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!