I am of course talking about the favored weapon in the arsenal of douchebags worldwide – the ‘Sucker Punch’.

“Sucker Punch: to punch (a person) suddenly without warning and often without apparent provocation.”

It’s the oldest trick in the book, and though your most likely to see it used in drunken fist fights and school-yard scuffles, the sucker punch has also reared it’s ugly fist at MMA and boxing events over the years as well.

Paul Daley punching Josh Koscheck after the final bell at UFC 113 earlier this month is of course the most recent example of it. This moment of madness cost Daley his place on the UFC roster.

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Daley’s blow was far from the first cheap-shot in an MMA bout though. Here’s another incident of post-fight fisticuffs as Chico Camus indulges in some smack talk after avenging a previous loss to Marco Daniels, and gets a smack on the nose for his troubles.

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Despite those two incidents, your more likely to see a sucker punch occur before rather than after a fight.

Take Atilla Kubilay for instance at UK event Cage Rage 11 back in 2005. Apparently Atilla is a little hard of hearing because when the referee said “touch gloves and go back to your corners,” he thought he said, “this would be a good time to punch your unsuspecting opponent flush in the face.” Oops!

Kubilay, who apparently possesses as much self-control as Joe Pesci’ in Goodfellas, was somehow given the benefit of the doubt and allowed to continue fighting after a brief stoppage.

He then went on to illegally knee his downed opponent in the face and refused to stop fighting when asked, causing the referee Grant Waterman to administer some instant retribution by damn near choking that fool out. Mr Waterman, we salute you!

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Once you start to delve into the murky world of the sucker punch you find some pretty peculiar things. For instance take the clip below.

As the two fighters step forward for the referee’s instructions they engage in an “intense staredown”. At least we think it’s a staredown. Truth be told it looks more like they are about to share their first kiss.

Note how uncomfortable the referee looks in the background, apparently unsure whether to break them up, tell them to get a room, slowly retreat out of the cage and switch out the lights, or delve into his CD collection and put on some appropriate mood music.

In the end he wisely decides to separate them, at which point the fighter on the right decides to blow his opponent a kiss. The recipient of said kiss is apparently not too fond of such Public Displays of Affection and promptly knocks him into next week with a vicious right hook. Ah, unrequited love!

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So, in case you were in any doubt beforehand, the above clip taught fighters that it’s probably not a good idea to try to kiss your opponent before a fight.

Unfortunately the mischievous Yoshihiro Nakao didn’t get that memo, and at K-1 Dynamite!!! in 2005 he thought it would be a good laugh to pucker up and plant a smacker on Heath Herring during their staredown.  Herring returned the favor by planting a fist in Nakao’s face.

Even better, Herring then attempts to ensure that no one is in any doubt about his sexuality.  “He tried to kiss me like a homosexual – I’m not gay!” he says loudly enough that everybody in the arena, and possibly even the surrounding parking lot, can hear.

Sorry Heath – too late!  We saw your lips touching another man’s live on TV – that means your now officially banished from the kingdom of hetrosexuality forever.

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Obviously these punches are pretty blatant and sure to end with an instant disqualification.  Some fighters are more sly though with their use of the sucker punch.

Take Chris Sheridan (or “cheap shot” as he’s now become known), for instance.  In an amateur MMA bout he decided to take sucker punch douchebaggery to the next level.

As the bell rung for the opening round Sheridan raised his hand to initiate the customary tap of the gloves as a sign of respect. His opponent Jose ‘Memo’ Vasquez does likewise, at which point “cheap shot” unexpectedly throws a right hand that floors him, and then proceeds to rain down blows until the ref stops the fight.

Technically it was a legitimate win, but it’s only a matter of time before karma catches up to you.  Sheridan turned pro in his next fight and promptly lost.  His record remains at 0-1.

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Unfortunately the “cheap shot” moniker could apply to several other fighters who try to take advantage of their opponents in this way. Check out a couple of other examples below of fighters who apparently believe that ’sportsmanship’ is a large boat that takes athletes to events overseas.

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By now you should probably be realizing that when a referee says, “protect yourself at all times,” they ain’t kidding around son.

Surely that rule doesn’t apply when it’s two family members fighting in the cage though?  I mean c’mon, if you can’t trust your own flesh and blood to show a little respect then the whole world would go to hell in a handcart, right?

Well, If the two cousins below are anything to go by then the end of the world is nigh.  Give them some credit though, after one of them flattens the other with the customary sucker punch they briefly scrap, shake hands and then promptly exit back out the cage. Perhaps there’s still hope for the world yet.

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It’s not just the sport of mixed martial arts that’s prone to seeing the occasional sucker punch though. The sweet science of boxing is also known to have it’s fair share of cheap-shots.

In the bout below the Asian fighter is knocked down, and then caught with an illegal blow as he tries to rise unsteadily to his feet. This guy is made of stern stuff though, and despite being on Queer Street he gets right back up to his feet and starts wobbling around the ring like it’s made of jelly in search of justice.

Sadly he doesn’t have much success, but he gets 10/10 for perseverance in my book.

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The commotion in the ring after that last clip is nothing compared to the all-out brawl that takes place in the next video though.

The riot erupts after a disgruntled fighter decided to take the pain of defeat out on his celebrating opponent by going for the good-old-fashioned liver shot (Bas Rutten would be proud!).

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In boxing it’s not just the two fighters who have to worry about being caught with an unexpected blow, the referee is in danger as well.

Now I’m no conspiracy theorist (I’m wearing this tin-foil hat purely as a fashion statement) but I suspect that one of the boxers in the clip below from a Cuba Vs Canada match-up might have it in for the officials.

Why, I hear you ask? Well the fact that he knocks one ref out, and then later on punches his replacement might have something to do with it.

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Remember that plucky Asian fighter from a few clips ago that wanted to continue to fight even though he no longer had control over his legs? Well there must be something in the water over there because here’s an Asian referee who tried to do something similar.

In this video the unfortunate official gets in the way of the two fighters at the wrong moment and gets dropped to the canvas. After displaying what I can only describe as the quintessential “WTF?!?” expression, the referee remembers that he’s still got a job to do, and he’ll be damned if he’s going to let being knocked the f*!k out stop him from doing it.

Watch closely at the 13 second mark of the video below as he attempts to show everyone that he’s still OK by breaking out into an impromptu version of classic 80’s breakdancing move, “The Caterpillar”. Man’s got mad skills, yo!

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This is supposed to be a light-hearted article, but at the same time it’s hard to ignore that Boxing is also home to the most sinister sucker punch of all time.

In November of 2001 James Butler snapped after losing a bout to Richard Grant. As Grant approached him to shake hands Butler threw a right hook that a medical report would later show broke Grant’s jaw and left him with a lacerated tongue that would require 26 stitches. Charged with aggravated assault Butler went on to serve 4 months in jail for the attack.

What he would do a few years later was far worse though. In 2004 Butler, who had been known as “The Harlem Hammer” murdered writer Sam Kellerman (brother of boxing analyst Max Kellerman) by attacking him with a hammer and later attempting to set his apartment on fire. He is currently serving a 29 year jail sentence for the crime.

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We don’t want to finish the article on such an eerie note though, so instead let’s head back to MMA where Mark Coleman delivered a less telling blow to the jaw of pound-for-pound great Fedor Emelianenko after failing to land a single meaningful punch during regulation time in their fight at PRIDE 32 in October of 2006.

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Article by RossC

If you liked this article then you may be interested in some of other recent featured articles:

• Don’t Mess With UFC Referee ‘Big’ Dan Miragliotta
• Have You Been Punched, Kicked Or Choked By An MMA Star Yet?
• The Ultimate Fighter: Alarming Increase In The Number of Unprovoked Door Attacks
• MMA Stars In The Movies
• The Age Factor In The UFC

It’s rare to get him to talk about the sport for the whole interview however, but that’s just what Ron Kruk of HDNet has managed to do, and as always with Roach it’s enjoyable to hear his thoughts.

First off Roach gave his impressions on some of the MMA fighters he has worked with.

BJ Penn:  “My first MMA fighter to train with was Penn.  Great guy, I think he’s one of the best strikers I’ve ever worked with…he can really punch.”

Anderson Silva: “I couldn’t figure him out completely at first.  He is one of those guys, in the gym he goes at 30 to 40 percent, you know?  He’s just getting his timing, getting his thing going.  I had him spar with a couple of my guys, young heavyweights, and it was about even.  I said, uh, maybe he not as good..maybe he shouldn’t fight Roy Jones,” says Roach.

“Then I watch him on TV and I said, you know what?  That’s a whole different guy.  Now’s he’s got his A-game, he’s giving it 100% on the TV fight.  I see him measure people, set things up.  He’s a very intelligent guy, he knows distance, he knows where his comfort zone is.”

Andrei Arlovski: “Andrei I liked a lot because he went from a ground guy to a stand up guy, he loves stand-up.  I thought he could do well as a heavyweight.”

Roach also mentioned several other fighters who he would like to work with one day.

GSP: “GSP I’ve never met, but I’d like to work with him though, because he’s a talented guy and he’s a very intelligent fighter.”

Fedor Emelianenko: “Fedor, I would like to work with him.  His balance is not good – he’s flat footed a lot and he’s  heavy – easy to box if you use in-and-out or side-to-side motion.  He can be outboxed but the thing is he’s such a good puncher, you’ve got to be careful of that. And of course he’s a Sambo guy as well so he does have a  good ground also.  He’s one of the most complete fighters out there.”

In the wide-ranging interview Roach also admitted there was no doubt that it was tougher to switch from boxing to MMA than the other way around since boxers had no previous experience of fighting on the ground, and mixed martial arts is a more complicated sport.

“Boxing is a fight, it’s a complicated sport on it’s own, but then you take the ground game into effect also, and you’ve got to learn like five different sports to be good a good MMA fighter,” he says.

When asked which boxer he believed would have the best chance in MMA he suggest a fighter he trains,Manny Pacquiao, since he believed he had the speed and movement to keep out of danger, and noted that the pound-for-pound great had some muay-thai experience.

As for who hit harder, a boxer or an MMA fighter, Roach was certain it is the boxer since they train exclusively with their hands.

Finally he was asked which sport had the brighter future.

“I think that in about 10 years – if everything keeps going the way it is – boxing’s going to decline a bit with the audience, and MMA’s going to have that young audience. I think the boxing promoters have really lost sight of entertaining the people.”

Be sure to watch the full interview below to hear more of Roach’s thoughts on the sport.

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Why is this news for MMA fans?  May 1st is also the scheduled date for UFC 113, meaning we could be headed for another Boxing Vs MMA Pay Per View showdown.

Mayweather Jr. has of course already gone head-to-head with the UFC in September of last year, when his fight with Juan Manuel Marquez aired on the same day as UFC 103, headlined by Rich Franklin Vs Vitor Belfort.

Estimates suggest that the UFC event did around 375,000 buys – about what had been expected from a card that was lacking in star power.  On the other hand the boxing PPV exceeded some people’s expectations by drawing over 1 million buys.

It was a clear win for boxing, though many people have since pointed out that the UFC is able to claim solid PPV ratings all-year round compared to boxing, and had achieved a record 1.7 million buys for their UFC 100 event just two months earlier.

Only a few months on it appears the two sports are about to lock horns again, and this time the stakes are raised.

While Mayweather Jr Vs Manny Pacquiao is the fight everyone wants to see, Mayweather Vs Mosley is also big business.  At the same time, the UFC are finally getting over their injury crisis, and UFC 113 is set to be a stacked event compared to recent offerings.

UFC 113: Machida Vs Shogun Rematch

For instance, the May 1st event, which will take place in Montreal, Canada, is expected to see Lyoto Machida Vs Shogun Rua battle for the light-heavyweight title in an eagerly awaited rematch.

Furthermore, a much hyped showdown between The Ultimate Fighter 10 coaches Quinton Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans may also feature.

Rumors have also circulated in recent days that backyard brawler turned MMA fighter Kimbo Slice, who broke Spike TV’s viewing records when he appeared on TUF 10 last year, is being considered for the card to fight Matt Mitrione.

On paper it’s an event that has far more star power than last year’s UFC 103 event, and may have the potential to break the million PPV buys barrier.  If the two sports do collide again, then this time the playing field will be more evenly balanced.

At present the Mayweather – Mosley fight remains to be officially confirmed, but with Mosley’s upcoming fight with Andre Berto today being called off due to a number of Berto’s family being killed in the Haiti earthquake, it appears that there is a genuine opportunity for the bout to take place.

Personally I hope it doesn’t happen.  While it’s easy to categorize people as either boxing fans, or mma fans, there are many, myself included, who enjoy both. With two major events like this on the same night we are the one’s who end up losing out by having to choose between them.

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UFC 113 (rumored card – many of these bouts are still to be officially confirmed):

• Lyoto Machida Vs Mauricio Shogun Rua (LHW Title Fight)
• Quinton Rampage Jackson Vs Rashad Evans
• Josh Koscheck Vs Paul Daley
• Patrick Cote Vs Alan Belcher
• Kimbo Slice Vs Matt Mitrione
• Jeremy Stephens Vs Sam Stout
• Jonathon Goulet Vs Marcus Davis
• TJ Grant Vs Johny Hendricks

Based on a recent interview with legendary boxing trainer Freddie Roach it would appear that he is one of them.

Roach is currently training Manny Pacquiao for his title fight with Miguel Cotto this weekend, but when asked whether he thinks a rumored fight between Silva and Jones will occur, he was happy to talk about it.

“I hope so.  Anderson Silva came to my gym and sparred with my guys a couple of times.  He’s one of those guys who’s not really a gym fighter, he only gives you about 40%, but when he wants to turn it on, he can fight.” Roach said, breaking into a smile as he discussed the current middleweight champion of the UFC.

“I think he has a shot.  Roy Jones might be, maybe a little bit too much for him, but i’d like to see it.”

Roach also admitted that he does enjoy mixed martial arts…or at least one part of it.

“The stand-up part of MMA I like a lot, I think it’s action packed.  When they get down to the ground, the wrestling…the wrestling i’m not such a big fan of.”

In recent times Roach has worked with a number of MMA fighters including the aforementioned Silva, BJ Penn, Tito Ortiz, Dan Hardy and Andrei Arlovski.  He says that he will continue to help more fighters from the sport in the future.

Watch the full interview, which includes his thoughts on the Pacquiao – Cotto fight (MMA comments start at 8.07mins into the video) below:

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The quick-fire interview covered topics such as the growth of the UFC, the potential for the sport to become over-exposed, and what White’s views were on the boxing vs MMA debate that has been raging in recent weeks.

Not much in the way of new information but still fun to watch.  Check out the whole interview below…