, the main event card is behind us, and the coaches are preparing to square off on the 28th for the Women’s bantamweight championship, bragging rights, and so much more.

The TUF series has been tapering in popularity for a while now.  With so many paths to the UFC, TUF is no longer where the next big thing is going to come from.  It’s questionable just how much of a market there is for a MMA reality show, in general.

The 18th season was the UFC’s attempt to jump-start the series with the addition of the women’s 135lbs division, making this the first co-ed season.  Response was moderate, but good enough to convince the UFC to make season 20 an all-female affair at 115lbs.

This season was also a bit calmer than others.  The competitors seemed more professional, and came off as more likable.  I think that the UFC recognized that all of the nut flexing on previous seasons had started to turn people off.  Maybe the guys were just better behaved with the chicks around.

One notable exception was Team Rousey coach and UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, who got absolutely bushwhacked.  It was pretty clear who’s side the producers were on this season, and if the UFC keeps doing her dirty like this, Rousey may be on her way to joining Tito’s MMA Expendables.

Meisha showed a bit more media-savy, and was portrayed well on camera.  To me, she came off as manipulative and dishonest as ever.  It’s not that she’s not being a bitch, it’s just that Ronda is being straight-up about being a bitch, while Meisha is playing the victim (again).  And it’s working; Meisha Tate just scored a narrow victory over Ronda Rousey in the UFC video game cover tournament fan vote.  If Tate beats Rousey on Saturday, it will be because she successfully got in her head.

I’m just going to put it out there, I’m not a very big fan of Meisha Tate.  Never have been, from when I saw her knocked out by Caitlyn Young in HOOKnSHOOT, right up to when she got her arm broke by Rousey in Strikeforce.

More recently, Tate lost squarely to Cat Zingano in what was supposed to be a “gift” fight, and should have been bumped down to fight Carmouche while Zingano should have coached TUF.  Unfortunately, a training injury forced Zingano to drop out, and Meisha was thrust into a title fight and a rematch with Rousey that she did not earn.

We got one good thing out of Tate’s undeserved return to #1 contender; we got to see 21 year old prospect Jessica Andrade make a very good account of herself in her debut against Liz Carmouche, filling in what would have been Tate’s spot.

Hopefully we’ll get another one when Ronda’s armbar catches Tate’s other arm and shuts her mouth for good. 

Place a small bet on Meisha if you can still find +600 or better, but don’t expect her to come through.

Hands up, protect yourself at all times, this had been the Rabbit Punch!

TUF ENUF?

We’re less then 24 hours out from the TUF 18 Finale, which will see Gray Maynard take on Nate Diaz for the third time.  Also on the card are the men’s and women’s TUF 18 finale fights, featuring Chris Holdsworth vs. David Grant and Julianna Peña vs. Jessica Rakoczy.

While we saw a lot of recognizable names from the world of WMMA at the start of this TUF season, many of them were culled early as hungry young talent seized the stage.  In addition to the two fighters who made it to the finale, this season has yielded 4 new female fighters for the UFC’s Women’s Bantamweight division in Jessamyn Duke, Peggy Morgan, Roxanne Modafferi, and Raquel Pennington.  In fact, 6 of the 8 women who made it into the TUF house are appearing on the finale card.

The UFC is hoping that this crop of young new fighters do for Women’s Bantamweight what the first TUF season did for the UFC, and I feel like some of these girls have what it takes to rise to the top of the division and stay there.

On the men’s side only the two finalist, Chris Holdsworth and David Grant, appear on the card, fighting for the title of 18th Ultimate Fighter and a UFC contract.  While we don’t really know all that much about Grant and what he can do, I feel like Holdworth should have the tools to get this one done.

The main even also features two TUF alumnae, as Gray Maynard takes on Nate Diaz for their tie-breaker bout.

I’m calling Diaz on this one.  He’s quicker than Gray, he’s not easy to bully around the ring, and after his head kick TKO defeat at the hands of Josh Thomson, I feel like he’ll be coming into this fight hungry.  Gray looks like he’s been slowing down recently, making tomorrow night’s performance all the more important.  Expect a hard-fought contest, either way.

That’s all for now, fight fans.  Main card picks for the night are Diaz, Pena, Holdsworth, Duke, and Pennington.  Check back in the days after the event for recap and reaction to both tomorrow night’s card, and the 18th season of The Ultimate Fighter in general.  And I promise, a UFC 167 reaction is still in the works.

Until then, keep those hands up and protect yourself at all times.  This has been the Rabbit Punch!

MMA Wrap-Up, UFC 167 Incoming!

The fight cards have been coming rapid fire, just the way we like it here at Rabbit Punch!  While we don’t have the staff to cover as much as we would like to, here is our little slice of MMA news and reaction for the day:


UFC 166:

Great event, and a hell of a showcase for the heavyweights.  Gabe Gonzaga knocks out Shawn Jordan in the first,  Dan Cormier pummels out a 3 round decision over Big Country, and the champ, Cain Velasquez, puts a serious beating on Dos Santos, cumulating in a KO late in the 5th.  Cigano seemed to have gone into the octagon without a real game plan, aside from react to Cain and look for the knockout, while Cain showed great defense in shrugging or evading JDS’s power shots while he ran his own game plan, holding JDS up against the cage for 25 min and battering him senseless with forearms, elbows, and inside punches.



Alright, that was cool, so who else does heavyweight have to offer?



No one who can beat Cain, that’s who.


Bellator 106:

Moving on, Bellator’s loss was our gain on November 2nd when the Tito Ortiz, suffering a neck injury, pulled out of the Bellator 106 main event, forcing the planned PPV card onto Spike TV.  This meant that we got to see Pat Curran lose his title to Daniel Straus, King Mo fall short in a 5 round kickboxing match with Emanuel Newton, and Eddie Alvarez wrest the title from Mike Chandler in a brutal 5 round decision, all for free.

With this win, Alvarez secures himself(/is contractually obligated to) a trilogy with Chandler, at the end of which he will either slink away from Bellator MMA in disgrace like a beaten dog, or march out of there like cock of the walk with the belt around his waist, only to take that belt directly to the UFC and cash it in for a fast-track to another.  Chandler, for his part, felt strongly that he had won this last fight, and soon he’ll get the chance to prove it.

Who doesn’t love a fucking trilogy?


Chael does Rio! (TUF Brazil):

Moving south of the equator, Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva have been named as the next TUF Brazil coaches, carrying on Chael’s war against anything Brazilian.  But hold on a minute, does Cheal speak Portuguese?  Is he going to coach via interpreter?  Or is just going to make his team speak English? 

Either way, we know that “the American Gangster” relishes in playing the spoiler, so Chael should be right at home amid the throngs of Brazilian fight fans screaming for his blood.  I think that it’s a brilliant move by the UFC, and I’m looking forward to the eventual match-up between these two, as well as to Chael’s comedy smack-talk routine throughout the season.  That guy’s seriously not going to be able to go out in public down there.


UFC 167:

And finally, Rabbit Punch looks ahead to UFC 167 this weekend, the UFC’s 20th anniversary show, in which perennial welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre will defend his title from one of his more credible threats, knockout artist Johny Hendricks. 

Hendricks is a southpaw with a heavy left and great instincts for throwing hands.  He was also a top-tier collegiate wrestler, meaning that GSP will have no easy time taking him down or controlling him on the mat, making this more than just a “striker vs grappler” matchup.

GSP, however, is a master at neutralizing his opponent's game plan, does not get pressured by skilled strikers, and has been champ for the last 6 years for a reason.  Not that he’s been fighting thrice a year or anything, but 8 title defenses is certainly respectable.  This match may come down to who can adapt their fight to their opponent's weaknesses, which aren’t many, in either case.

This is also a great 20th anniversary bout because it highlights how multifaceted the game really is, and how many ways there are to win, or lose.  This match does indeed have “the power to shock the world,” not necessarily with who wins, but with how it ends.

Unless GSP successfully lays on him for 25 min.

Phewf!  The egg nogg is starting to catch up with me here (or maybe it’s the burbon, rum, and brandy in the nogg), so that’s all for tonight, folk!  Until next time, keep your hands up and protect yourself at all times.  This has been the Rabbit Punch!

Velasquez vs Dos Santos III

We’re just a few short hours from the start of UFC 166, which will see UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez defend his belt against former champ Junior Dos Santos in the pair’s much anticipated rubber match.  The first time these two met, Dos Santos knocked Cain out in just over minute, the only loss on Cain’s record to this day.  In the rematch, Cain beat Dos Santos stupid for 25 minutes, coming away with the victory and the belt.  Like a wobblin’ Weeble, Dos Santos just would not got down, and that toughness is what makes me hesitant to call this one for Velasquez in advance.  Junior has had time to make adjustments, he’s already shown he has the power to knock out Cain Velasquez, and he’s coming into this fight with something serious to prove.  All that said, Velasquez should still be able to come away with the win.


No bet is a smart bet on this one.  Cain isn’t safe enough for 2-1, and Dos Santos does not pay enough to be a good value.  Maybe take the over 3.5 rounds, if you must.  As for me, I'm planning on making my money on the card table and on Kountermove tonight.

While I’m looking forward to a truly high-level heavyweight bout tonight, I’m a little dismayed at the state of the division.  After Velasquez and Dos Santos, the division drops off in a serious way.  No matter who wins tonight, I really don’t see who else could realistically challenge for the title next.  And once you get to the bottom of the “top ten,” it’s hardly really deserving of the term.

So why can’t the UFC add some depth at heavyweight?  Is everyone over 205 playing football or something?  I don’t know, but I do know that if we have to see Soa Palelei wheeze his way through another 3 rounds, people are never going to take the division seriously.



Tonight, however, should showcase some of the best that the division has to offer, with 3 of the 5 main card fights taking place at heavyweight.  Gabe Gonzaga, Shawn Jordan, Roy Nelson, and Daniel Cormier are all in action tonight, (although Danny plans to jump ship after tonight and drop down to light heavyweight).

Whether you’ve bought the main card, are watching the preliminaries on FS1, or can only catch the facebook/youtube prelims, it should be a great night of fights.  So keep those hands up, protect yourself at all times, and check back later for the Rabbit Punch recap after the event!

Bellator 106, Fight Master Falls Flat, and Girls Get the Boot

Bad news after bad news out of Bellator MMA this past summer.  After the desperate mid-season rescheduling of the floundering Fight Master reality show, the promotion has announced that they are cutting their entire corp of female fighters.  While this move is a testament to the success of Invicta FC and the UFC’s new commitment to female fighters, I am still dismayed for a couple of reasons.  First off, while many of these fighters will find their way to other promotions, this is one less venue for female fighters to compete at a professional level.  And secondly, I don’t like to see the Bellator brand contract.

Although Bellator appears to be on the rise, appearing regularly on Spike TV and airing their first PPV in November, the release of their entire female division, along with the Fight Master shenanigans, paints the picture of a promotion in trouble.  The brand put a lot of capital into their expansion, hoping that there would be the audience to support them once they got there.  The problem is, the UFC had a hard enough time becoming established back when there was no real competition, and Bellator may not be able to eke out enough of the saturated market to support their expansions.  If no one’s watching TUF anymore, why would they suddenly start watching Fight Master?



I’ve always liked the Bellator promotion.  I like the idea of title shots being earned through tournaments, and Bellator can be a refreshing change of pace from the UFC’s promotion of showmanship over substance.  Fighters seem to like them better, too, from what I’ve heard people say in interviews.  At least the boss doesn’t shit-talk you to anyone who will listen after a fight. 

I just hope that Bellator’s recent expansions don’t prove a bridge too far.  While the market for MMA is smaller than it really should be, the sport is still normalizing in society, and the process will be a long one.  Will the slowly expending market lead to more fans for smaller promotions down the road, or will the UFC successfully impose hegemony, like the NFL, NBA, and other professional sports leagues?

 
Going back a bit, if Bellator can’t maintain a female division, why not just allow women to enter their tournaments?  Wrestling has coed divisions at lower levels, and the weight class system ignores other body differences, such as reach, and body type/composition, so why not sex?  It could be their USP.

Either way, I will continue to watch Fight Master if it comes back, and I’ll keep watching Bellator on Spike, and I’ll continue to count myself blessed that there’s so much MMA out there these days.

I’m also getting more excited for Rampage v Tito with each passing day.  Hearing those guys do media calls and interviews together is a hoot, and I’m coming around to the idea of seeing these two old-skool vets to their thang.  Even if one of them is Tito.  At the very least, we’re guaranteed a fun fight.



But wait, there’s more!  Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney in not relying solely on the sideshow/name recognition factor, but has stacked the card with solid bouts between skilled, exciting fighters, such as Michael Chandler, Joe Riggs, and Pat Curran.

Mike Chandler will be fighting for his belt against Ed Alvarez, who comes off an extended absence due to legal battles with Bellator.  While that level of ring rust lowers Alarez’s stock, I’d be picking Chandler even if Alvarez was coming off a hot streak.  Don’t get me wrong, this will be a competitive fight, but I just don’t see Alvarez handing Chandler his first loss.

Also defending his belt is Pat Curran, who has been a savage headhunter since coming to Bellator MMA.  After his 5-round split-decision win over Patricio Freire, Curran will be looking for an authoritative victory on November 2nd.  He’ll face tough competition in featherweight tournament winner Daniel Straus, a kid with a wrestling background who has adapted well to the striking game.


Also worth mention is the Fight Master coaches fight, pitting Joe Riggs, riding high on a 5 fight win streak, against Mike Bronzoulis, who had finished 12 of his 15 career victories by either knockout or tapout. 



A main event, two title fights, and the Fight Master coaches fight, all on one card?  Way to bring it, Bjorn!  Bellator should most def be offering their PPVs online, like the UFC does.  Like I said, I’d hate to see this promotion fold.

That’s all for now, folks.  So until next time, hands up and protect yourself at all times, this has been the Rabbit Punch!

Blog Mitosis

Rabbit Punch blog is changing format, slightly, splitting into Rabbit Punch: Sports and Rabbit Punch: Politics for more ease of access to the content you want.  A handy-dandy link atop the column to your right provides easy navigation between the two, so be sure to check back with both blogs regularly for updates and new posts.



The @kevjmahon twitter handle will continue to be used for this blog, with Rabbit Punch: Politics getting it’s own twitter presence in the near future.



Hands up, defend yourself at all times, and watch out for the new 1-2 combo from Rabbit Punch!

Olympic Wrestling Returns and Money Mayweather Wins Again

This past February, the Olympic Executive Board voted to drop wrestling from the list of 25 Olympic events under the abysmal one-in, on-out policy.  Just think about that for a moment. Wrestling.  Not shooting, which lacks a certain athleticism, not water polo, which is a bit of a strange sport to begin with, and not badminton, which is barely a sport at all, but wrestling.  Wrestling, which is one of the purest and most important events in the games.  Wrestling, which has been the bedrock of both ancient and modern games, and one of humanity's oldest sports. You lose wrestling, and you lose part of that connection to the ancient games, part of what makes the modern games special.



Well folks, disaster was averted and injustice undone last week in Buenos Aires when the IOC voted to return wrestling to the modern Olympic games in the first round of balloting.  Also on the ballot were baseball/softball and squash.



FILA and other advocates of the sport did a great job keeping this issues visible, and successfully made the case to the IOC for the retention of wrestling in the 2020 games.  It’s now up to them to make sure that the sport remains relevant, and can avoid a similar crisis in the future.  Newly elected FILA president Nenad Lalovic has promised big changes which are designed to do just this, including new uniforms, and a revised, more gender-equitable weight class system.

The "one in, one out" rule was a mistake from the beginning, and I hope that the IOC can come to this realization.  While the policy does prevent the games from being overrun with the likes of sport climbing, softball, and wushu, I think that we can find a way to allow the games to expand when appropriate without diluting the stream.

My personal preference for changes to the games?  Taekwando out, karate in.  Roller sports or wakeboarding could be cool, but not at the expense of something like wrestling. Kick out badminton for one of those.  Or horse dancing.  Definitely horse dancing.


Elsewhere in the world of combat sport, Money Mayweather sailed easily to a majority decision last night against Canelo Alvarez.  I really don’t see who they can set up to beat this guy, so I guess they just keep feeding him contenders until someone stronger emerges, or he retires.  I mean, they can’t just let this kid sit on a shelf, last night’s fight set a Nevada state record with $20m in gate sales, and appears on course to break 2.5m ppv buys.  For reference, UFC 162 where Chris Weidman knocked out undisputed champ Anderson Silva only pulled about 500,000.

Until next time, keep your hands up and defend yourself at all times.  This had been the Rabbit Punch!

Tuesday Evening Quarterbacking

Same old story against the Eagles last night.  The team still has serious holes in the roster which did not magically disappear since last season.  We out-passed the heck out of Philly, but our defense got absolutely steamrolled by their ground game.  I feel like the 'Skins sometimes have more trouble adapting to a no-huddle offense than they should.  And of course, we don't do our defense any favors, making them play nearly the entire game.  This needs to be an honest-to-God rebuilding year, not necessarily a winning season.

Still, we kept it within a touchdown, and we put a lot of points on the board.  While this can be attributed more to Philadelphia's decline than to the way we played, it shows that we at least did not lay down for them.  We have the tools to win, we just need to bring it all together.

You never know what you're going to get with a 'Skins game.  While this uncertainty may be nerve-wracking for the fans, it also brings with it a wild sense of possibility, of hope, and when that coalesces into a dramatic underdog victory, it produces one of the most fundamentally rewarding moments in sport.

Hands up, defend yourselves at all times, and HttR!  This has been the Rabbit Punch.

UFC 164 Recap

Holy smokes, what a night!  Pettis puts Henderson way in the first round, Lim knocks out Krauss with a flying knee, and, well, everyone else does just about what we expected them to do.



Highlights include the Warmaster’s crushing knee to the face of Frank Mir, the devastating striking display by Chad Mendes, and Dustin Poirier’s three round war with the Erik Koch. 



I’m not really stoked to see the Warmaster back in the UFC, but that knee to the head of Frank Mir was effin’ massive.  While referee Rob Hinds certainly could have let Barnett land a couple of punches to the dome of the unconscious Mir, just to make it official, and while there is the very slight chance that Mir would have been able to scramble, avoid the death blow, and keep the fight going, I for one have no particular problem with the stoppage.  Frank Mir was clearly knocked unconscious by the blow, his hands hanging limp over and behind his head.  Hinds prevented Barnett from landing additional blows to the undefended head of the unconscious Mir, as is his job.



Moving on, Chad Mendes is an absolute effin’ beast.  Top 5 in the Featherweight division for sure, possibly #1 contender.  If Aldo vacates the belt to fight Pettis at 155, Chad is on the very short list to replace him.



Personally, I’d like to see Aldo fight Pettis at 150 for both belts.  Now that’s a superfight.  After that, the winner would defend one belt at a time, at one weight class at a time, a minimum of twice annually in each weight class.

  Just think of the hype it'll generate!

Pettis is looking better and better with every fight, and is the one to challenge Aldo right now.  Do you know why he beat Smooth Ben again?  It wasn’t just the work put in at the gym, it wasn’t just the top-tier team around him and it wasn’t even that sweet-ass 5-kick combo straight outta Street Fighter (just keep hitting B!).  It was the mental game.  Pettis is sharp, focused, and one of the quickest thinkers in the octagon.  His unique combination of power, skill, and instinct make him one of the most dangerous fighters at any weight class, and from any position, as Hendo found out on Saturday.  Anthony Pettis is still on the rise, and I look forward to seeing just how high his skills can climb.



We also got to see a great display of sportsmanship that night with the verbal tap.  Releasing on a verbal tap before the referee gets involved is a very risky game.  If the ref doesn’t hear it, the other guy can just deny that a tap took place and just carry on fighting.  Pettis, however, heard Henderson and released, and Hendo, to his credit, did not try to recant the tap.  He knew that he had been beaten before anyone else in that arena did.  Even watching at home, I did not think that Pettis had the armbar locked in until I went back to the replays and realized just how far Bendo’s arm was torqued across his body.  Pettis saw his opportunity and he hit it.



Good fight by two great fighters.  I would not be surprised if we saw Hendo get the belt back someday, but not anytime soon.  Now it’s time for Pettis to string a few wins together and build a name for himself as champion.


Other than that, Ryan Couture performed as expected; could not handle the hands of a second-tier Lightweight, fought hard, but got completely thrashed.  I would say that he should stick to grappling, but the guy was showing off some sweet kicks on Saturday, so maybe he should just drop down to the minors for a few fights.  What was the name of that promotion who are trying to market themselves as a UFC farm league?

Worst walkout music of the night was a tie between Brendan Vera and Big Ben Rothwell for their choices of Awolnation and Muse.


On a final note, the Heavyweight division really needs to develop some greater depth, or at the very least institute some sort of a cardio test.  Soa Palelei and Russian Al Capone were hurting more from their own fatigue than from each other’s attacks!  One of them should have used the Homer Simpson strategy, and just let the other guy tire himself out wailing on them.  It would have been more effective than what we saw on Saturday night.  By the by, what do you think of the shirtless with a fedora look for the weigh-in?  Think it'll catch on?  I think it'll catch on.



Seriously, DW, you’ve got to be able to find at least a few more fighters over 205 who can go for more than 180 seconds at a time.



Overall, a great fight card.  The poker cards could have been kinder that night, but these things come and go.  I’ll be looking to recoup my losses at UFC 166 in October, when we’ll get to see some top-tier heavyweight action as current champ Cain Velasquez takes on Junior Dos Santos in the pair’s much-anticipated rubber match for the belt.  Also on the card are Gilbert Melendez, Gabriel Gonzaga, and Sarah Kaufman, making her long-awaited UFC debut against Jessica “Evil” Eye.



Hands up, protect yourselves at all times, and keep an eye out for the next Rabbit Punch!

UFC 164: Hometown Throwdown!

UFC Fight Night 27 is behind us, and all of us here at Rabbit Punch are preparing for UFC 164: Henderson vs Pettis.  Between the Wednesday night Fight Nights and the pay-per-view event tonight, the UFC is putting on 35 fights in the space of just 10 days.  The fact that we have the talent and the fighters to put on that many UFC-quality matches illustrates just how much the sport has grown and evolved, even just in the past few years.  It’s a good time to be a fight fan, folks!

Tonight’s pay-per-view will take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a state sometimes overlooked in the world of combat sports.  I, however, will be watching this one from the comfort of my own home, surrounded by about half a dozen friends and exactly 52 rectangular pieces of paper.  I know that all the world is wet over Texas Hold ‘em these days, but I still prefer a nice straight game of 5 Card Draw any night of the week.



But forget the action on the table, you’re here for the action in the cage!  I am legitimately excited about this Pettis / Bendo fight.  It’s one of those real wildcard fights, and both of these guys are so dynamic and so talented that I have no idea how it’s going to go down, except that it should be a thriller.  



Pettis defeated Smooth Ben Hendo back in 2010 for the WEC Lightweight belt, pulling off the now-famous Showtime Kick late in the final round, and really just making Hendo look foolish.  Three years later, and Smooth Ben is the UFC Lightweight champ, going 7-0 against some of the biggest names at 155 since his loss to Pettis.  Pettis has gone 3-1 in the same time period, against a somewhat lower caliber of competition.  Bendo has a myriad of factors going in his favor, including experience, athleticism, and adaptability, but somehow, my head is telling me that Pettis is going walk away with this one.



But my heart still says Bendo.

Outside of the main event, the UFC matchmakers have stacked the card with close, interesting matchups all evening long, including Chico Camus vs Kyung Ho Kang and Louis Gaudinot vs Tim Elliott.

I'm taking Kyung by submission, unless he gets caught with a lucky shot.  Chico Camus is not exactly the world's best striker, but he should be just better than Kang.

Likewise, Tim Elliott should be able to put away Louis Gaudinot, but it's far from a sure thing.  Elliot has the reach advantage and is the technically better striker, but we've seen him fall flat before, and Gaudinot’s explosive, almost reckless style sometimes results in a big win which he could not necessarily have gotten by grinding away.

Aside from those, we also have Rothwell vs Vera, Koch vs Poirier, and Varner vs Tibau, all of which have the potential to be great slobber-knockers with more offense than defense.  The kinds of fights casual fans love.



Also on the card are old favorites Frank Mir, taking on Josh Barnett, and Clay Guida, taking on Chad Mendes.



Guida could be in serious trouble against the monstrous Chad Mendes, who’s only professional loss is to current UFC Featherweight champ Jose Aldo.  While we’ve seen a more measured, controlled Guida as his career has gone one, I think that this passivity will be a liability against Mendes.  Allowing Mendes to set the pace and run his game-plan will result in Mendes’ superior skills in each individual area picking Guida apart and putting him away.  Guida needs to find some way to take the initiative early and change up the fight, or else I don't think that he's going to be able to hurt Mendes in a meaningful way.

Moving on, 

I’m actually a little surprised that Frank Mir is still fighting, not because he’s not still top 10, but just because he’s been doing this for so long.  Props to the guy for keeping it going.

Mir is definitely the superior submission artist in this fight, but Barnett is the stronger wrestler, and has a history of steroid use.  I really can’t give much respect to a guy after that, but if he can avoid Mir’s jujitsu, Barnett should have the tools to grind out a win by decision here. That said, I’ll be pulling for Mir by submission.

A word or two on the betting lines.  Early on, I was going to throw out Jared Hamman in the first prelim as a potential dog play, but the line had moved since then, so now I’m less sure.  He’ll probably still walk away with it, but the return is less attractive.  Then again, it’s not like there are many fights on this card that can be picked with any sort of confidence, and none which offer anything close to even money.



I’ve already picked the Mendes/Guida fight for Mendes, but with Guida giving a return of +400 right now, you’d be a fool not to put down just a little juice.  Guida is smart enough and good enough to maybe pull the upset here, and if he gets lucky, it could pay off for an adventurous play. 

But make it a small play, all the same.

Mir might also be undervalued, if you’re looking for a third dog play tonight.  All the fights are so close and the favorites are so overvalued that dog may be the only way to go.

That’s it for now, we’ll have a recap tomorrow, if I can get it out in time.

  Don't forget to follow us on twitter during the event at @kevjmahon.

Until then, keep those hands up and protect yourself at all times, this has been the Rabbit Punch!

East Coast Football

A heartbreakingly close end to a fantastic season.  A big congrats to the entire Baltimore Charm organization, and here’s looking towards the 2014 season.



Also on the gridiron last night were the Washington Redskins, who rolled over the Buffalo Bills 30-7.  A winning preseason is great, but I’m waiting for the regular season game to start before I get too into it.  I have a good feeling about this year.

 

That’s it for now, more MMA and global politics posts upcoming.  Hands up, protect yourselves, and this has been the Rabbit Punch.

LFL Eastern Conference Championship

In a couple short hours I'll be cheering Maryland's own Baltimore Charm on to victory over the Philly Passion in the LFL Eastern Conference Championship taking place at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, and so should you! 

The gals of the Charm whipped the Passion all the way back to that shithole we call Philladelphia earlier this season, and they plan to bring a little East Cost football to the streets of Cali tonight!  

Click for Larger Image

Starting QB Angela Rypien, daughter of Redskins great Mark Rypien, aims to continue her stellar season and lead the team to victory against the Passion, and on to the Legends Cup in Vegas next week, taking on the winner of tonight's Chicago / Seattle game.

We're going to leave Philly the same way we left Cleveland.

Baltimore, hon!

Saturday Recap (UFC Fight Night, NFL Preseason, LFL Postseason)

Last Saturday night was a big one, folks, with UFC Fight Night 26 headlining the launch of the new Fox Sports 1 Channel.  The stacked card exceeded ratings expectations with 1.7 million viewers, and while we can’t expect number like that out of every Fight Night, the hope is that a good portion of those new or casual viewers will transition to more regular fans.  Like I’ve said, I’m always happy when the sport grows, and I hope that this works out for the UFC.



There was some last-minute drama over who would and would not be carrying the rebranded Fuel channel, and while Fox did not get their desired rate hike from $0.23 to $0.80 per viewer, they did get their channel on nearly every TV in America, allowing them to win the time slot with UFC Fight Night 26: Shogun vs Sonnen.

For reference, ESPN commands $5.50.

Fox Sports 1 hopes to challenge that Goliath of the sports broadcast world, and truth be told, they are going to attract viewers when they broadcast live games.   Outside of this, however, I don’t see many people switching over to them from ESPN for their news and analysis.



On the other hand, ESPN certainly has it’s vulnerabilities, and while the “worldwide leaders in sport” should be able to adapt and hold on to their market share, we’ve seen the Fox empire go up against the entrenched players and change the game in the past, for the better or for the worse.



Now, on to the fights!  As a reminder, here were my (hypothetical) plays for the night:



OPS/Cody Donovan under 1.5 rounds for $110
John Howard over Uriah Hall for $100
Sonnen/Shogun over 2.5 rounds for $180
McGregor over Holloway for $150
Lauzon over Johnson for $125

So let’s start at the top, the main card.

Chael Sonnen defeats Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua via Submission (guillotine choke) at 4:47 of Round 1

While I lost my hefty play on this one (I thought it would go at least halfway), I did predict the outcome.  Rua couldn’t keep Sonnen from taking him down, and Sonnen just dominated on the ground.  In fact, Rua did Sonnen’s work for him, and opted for clinchwork as opposed to standing and striking at range.  Sonnen quickly took the advantage in that situation and used it to finish Rua. 



I suppose Shogun came to the same conclusion I did, and decided that there was no point in dragging the thing out.  Or maybe he really thought he could out clinch Sonnen.  Either way, people are saying that they did not expect Sonnen to win by submission, but I think that’s ridiculous.  Wrestlers love the choke.



So what’s next for Sonnen?  No, not a title run!  He wants Wanderlei next, so I say they keep giving him superfights against the dwindling coterie of PrideFC refugees whenever a free card or a weak PPV needs just a little more draw.



(Dudes, how cool was PrideFC in it’s glory days?)

Travis Browne defeats Alistair Overeem via KO (front kick and punches) at 4:08 of Round 1


Not much to this one.  Overeem started strong, almost put Browne away, got cocky, got kicked in the face by Travis Browne.


Browne is a flexible, athletic fighter for a man of his stature (6’7’’).  He landed a sweet flying knee early in the round that wasn’t all that effective, but was cool as shit.  When he started laying in with those front kicks, Overeem did not seem to take them seriously, and Browne was finally able to land one right on his chin.  Not even all that hard, but hard enough to knock Overeem to the mat for long enough for Browne to finish him off with a couple of coffin nails.

I’d like to see both these guys stay on with the UFC.  While they both have serious holes in their game, they also have significant strengths.  Let’s give them the chance the show us that they can tighten up.

Urijah Faber defeats Iuri Alcantara via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)

We all know how good Faber is, and that he has consistently lost his many title shots, so what are they going to do with him?  I don’t really care, actually.  I’ve never gotten all that excited about Urijah Faber, but the fact that Iuri Alcantara was able to put him in danger in round 1 shows how dynamic and unpredictable the sport can be.

Matt Brown defeats Mike Pyle via KO (punches) at 0:29 of Round 1

Yeah, quick impressive win, but did you see Matt Brown calling out GSP?  Mike Pyle is certainly not better than GSP, and neither is Matt Brown.  Good move, though.  Shit like that gets you noticed in the UFC.

John Howard defeats Uriah Hall via Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)

Speaking of unpredictable. . .



This play saved my night.  There was absolutely no reason why Uriah Hall should have been favored so highly by the betting line. 

Hall is overhyped, anyway.  I’m more interested in seeing what Howard does from here.  He better tighten his game before he moves on.

Michael Johnson def. Joe Lauzon Decision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-25)

Lauzon was supposed to be my safety that night, but he just laid down in there against Mike Johnson.  I picked him because he was fired up to be in front of a hometown crowd, and because he really should have been able to dictate this fight and dominate Johnson with his ground game.  Instead, he stood and exchanged with Johnson, who was clearly the superior striker.  And he got his ass kicked.

I’ve heard it said that Mike Johnson often gets overlooked because he has a bland, forgettable name.  Well, everyone’s saying his name now, aren’t they?



And what about that scorecard?  30-25, now that hurts!  I do like the fact that judges are less reluctant to score a round 10-8 these days.  Heck, I even like 10-7 if someone’s really getting thrashed, and just barely hanging on.

I actually did not catch any of the TV prelims this time around, with the exception of the McGregor and Siler fights.  Both great striking displays.  Thanks to some last-minute coaching by Manny Gamburyan, Steven Siler was able to set up Mike Brown with a beautiful uppercut that ended the fight just 50 seconds into the first round.  Gotta protect that jaw.



Conor McGregor was not fighting for a belt on Saturday, but you wouldn’t have known it from watching.  That’s probably the first time I’ve seen them bring down the lights for a prelim fight.  I know that the UFC was playing up the Irish angle for the Boston crowd, but all that pomp and hype was ridiculous, and it really backfired on McGregor.  He fought a dominant fight against a skilled, adaptable striker in Max Holloway, but still received somewhat of a backlash from fans for not finishing in dramatic fashion.



McGregor shows a great sense of timing and range.  His shots are fast, accurate, and naturally powerful.  I hope that they are patient with this kid and let the hype die down a bit, but don’t keep feeding him chum.  I wanna see what he can really do, both in the short-term and in the long-term.

After all, t’ree people died making that watch.



Anyway, on to the internet prelims.

Vick over Nijem- one-trick wrestler defeated, no big shock there.  Caught in a guillotine after a yet another failed shoot.

OSP over Donovan- All I really recall about this fight is the end.  Donovan went for a takedown from the clinch, OSP rolled him over and finished it from Donovan’s guard.  



Donovan was completely inactive and did not use his guard to control OSP.  He threw a weak looping shot from his back, and OSP was all over him.  If Donovan had responded quicker or more intelligently, breaking St. Pierre’s posture and disrupting his striking, he could have kept the fight going.



Congrats to OSP on a strong win.

Manny v Miller- Manvel the Anvi Gamburyan defeated Cole Miller in three rounds by unanimous decision.  There is some controversy surrounding this fight, concerning a possibly illegal elbow, an extended round break, and the fight doctor.

At the end of the first round, Miller landed a buzzer-beating elbow strike to Manny Gamburyan’s head.  Gamburyan went to his knees, clutching the back of his head.  At this point, Manny’s corner entered the ring, with what sounded like Gamburyan cornerwoman Ronda Rousey asking Lavigne “what the f*ck happened?”

Lavigne did not call an illegal strike.



The fight doctor also entered the ring and checked Gamburyan, who by this point had been assisted back to his corner, clearing him to continue the fight.



The whole thing lasted just over two minutes.



The problem being that if it was a legal blow that hurt Gamburyan, and he did not answer the bell after the 60 second round break, then Yves Levigne is supposed to call the fight by TKO.  Instead, he allowed the fight doctor to finish checking and clearing Gamburyan, starting the round over a minute late.



I’ve heard a lot of people talking shit and saying that Gamburyan was acting at the end of round 1, but I’ve also heard people who are more likely to know what they’re talking about say that Gamburyan is not the type to fake and spam.  To me, the strike looked illegal, so I’m actually glad that we got to see the rest of the fight.  It was an interesting match between two fighters of vastly different body type.  Looking at the two, it’s hard to imagine that they are in the same weight class.  Seeing how Gamburyan, a smooth, polished striker, attempted to overcome Miller’s reach advantage made it a fun fight to watch.  While Manny landed less punches than Miller, he was the busier of the two, and the shots he landed did more damage.  Manny also was able to dominate Miller on the ground, leading to his unanimous decision by the judges.



Not to take anything away from Miller, who's athleticism and percision striking were also on display that night.  He hit Gamburyan with a beautiful knee strike to the face later in the round, which further demonstrated the Anvil's remarkable chin.

Miller may have been robbed on the extended round break, but it looked to me as if Manny was robbed on that illegal elbow.  Miller’s camp is asking the UFC to vacate the win and rule the match a ‘no contest,’ but seriously, if you have 7 inches on a guy and you can’t put him away, that’s on you.

So, in the end, this is what I (hypothetically) came away with:


OPS/Cody Donovan under 1.5 rounds for $110 (win $100)
John Howard over Uriah Hall for $100 (win $355)
Sonnen/Shogun over 2.5 rounds for $180 (lose $180)
McGregor over Holloway for $150 (win $90)
Lauzon over Johnson for $125 (lose $125)

Total: Win $240 (36% return)



Could be worse, but I think I can do better next time.



Also on that night were the Legends Football League playoffs, which saw the Philly Passion top the Atlanta Steam 28-20, mostly on the efforts of runningback Marirose Roach.  The Passion will now take on your very on Baltimore Charm tomorrow night, August 24th, for a spot in the Legends Cup.



The Charm’s defense shows it’s holes from time to time, but is very good at stopping the run when it really counts.  We edged out the Passion by 1 earlier this season, and if our offense continues it’s current hot streak, the gals of the Charm look like good picks for the Legends Cup this year.

Let’s do this, Baltimore!



The Washington Redskins were also back in action on Saturday, beating Pittsburg, the latest mile marker on our highway to an undefeated (pre)season, baby!



I don’t really know what this game says about the season to come.  We have at least some talent 3 lines deep at QB, but two of those lines are already hurt.  Still, I like to see RGIII resting.  I really wouldn’t be upset if he took the whole season.  Let our other guys get some more experience out there, shore up the offensive linemen, and I promise you RGIII will still be RGIII year.



RGIII is a competitor, and I’m sure that he wants to play as soon as possible, but that’s because it’s his job to want to play.  It’s the team doctor’s job to keep him healthy.

That’s it for tonight, friends.  More posts upcoming on Bellator, odds and ends from the world of MMA, and maybe some more news and politics.



Until then, hands up and protect yourselves at all times, this has been the Rabbit Punch.

UFC Fight Night 26, Fox Sports 1 (Shippin‘ Up to Boston)



Tomorrow night marks the launch of the new Fox Sports 1 channel with UFC Fight Night 26: Shogun vs Sonnen. 

With a 7-year contract already signed, the UFC is a planned centerpiece of the new sports channel, which Fox hopes will challenge ESPN’s longtime dominance over the cable sports world and return a profit in a quick 3 years.  I’ll believe it when I see it, but I’m up for anything that promotes the sport and puts more fights on TV, especially free fights (for those of you who haven’t joined the rest of us in the 21st Century and cut the cable).



The UFC is aiming to hook more casual fans into regular viewers, and has stacked this non-PPV card with recognizable names, proven finishers, and promising young talents.  The main event features UFC veterans Chael Sonnen and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, names who casuals will recognize and hardcores will be interested in.  



While I’m leaning Chael, I honestly cannot pick this one with confidence.  Shogun has the advantage on the feet, but I don’t know if he can stop Chael from taking him down and tossing him around.  Rua, however, can be wily from his back, and has decent counter-wrestling, so expect him to drag this thing out, maybe even improve his position.  Shogun has the knockout power to end the fight on the feet, but I think that Sonnen’s strike defense might prove superior to Rua’s takedown defense, allowing him to control the fight, and win rounds.



Expect both guys to get banged up pretty bad, but also expect this thing to go the distance.  At this level of skill, both fighters have an answer for the other guy’s strengths. 



Unless Shogun knocks Chael out like Freddy Roach taught him to.

Also on the card (taking place in Boston), is Boston native Joe Lauzon, and Irish fighter Conor McGregor, who might as well be a Boston native for the reception he is sure to receive in Beantown.  Conor is one of those guys who’s fun to watch because he’s having fun out there.  In the tradition of Irish pugilists throughout the ages (see picture), Conor is a stand-up brawler with fists like rocks and a great instinct for the game.  Not that his opponent, Max Holloway, is any kind of a pushover, but I feel like the UFC is setting Conor up for a triumphant debut in front of America’s most receptive city for an Irishman.



But don’t count Holloway out just yet.  He’s a creative, unpredictable fighter, and he’s just as at home on his feet as McGregor is.  Besides, we’ve seen the UFC’s plans fall through in the past, as in Cat Zingano’s recent face-crushing victory over Meisha Tate.



I’ve got mixed feelings about Beantown, myself.  My grandfather (RIP, 6 months past) was the son of Greek immigrants, and grew up in depression-era Boston.  So I have roots in the city, so to speak.  At the same time, Boston is full to the brim with douchebags.  So while I’m picking McGregor here (and I really do like the kid), I also crack a smile every time I think about how salty Boston will be if he gets knocked out.



One last note: if you’re the gambling type, and happen to reside in a municipality with legal sportsbooks, I would put a small amount on John Howard over Uriah Hall.  While Uriah will most likely come away with the win, Howard, who is currently rated at +355 by 5Dimes, has enough of a chance and is so undervalued that this stands as a potentially profitable play.  Also, go ahead and take Sonnen/Shogun going over 2.5 rounds.  Like I said, unless Shogun gets a knockout, this thing should go the distance.  If you win on both, send a little of that gravy my way, eh?

But if you lose, I don’t want to hear about it.

Keep those hands up, protect yourselves at all times, and keep the action rolling.  This has been the Rabbit Punch.

In Defense of Defensive Fighting (don't leave it to the f*cking judges!)

I’d like to say a word on MMA judging, specifically in the UFC.



Judging has always been one of the most controversial aspects of the sport.  “Don’t leave it to the f*cking judges!” is a favored catch phrase of UFC boss Dana White, and with good reason.  As well trained and qualified as a professional mma judge may be (or not), scoring a bout is always going to be a subjective thing.  The judges’ angle and line of sight on the action, how well they know the sport and the specific fighters, what they notice and what they miss, their own interpretation of the rules and criteria, all these things will effect how a judge scores a match.  What may look on TV (and be called by enthusiastic announcers) as a beautiful headkick may actually have been effectively blocked or nullified.  When a flurry a punches flies back and forth, how well can a judge see exactly what landed and what did not, and how effective these strikes were?  Having competed in a tournament setting once or twice, I have had points called against me for strikes which did not even land.  I long ago accepted that the official outcome of any judged or scored fight does not truly reflect what happened.

 

And at a local rec-level karate tournament, that’s fine.  But on the professional or semi-pro level, where people’s livelihoods are at stake and the level of competition is more intense, this becomes a problem.  Because as much as you really don’t want to leave it to the judges, you really should be able to.  I mean, is the UFC not the world’s premiere fighting league?  Are these people not professionals?

These issues were brought to the surface by the recent Lyoto Machida / Phil Davis fight, which ended in what is being described as a controversial decision in favor of Davis.  I have not seen the fight myself, so while I cannot talk about the match specifically, recent comments on the matter by Phil Davis and Sal D’Amato have provoked me to response.

Phil Davis, on last Tuesday’s Gross Point Blank podcast, said that “accuracy is not the name of the game.”  In his attempts to justify his win over Machida, Davis did not talk about how he had effectively damaged Machida, only about how he had “kept more busy.”  Since when is “keeping busy” the goal?  I thought that the “name of the game” was to damage your opponent more than they damage you?  And while Davis had some very good points in his interview on The MMA Hour (which ran 3 and a half hours this week, which I'm totally into), he also repeated his assertion that “significant strikes aren’t significant” and what really matters is “who has their back to the center.”

I couldn’t disagree more.  We’re trying to determine who’s the better MMA fighter, not who’s better at walking forward while throwing punches that don’t land.  Octagon control counts, but effective striking and grappling should count more, especially since "control" can be a more subjective measure.  If I've lured you in, avoided your shots, set my range, and landed damaging strikes, haven't I controlled the match, even if your "back is to the center?"

I also think that if Phil Davis feels good about the win, then he shouldn’t feel the need to argue with his critics in public.  He should be telling everyone to kiss his ass and preparing for his next fight.

Similarly, perennial UFC judge Sal D’Amato, on MMAJunkies.com Radio, said that he does not score effective defense.  Sure, don’t give points for stopping someone, but certainly don’t give points for getting stopped.  If my defense stops your offense, there’s no way in hell that you should take the round, unless my offense was even less effective than yours.

Note that I said “effective,” not “busy.”

Personally, I think that judges shouldn’t be afraid to call a round 10-10.  Especially in a three round setting, winning or losing a round which in truth could have gone either way can decide the fight.  If the round was even, or if neither fighter really deserved to win, why give one guy the point?  Make them work for it.  Make a fighter show us that they really won the round in order to take a 10-9 scorecard.  No more squeaking by on controversial decisions, no more winning based on rounds in which you didn’t really outfight your opponent; if you don’t clearly show us your dominance, you won’t take the round.

Of course, I think Phil Davis said it best himself when he said, “There’s no pleasing everyone- I just get out there and do my job.”

Right on, Phil.  We’ll keep flapping our gums, you just keep bangin’.

Keep those hands up, protect yourself at all times, and don’t leave it to the f*cking judges!

This has been the Rabbit Punch.

Aldo/Korean Zombie Revisited, Tito/Rampage on TNA

Everyone, including me, was wondering why Aldo wasn’t throwing his characteristic leg kicks in his match against Chen Sung Jung the Korean Zombie at UFC 163.  Turns out it had nothing to do with Zombie’s reach or aggression; after the fight,we found out that Aldo broke his foot in the first round when Jung checked one of his leg kicks.

That’s why King Mo doesn’t really kick, and I agree.

Aldo, however, was able to compensate and mask his injury, highlighting once more just how far he is above everyone else at 145lbs in the UFC.  Also, he was dealing with a kidney stone that night.  Damn.

Aldo is a big, dominant Featherweight, but if he did make the transition to 155lbs, he would be a small-ish Lightweight, and I’d be interested in seeing how this smart, cagey fighter adapts to bigger, stronger opponents.

Some people think that Aldo should either stay at 145lbs and grow the division, or vacate the championship to fight at 155lbs.  I, personally, have no problem with him defending the Featherweight belt while fighting at 155lbs, or even holding and defending both belts.  It would be hell on his body to go back and forth, so if Aldo is willing, I think that the UFC should let him.

Either way, I think I need one of those Zombie shirts where his right arm's out, held in his left hand.

I’m actually getting slightly more excited about the Tito/Rampage fight with each passing day.  Some people are questioning the cross-promotion with TNA Impact! Wrestling, but they’re just plain wrong.  The first season of the Ultimate Fighter benefitted from their time slot directly after WWE RAW! and if Bellator has the TNA stage to promote their first PPV on and drive up their buys, then why the hell not?   Besides, Rampage has been on TNA before, so he’s not totally unfamiliar to that audience.

I’ve got to watch more Bellator, and so should you.  I like the tournament format, and I've heard more than one fighter say that it's just a better atmosphere over there.  At least the boss doesn't shit-talk you after every fight.

Hands up, defend yourselves at all times, this has been the Rabbit Punch

Washington Redskins Preseason Opener

In moments the Washington Redskins will kick off their 2013 preseason.  But what kind of year will 2013 be?  The more relevant question may be "what kind of year do you want 2013 to be?"

A lot of people out there are hoping for a year like last one (or at least the second half of it).  They want a year full of big wins, a year ending at least above .500.  They are tired of the endless losing seasons.  While they got used to it after time, the status as a "losing team" never really stops grating on the souls of the fans, so who could blame them for wanting to recapture that magic where the Washington Redskins were racking up the W's and taking shit from no one?

I, however, would like to see something else.  While a positive W/L spread would certainly be nice, I'd like to see the braves take a more strategic warpath this year, and preserve the asset we have in RGIII.

Yes, we won a lot of games last season, but we also knocked the absolute shit out of our QB in his first year out of the box.  We finally have what we've been chasing for the last decade; a young, talented QB with years ahead of him, nowhere to go but up, and a genuine loyalty to the franchise.  If we protect and develop him over the next few years, we will have one of the best QBs in football, and we can spend that time patching up the other holes in the ship.  We could be serious Superbowl contenders, like the hogs of old!

If, however, we burn him out in a few winning seasons, we'll have squandered this kid's vast potential, and we'll have spoiled his loyalty.  We'll be stuck spending all of our time and money looking for a new QB again, and the other problems with the roaster will continue to go neglected.

Let's not forget that Kirk Cousins played his part in last year's win streak, as well.  We can grow the talent of our backup QB while developing RGIII at a pace which will allow him to thrive for years to come, without sacrificing too much competitiveness

The Washington Redskins often look worse than they should, competing as we do in the strongest division in football.  Even with that being the case, we pulled off a fantastic season last year, and I think that if we keep an eye to the long game, keep this kid healthy and protected, and shore up our other problem spots, we can make winning seasons the norm.

Keep those hands up, protect yourself at all times, and Hail Victory!  This has been the Rabbit Punch.

Tangled Up in Red, White, and Blue: A breakup letter to the Washington Capitals:

You were the ones who wanted a break.  After keeping me hanging on for weeks, you were the ones who told me there that would be no hockey this season. 

"Fine," I said.  Some time apart would be healthy, especially given last year’s emotional ending.  It’s funny how the same old problems always seem to resurface, isn't it?  Or maybe not so funny.

So I let you go, looking forward to our eventual reunion down the road, yes, but also ready to enjoy some “me” time.  Then BAM! without warning, you were back.  It had all been a terrible mistake!  We do still want to have hockey this season!  We can make it work!

I wasn’t interested in half-measures or half-seasons, and your poor performance in the early games only confirmed my initial belief that I was, indeed, better off ignoring you until next year.

It was cool.  I chilled with the ‘Skins, I caught up with the Wizards, I would even kick it with United from time to time.  Without you in my life, I went elsewhere for my Washington sports, and I was enjoying my freedom to roam.

But I kept hearing things about you around town.  About how you had really gotten things together, about how good you were looking these days.  Though I’ll admit that you were on my mind, I stayed strong in my resolution to stay away.

Then, all of sudden, there you were, again.  In the NHL playoffs, putting on a show that the whole city was watching.  The whole city except me.

I couldn’t take it.  I came back.  I came to see what you had to offer. 

You slapped me in the face and stormed out, again.

The same old issues, the same old fight.  Washington v New York, best of 7.  We just can’t seem to get past that one, can we?  But that’s not the whole problem.  Recurring issues are an inevitability in any serious, long-term relationship like ours.  It’s the way you handled it that really let me know I needed out.

I can still remember how you looked that night, the last time I saw you.  You were not yourself.  You weren’t even trying.  You weren’t fighting for us.  You barely even showed up.  Every time I looked at the television there was a NY guy knocking a Capital to the ice.  You didn’t play like you were in game 7.  You played like bums.

I’d been saying for years that DC needs to show the Caps more love, but if this is how we’re going to be treated, season after season, year after year, then I just don’t see why we should even try, why we should keep putting our hearts on the chopping block like that.

Anyway, don’t bother looking for me, I’ve already packed my things.  I’m going to go stay with the O’s for a while.  Yes, I know we have a new Baseball Team now, but that Baseball Team is not my Baseball Team!

So goodbye, Washington Capitals, I don’t love you anymore, and I’m never talking to you again.

Sincerely,
Kevin J. Mahoney
L. Koutras
et al


PS I love you and I’ll be back next season.  Let’s go Caps.

Saturday Recap (B-more Charm and UFC 163)

The ladies of Maryland’s own Baltimore Charm pulled out a 12-6 win over the Omaha Heart last night, ending a dominant 3-1 season with their third straight victory and securing the Conference Championship.

Legacy quarterback Angela Rypien, daughter of Washington Redskins great Mark Rypien, continues to rack up the passing yards as she leads the team into the 2013 post season.  I say that if any city can win both the Superbowl and Legends Cup (formerly Lingerie Bowl) in the same year, it’s Baltimore, hon.

Be sure to follow the post season, starting on August 17th.  Although I think that, as Eastern Conference Champions, Baltimore gets a by week until the 24th.

Anyway, on to my, again, very partial recap of UFC 163, broadcast live from Rio.  The UFC is doing this new thing where some fights are on Facebook, some fights are on FX, and some are PPV, so I was able to either watch most of these fights live, follow them online, or watch them later, depending on the location on the card.  I usually like to put some more time between myself and what I’m writing about, but I'm just going to kick this one out right here and now.

Let’s start with the main event, with Brazilian Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo putting away Chan Sung Jung the Korean Zombie 17 minutes into the fight at 2:00 of the 4th round by strikes following a dislocated right shoulder.

Zombie, who took this fight after Anthony Pettis was sidelined with a training injury, looked good last night, despite his loss.  While we saw a less aggressive Zombie, we also saw a more calculating, more defensive Zombie.  Both his striking and his ground game were on display, and the fact that Aldo beat him at both takes nothing away from Chan’s performance.  When that guy tried to roll his dislocated shoulder back into socket right before the fight was ended, you knew you were watching the heart of a champion.  I think that the Zombie could have used a bit more of his characteristic aggression last night, but I also think that this fight showed growth as much as it showed a healthy respect for Jose Aldo’s striking.  Zombie is on an upward trend, and while he may have been thrown into a title match before he was really ready, I am confident that Chan Sung Jung will continue to grow and advance from here, and will probably fight for the belt again at some point down the road.

In the end, Zombie was simply outclassed by Jose Aldo, who’s superior speed and power could not be overcome.  There’s not really a lot for Aldo at 145, especially if Pettis stays at 155, and there has been loose talk of Aldo moving up to Lightweight.  While that would further depopluate the Featherweight weight class, Jose Aldo needs to think about Jose Aldo's career first, and if the UFC can't provide exciting fights at 145, Lightweight may be a better move.

Other than that, we got to see Amanda Nunes show that she truly is a rising star at women's 135, a division which is finally starting to develop a little depth.  We also got to see Tom Watson walk out to the Backstreet Boys’ Everybody before going to war for 3 rounds against Thelas Leitis (who walked out to Bob Marley’s Every Little Thing).  An exciting fight that went the distance, but am I the only one who finds these two fighters' musical choices to be somewhat puzzling?  Every Little Thing doesn’t really say “cage fighting” to me, and the Backstreet Boys haven’t psyched anybody up since 1999.

I tweeted (@kevjmahon) during the event that UFC 163 did not suffer from the same judging abnormalities that FOX 8 had (although sadly, “abnormalities” seem to be the norm sometimes).  Just so that I don’t look like I’m taking sides, I’d like to point out that this was before the Phil Davis / Lyoto Machida fight.  Davis pulled out the unanimous decision (with 29-28 across the board), but I’ve heard a lot of people saying that Machida got absolutely robbed here.  Not having seen the fight, I cannot comment one way or the other, but people are up in arms over this one, depending on who they support.

So maybe the reason why we didn’t see as many controversial scorecards last night is that more fights ended in a KO/TKO or submission.  Maybe it’s part of Dana White’s master plan to make fighters so afraid of leaving it to the judges that they go harder for the finish?

That would certainly explain the continued presence of Mr. Sal D’Amato at nearly every UFC event.  Not that I know jack shit about MMA judging, but the hip community seems to be pretty well agreed that he’s a perennial bad scorer, and his scorecards tend to provoke the most controversy.

Looking ahead to UFC 164 at the end of this month, we’ve got Anthony Pettis, who was replaced by Zombie on last night’s card, taking the place of TJ Grant and getting a title shot at Lightweight instead against Benson Henderson.  Pettis defeated Henderson at WEC 53 to win the WEC Lightweight title 3 years ago, but a lot changes in 3 years, and I’m not familiar enough with these two fighters to venture a pick on this one.

Also on the card is a bout between two former UFC Heavyweight Champions, Frank Mir (who was a veteran when I first started watching UFC back in college) and Josh Barnett.  This is almost the more interesting fight for me, and I look forward to seeing what these two greats can still do.

Ryan Couture is also on the card that night against TUF veteran Al Iaquinta, as Randy seems determine to get his entire family work as professional fighters.  Don’t know much about Ryan, so I don’t know whether or not I should expect his career to be more successful than the last Couture family member spin-off, Randy’s third ex-wife Kim.

Not to take anything away from Kim, but she lost twice as many as she won, and the field has grown by leaps and bounds since then.  Ryan has already racked up a 6-2 professional record, although not against anyone impressive, and I think that Iaquinta is a decent gatekeeper for the younger Couture.  Ryan has already lost to Ross Pearson on UFC on Fuel TV, so I'd think this would be do-or-die for him.  You never know with a Couture.

Also on the horizon is Bellator 106: Rampage vs Tito.

Wait, huh?  Yeah, that’s right, Rampage vs. Tito.

I’ve never been a fan of Tito.  I smiled for a week every time that drunk redneck Chuck Liddell knocked him out.  Although more recently, Tito has had great success as a coach, training the most talented and dominant female fighter in professional mixed martial arts today, Chris Cyborg (who has her own name tattooed across her forearm, so that you know who’s dropping elbows on your dome as you black out and bleed everywhere).

So not being a big fan of Tito, his big mouth, or his even bigger ego, I naturally have mixed feelings about the Huntington Beach Bad Boy making a comeback.  "Rampage" Jackson, a contemporary of Tito’s from his earlier career, feels like a good choice for his re-debut, although this would have been a much better and more relevant fight about 5 or 6 years ago.  Back then, Rampage would have Rampaged all over Tito without question, but now it might just come down to who's least washed-up.  Tito looks and sounds like he’s got some fight in him, and no one has ever questioned his strength or raw athleticism.

I guess I should be at least as excited for this fight as for Mir/Barnett, but honestly, while I’m interested in both, I’m not all that “excited” about either.  I’d just rather not endure another Tito Ortiz run.

If fact, I’m getting weary just thinking about this fight.

Anyway, you people keep your hands up, defend yourselves at all times, and this has been the Rabbit Punch.

Tweet-ling my Thumbs

You can now follow Kevin J. Mahoney and Rabbit Punch on twitter, @kevjmahon, for live updates and quick commentary.

UFC 163

Y'all should check out the free portion of UFC 163, starting in about an hour at 8pm EST on FX, broadcasting live from Rio.

Aldo vs. Zombie, who's your pick?

Charm at Heart 8/3/13

Switching gears, we turn to Maryland’s own Baltimore Charm of the Legends Football League.

After narrow victories over the Philly Passion and the Cleveland Crush, the Baltimore Charm prepare to take on the Omaha Heart later today, hoping to end better than .500 (although in the LFL, better than .500 is .750, a 3-1 winning season).

We’re going all the way to the Lingerie Bowl, hon!

UFC on FOX 8

As promised, here is a (very) partial recap of UFC on FOX 8, which I caught between trays of raw oysters and buckets of rum in beautiful Ocean City, MD:

-Liz Carmouche defeats Jessica Andrade via TKO at 3:57 of Round 2:

Andrade, only 21 and making her UFC debut, looked very good in this fight.  She even won the first round, in my opinion, and while she wasn’t really ready for Carmouche, Jessica Andrade remains a bright prospect, with some more smoothing out. 

I also think that you should be have to be busier than Carmouche was to end a fight by tko.  Andrade was eating head strikes, but none of them were really stunning her.  She continued to move and defend.  Just as Carmouche was able to ride out her guillotine in round 1, Andrade may have been able to ride out Car’s strikes.  At the same time, the girl is only 21, they probably want to protect young talent, and I’m not actually arrogant enough to question veteran referee Herb Dean.

An interesting note on this fight, this is the first televised professional MMA event featuring two openly gay fighters.  With the size of the LGBT community in Seattle, one would think that the UFC would have mentioned this in promotion, but I suppose that it’s better that they said nothing rather than say something stupid, which would have been almost unavoidable.


-Rory MacDonald defeats Jake Ellenberger via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27):

People are ragging on this fight, and that’s bullshit.  This was a great fight.  I was engaged, entertained, and excited the whole time.  Those who say that nothing was going on, or that Rory MacDonald was just jabbing have no idea what they were watching.  This was a good fight between two skilled strikers.  It’s not the fighters’ fault if fans don’t know what they’re talking about, or that the UFC doesn’t give fighters time to get the job done with three five minute rounds.  Rory MacDonald is under no obligation to fight stupid, or to get knocked out by Jake Ellenberger just for your amusement.

Yes, it would have been better if the fight had ended more decisively, but that’s not the fight that we saw.  Both fighters were active and responsive.  Ellenberger was not as aggressive as he needed to be, but that’s just because MacDonald shut him down so effectively.  MacDonald continuously convinced Ellenberger that he could get his power shots in, and continuously shut him down.  I’m confident that had the fight gone on longer, we would have seen a ko/tko in round 5 or 6.  The fact that MacDonald avoided Ellenberger’s knockout power, and that Ellenberger, while eating some punches, was able to avoid major damage from MacDonald’s strikes while continuing to engage just proves the technical and defensive skills of both fighters, which is exciting to watch, not boring.

I will say that if MacDonald can develop the kind of power to break facial bones with that jab, he will be even harder to deal with, and pull out more decisive wins, which is what gets you noticed in the UFC.

Overall, the response to this fight just goes to show that world is full of bad fight fans shooting off their mouths and talking trash about good fighters and good fights.  It makes it all the worse when UFC president Dana White joins in, in his typical eff-bomb laced style.  The fact that the Seattle show produced a disappointing return in terms of ticket sales is no excuse to take your frustration out on your athletes.  Maybe White would like to climb into that octagon, throw only overhand rights, and lead with his chin, as he seems to expect his fighters to do.

This fight was also one of the few unanimous decisions on the card.  Now, split decision in and of themselves are not a cause for concern, but the issue here is that, in so many of these fights, opposing 30-27 scorecards were recorded.  This absurdity just highlights the issues with UFC judging, and MMA judging more broadly.  I’ve heard Sal D’Amato’s name tossed out as a target of blame and ire, and I’ve also heard complaints against the Washington state licensing authority, but either way, it just goes to show that you never really want to leave it up to the judges.


-Robbie Lawler defeats Bobby Voelker via knockout at 0:24 of Round 2:

Not that Voelker is any great threat, but Lawler looked fantastic out there, I love to watch this guy fight.  He is extremely quick, accurate, and strong with his hands, which is a lot of fun to watch.  Not to put Bobby Voelker down, the man’s a tough dude and knows how to throw a punch, but no one is really tough enough to keep taking hits from Robbie Lawler, and Voelker tends to rely on his chin over his hands in terms of strike defense.

Lawler is a smart, quick, powerful fighter, with great timing and a natural feel for fist-fighting.  I’m curious to see just how far he goes in the 170lbs division.

Robbie Lawler by headkick.  Beautiful technique, you should this fight out.


-Melvin Guillard defeats Mac Danzig via knockout at 2:47 of Round 2:

Melvin has been in the game far too long to still be calling himself “the Young Assassin.”

Other than that, this fight showed, again, just how effective the jab can be if you have the footwork to make it stick and to confound your opponents’ counters.  Always like to see a finish by strikes.


-Germaine de Randamie defeats Julie Kedzie via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28):

Good to see that de Randamie’s transition from kickboxing to MMA has finally reached level ground, and good on the UFC for bringing relative unknowns to the national spotlight.

Overall, a great fight by two great fighters.  Always happy to see a new striker enter the mix in de Randamie, and always interested in seeing more of Kedzie, being such a dynamic and fun fighter to watch.


-Demetrious Johnson defeats John Moraga via submission at 3:43 of Round 5:

Demetrious Johnson did what MacDonald couldn’t, wouldn’t, or didn’t have the time to do; turn a grinding technical dominance into an actual finish.  His transitions were quick, he aggressively pursued submission after submission, and he just looked extremely comfortable in his ground game.  The 135lbs weight class is so thin right now that if Demetrious Johnson can continue to give us performances like these against higher-caliber opponents than John Moraga, we might have a champion with staying power, someone to build some excitement around 135lbs that just isn’t there right now.


So there you have it; UFC on Fox 8.  I still don’t understand why the lighter weight classes get ignored by so many fans; there is so mach great talent, so many dynamic, engaging, explosive fights in those weight classes that it just doesn’t make any sense.  I think that some fans are still locked into the ‘90s boxing idea of a “heavyweight champion of the world” as the top dawg, and just haven’t taken the time to open their minds to how skilled, exciting, and devastating those lighter fighters actually are.

Anyway, we’re getting ready to go into UFC 163, Aldo vs. Zombie on Saturday, and Belator just had an event on Wednesday that I haven’t had the chance to watch or catch up on yet, so there’s plenty of MMA still out there this summer.  Some might say that the market is a bit over-saturated, but I personally love having new fights constantly around the corner.

I’ll slip in a quick word on the Aldo/Zombie fight before I end this rather long and rambling post. It will be very interesting to see how Jose Aldo’s “grind” style matches up against Chan Sung Jung the Korean Zombie’s steady aggression, and how Aldo will adapt when his opponent doesn’t give him the time and space to plant his feet and throw those low kicks at will. 

The Zombie’s ground work is often overlooked, but he is a talented grappler and a big strong guy.  Aldo is, of course, no bum when it comes to jujitsu, and a very hard man to push around or hold down.

Should be a good fight.  I predict a stoppage, mostly likely by ko/tko by strikes, but quite possibly by submission.  These guys are both so dangerous with their hands that one or the other may be looking for the clinch or takedown, thinking he can outwrestle the other.  In this situation, I still think either would be looking for a gound-n-pound victory, but neither would pass up the chance to attack with a submission and go for the finish.  Be sure to check it out if you can.

That’s all for now, so until we meet again, keep those hands up, and protect yourself at all times.  This has been the Rabbit Punch.