UFC 177: Never trust the. . .odds.

I don’t like how it happened, but I do like the fact that the #1 contender spot has opened up at 135lbs. 

Renan Barao has been hospitalized after losing consciousness in his hotel room the day before his scheduled rematch with TJ Dillashaw, prompting the last-minute substitution of Joe Soto.  Former Bellator and current Tachi Palace champ Joe Soto, who was scheduled to make his UFC debut against fellow newcomer Anthony Birchak, was raised from the prelims to a title shot on one day’s notice.  Birchak was removed from the card.

I’m much more interested in seeing Barao rematch Dillashaw once both men have had the chance to evolve their games.  If they can each stack up a couple more wins, the rematch will carry greater momentum.  Right now, Dillashaw clearly has Barao’s number.  I don’t have much interest in seeing the same fight over again.  The first time was unexpected and triumphant.  Doing it again so soon just feels like humping after completion.

I’m glad that we’ll get the opportunity to see what Dillashaw can do against some of the top talent at Bantamweight, if and when he gets past Soto.  Can TJ adapt to Raphael Assuncao’s heavy hands after his previous split decision loss?  How will his speed and timing match up against Takeya Mizugaki’s?  Former champ Dominic Cruz is also back in the mix, and just typing that sentence makes me want to watch Cruz and Dillashaw mix it up.  I’d also like to see Barao take some time to see to his health, and only return when he is truly ready to be the Barao that looked unbeatable just a few months ago.

Keep your hands up, protect yourself at all times, and kick it with Rabbit Punch on twitter @Kevjmahon during UFC 177 tomorrow night.

. . .

A new post is coming soon.  I promise I'm not just keeping my head down because I was so wrong about Dillashaw.  I'm just a lazy a-hole.

MMAs of Future, Past: Os, Bohs, and Jon Bones Jones

UFC’s Baltimore card has come and gone, and Charm City turned out in support of Light Heavyweight champ Jon “Bones” Jones.  After a close decision against Alexander Gustafsson, Bones successfully put his stamp on Glover Teixeira, neutralizing Teixeira’s right arm early with an arm crank, and outfighting him in the clinch for 5 rounds out of 5.

Otherwise the night went about as expected, with the exception of Anthony “Rumble” Johnson’s unanimous decision win over Phil Davis.  Andre “Touchy” Fili lost to a more experienced Max Holloway, but that hasn’t dropped his stock in my eyes, as Fili remains a strong prospect with potential to evolve.  We also got to see Bethe Correia rack up her second UFC win followed by an immediate callout of the 4 Horsewomen of MMA.  Bellator self-destructed live on Twitter that same weekend, and Tito chocked out a much smaller man.

Daniel Cormier may soon provide Bones with his toughest test yet, but first he has to get past a resurgent Dan Henderson tonight in Vegas on UFC 173.  I expect Cormier to come away with the victory, but he is nowhere near the sure thing that his -800 price tag would suggest.  A small flier on Hendo could pay off big.

Someone who actually is worth his -800 price tag is Renan Barao, who defends his Bantamweight belt tonight against Team Alpha Male’s TJ Dillashaw.  This will be coach Duane “Bang” Ludwig’s last shot at a title with Team Alpha Male, and that’s too bad, because Dillashaw is going to get smashed.  TJ is one of the top fighters in the division, but Barao is head and shoulders above anyone else on the field right now.  Do not place a bet on Dillashaw.

Other than that, I’m looking forward to seeing Lawler, Ellenburger, Mizugaki, Rivera, Varner, and Krause bang it out on the heavy-hitting main card.

Keep your hands up and protect yourselves at all times, this has been the Rabbit Punch!

Bellator. . .120? 1? Who cares, let's fight!

My UFC172 reaction post is still under construction, but in the meantime I’ll be enjoying Bellator’s first ever PPV event tonight.  God only knows why.

I can see why Bellator wouldn’t want to call off their second attempt at a first PPV, but they probably should.  If Chandler vs Alvarez wasn’t good enough to carry the first event on PPV, then why the fuck is Chandler vs Brooks worth paying for? My feeling is that they should have called off the Chandler fight altogether and moved the event to free TV again.  Tito and Rampage are both on the card as well, although not in the same bout.  Looks like we missed our window on that one.

Anyway, I’m going to be watching, but that’s just because I’m a big nostalgic softie what wants to see Rampage, Kongo, and King Mo get down.  I’m also interested in seeing who walks away with the Heavyweight Title.

If you’re going to bet this event, put a flyer on Tito.  With the odds at almost +400, the Bad Boy has just enough of a chance to make it worth it.  I’ve never been a Tito Ortiz fan, but the man has enough of a legacy in the sport that I’d hate to see him pull a Brett Favre.

Recap coming after the event.  Reaction to the Baltimore card still in the works.

Hands up, protect yourself, and enjoy the fights tonight.

Don't Call it a Comeback

Welcome back fight fans.  As you know, Rabbit Punch: Sports blog has been on a bit of a hiatus for the past few months as your old pal Kevin J and the rest of the Rabbit Punch staff took some time out to enjoy just being fans.

Kevin J made his way out to Las Vegas back in February for UFC 170, and had the chance to meet @MMAjunkieGeorge and @theGoze, the hosts of @MMAjunkieRadio, as well as some of the rad dudes who hang out outside their studio.  If you’re ever in the fabulous Mandalay Bay Las Vegas complex, make your way over to their studio in the sportsbook and see who’s hanging around.  Everyone involved in the show is a stand-up guy, and you can often meet professional fighters and other MMA personalities coming in for interviews.  The MMAJunkies radio show can be streamed via the internet at http://mmajunkie.com/radio, heard via iTunes podcast, or downloaded on apps such as Podkicker or Stitcher Radio, and is one of our favorites here at the Rabbit Punch editorial office.

But while Kevin was out dicking around in Nevada, the world kept turning.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that it will not longer be giving out TUEs, MUEs, ECT for TRT, otherwise known as Testosterone Replacement Therapy.

11 current UFC fighters have reportedly been granted Therapeutic Use Exemptions up to this point, and with other state athletic commission set to line up behind the NSAC these fighters are facing a tough choice. 

I can see both sides of the issue.  On the on hand, fighters who are just too old or those who have blasted their T production with banned substances shouldn’t get an artificial boost unavailable to others.  Those with a legitimate medical condition, however, will have to choose between their treatment and their careers.

Not everyone gets to be a professional fighter.  It sux, but that’s the way it is.  I think that things are probably a little more fair this way, even though some fighters are getting a raw deal.

One fight which has already been effected by this decision is Chris Weidman’s first scheduled non-Anderson title defense against perennial bad guy Vitor Belfort, stuck to the game since UFC 12.  Belfort, who is a user of testosterone therapy, pulled out of the the fight after NSAC made it’s announcement.  Because Jesus is watching you, bro, and He knows when you use TRT.

I was going to detail the horse trading and match making that has been going on since then, but by the time I finally get this post out it will probably have changed again, so I suggest you just wiki it.  Also, I’m pretty sure that there’s at least 2 guys having knee surgery.

While 2014 may have started slow, we’ve had some fantastic fights recently, and some highlight reel knockouts.

Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler fought for Georges St. Pierre’s vacant Welterweight belt, and both agreed to settle the match through a “who can get hit in the face the hardest” contest.  Hendricks won by judge’s decision, despite a broken jaw and a torn bicep.

I don’t have a joke for this one, I’m just in awe of the strength and durability of both of these fighters.  It’s good to see heavy hitters on top of the 170lbs division.

The Shogun vs. Henderson fight was another one of my favorites from this year.  I love watching two skilled fist-fighters stalk their targets, and in the end Hendo reminded us that so long as your opponent is still awake and on their feet, anything can happen.

I haven’t done this for a while, so I’m a little winded.  That’s all for today, but I’ll be doing another post after UFC 172 this weekend.  Nothing adventurous on the main card picks: Jones, Davis, Rockhold, Miller, Halloway.

Keep your hands up, defend yourself at all times, and keep an eye out for the next Rabbit Punch!

Super-Sunday Post

Short one today for two reasons 1) Your pal Kevin J is still exhausted from 171 minutes and 15 seconds of cage time last night, and 2) I have no freakin’ clue who is going to win tonight’s Big Game.  Not a pick, not a lean, not even a guess.

I’d like to start with a quick word on last night’s main event.  Faber should have known that turtleing up is the fastest was to get a match stopped, but I am sick and tired of watching guys win fights due to fake-ass hammer-fists into the other guy’s guard.  MMA is about damage, not control, and Barao really should have had to do more to get the fight stopped.  @ChuckLiddell had some insightful things to say about it on his twitter feed, but the bottom line is that Barao didn’t win that fight, Faber lost it.

Post-fight, we got the news that the victorious Jose Aldo will face lightweight champion Anthony Pettis in his next bout, although further details were not forthcoming.  I’m still in favor of a catchweight match at 150lbs for BOTH belts, but we’ll just have to wait and see how Dana is going to play this one.

Bloody Elbow has the casualty list from last night’s grind-a-thon, with 12 fighters placed on medical suspension..

You know who we’re not likely to see roll over tonight?  The Seattle Seahawks’ secondary.  Manning and the Broncos will have a hard time putting a dominant stamp on this game, but that is just what they will have to do in order to win it.  The Seattle offense is going to come hard and strong, and this game will most likely come down to whether or not the Broncos’ O can decisively overcome the Seahawks’ D.

I am legitimately more excited for this year’s Superbowl than I have been in a long time.  Tonight’s game promises to be dynamic, physical, unpredictable, all the things that make for a historically great Superbowl.  Not confident enough to place a bet, I’m just going to sit back, have a few brews, and enjoy some truly top-notch football.  Gun-to-my-head I’d have to pick Seattle, but I’ll be happy no matter how this season’s story ends.

Hands up, protect yourself at all times, and let’s get ready for some football!

UFC 168 Reaction

UFC 168 is in the books, and the last card of the year did not disappoint.  Your pal Kevin J took home a brace of cash both at the poker table and on the fights that night, and while the night’s ending couldn’t be called a good one, there was no topping the main card in terms of emotional impact.

Seeing Barnett go down to an explosive young Browne, Miller pull out a fantastic armbar from the bottom, and Rousey put Tate firmly in her place had me riding an emotional high.  The whole room was buzzing for the main event.  Everyone laid down their cards, they all wanted to know what would happen next.  Less than 10 minutes later, everyone just wanted to know what happened.  The brutal replay showed us.  A reminder of just how violent our sport is, and just how hard these athletes hit each other.

It was painful to see something like that happen to a great champion like Silva, all the more so because it is such a poor way for a champion to go out.  I have always been an advocate of great athletes retiring when their time has come, and Silva’s time to retire may have been after his first loss to Weidman.

Of course, I may have to eat those words in a few months’ time.  Silva is still one of the most skilled and athletic fighters around today, and he is still young enough to make a comeback, if he wants to.

But enough about Silva, now is the era of Weidman!  Just as we, the fans were cheated out of a seeing how the rest of the rematch would go, Weidman was cheated out of a “clear win” in the minds of many fans.  Just as there were those who dismissed Weidman’s first win due to Silva’s “clowning,” there are many who dismiss this victory as the result of a “freak accident,” which it was and it wasn’t.  While we see thousands of kicks checked without injury, what we saw happen to Silva is the exact intent of a leg check.  Silva kicked hard, Weidman checked hard, and the smallest part of Silva’s shin broke against the largest part of Weidman’s.  The fact that people are dismissing this win as “lucky” shows, once again, the bias against good defensive technique, which is the bedrock of martial arts.  No one calls it a freak accident when a right hook breaks a jaw.  They call it a damn good punch.  This was a damn good leg check.

So now, with Silva momentarily behind him, Weidman is free to stack title defenses until people give him his due credit.  I’m looking forward to it.

Another fighter I’m looking forward to seeing more of is Travis Browne, who has most definitely arrived.  While we were all kind of hoping it, no one actually thought that Browne would pull out a win over the Warmaster, and certainly not in such dominant fashion.  That knee on the way in put Barnett’s lights out, and Barnett has been fighting so long that his spinal cord took over and wrapped up Browne, both knees sagging to the mat.  Those elbows finished the job, and are the new answer to a takedown against the cage.  Browne is a big, athletic heavyweight, and can do things that other heavyweights can’t.  Somewhat new to the fight game, Browne has looked better and better in each fight.  I’m a little scared of the power this guy has in him once he reaches his full potential.

As for Warmaster, I’m in favor of a lifetime ban for guys with Bernett’s history of chronic steroid use, so seeing him put out was was a pleasant surprise.  Seeing him in compression shorts, however, was downright jarring.  Boxer-style fight shorts should be mandated for all fighters above middleweight.

Also on the main card were Dustin Poirier’s thrashing of Diego Brandao, who was apparently too injured to make weight but not too injured to fight, and Jim Miller’s armbar victory over Fabrício Camões, showcasing great offense from a defensive posture, and really driving home the fluidity and technical complexity of our sport.

And finally, we come to the much-hyped rematch between Rowdy Ronda Rousey and Meisha “Cupcake” Tate.  Guess who won?  Hint: it wasn’t the fighter named “Cupcake.”

Rousey totally dominated Meisha in this fight.  Rather than let her emotions distract her, Ronda seemed sharpened by her anger, and Meisha just couldn’t handle her intensity.  There were some good exchanges on the feet, but Ronda picked her shots, struck well, and did the majority of the damage.  Judo throw after judo throw tossed Meisha around like a rag-doll, until the Olympian finally wrestled an armbar out of Tate, forcing the tap in the first half of the third round.

Rousey had a lot more than pride and her title belt riding on this match.  Meisha was gaining on her in popularity, and Dana seemed about ready to change horses mid-stream.  With this win, Rousey’s future at the UFC looks a lot brighter.

Rousey also had no reason to shake Tate’s hand after all the disrespect that Tate has sent her way.  Now Rousey, like Weidman, can move on from this, and define herself by her title defenses.

Rousey’s next fight will be against fellow Olympic medalist Sarah McMann, who has the pure strength and wrestling skills to challenge Rousey on the ground.  Then, we assume, Cat Zingano.  Both are great challengers who promise awesome fights, but I have a feeling that we’ll continue to wait for someone who can beat Rousey for some time.

I anticipate at least a few more title defenses for both Rousey and Weidman.  They are part a new crop of greats, including the likes of Jose Aldo and Johny Hendricks, who are replacing outgoing legends like Silva and GSP.  Great champions all, we’re in for an action-packed 2014!

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