#Cutman Does His Best

[iveneverplayedmegaman]

Pgs. 180-182!

We got the title for the next arc here too!

Do you think they can still get anything with that money?

[scatterpatter]

@iveneverplayedmegaman's Cutman 🤝My Cutman - 5'0" boyes!!!

No he's not kidding btw, protecc the fellow Cuts

[megaman-fluffcanons]

How would Cutman act if he had a crush on someone? Who would confess first?

*Cut Man wouldn’t really notice it at first, since he’s around them quite a lot anyways

*it isn’t until he gets nervous around them does he realize that “wait I may have a crush on them” as he doesn’t really get nervous around others

*that and he does his best to impress them, more so than usual

*and does his best to spend as much time with them as possible

*Cut Man is surprisingly the one to confess first, although he may be a tad nervous to do so

[seer918]

Comparing MegaMan Robot Masters to their NetNavi counterparts; a thread in...probably a lot of parts

Because I’m hyped for the Battle Network collection’s anouncement I figured I’d shamelessly rip off a video by BumblesMcFumbles. Also it’s like way too fucking hot and I need something to hyperfixate over before I combust

Now just to note, I AM more of a fan of the Battle Network series compared to original MegaMan, hell my introduction to Megaman was the Battle Network anime so expect some bias.

(and once I’ve got the collection in hand and actually play more than just a version of 4 and 5, I’ll probably do a thread just talking about every named net navi)

Going in Robot Master Order (even if it will mean the quality of the net navi designs will go up and down as they got more used to the new design theme)

Cut Man and CutMan.EXE

Out of all the old designs that BN’s ocasional ‘chibi’ look touched, CutMan is probably the best. Never been too sure on the ‘ears’/handles on his head but the more sentai/super hero vibe I get from the BN design is rather cute. It’s a simple base design and they did all they could to it while still keeping the overal original vibe.

Though honestly I think it’s a tie because they’re just too similar and I’d have to start nitpicking to find differences. 1-all

Guts Man vs GutsMan.EXE

A complete overhaul of the original design, putting more of an emphasis on the construction equipment envoking yellows and greys than the original’s red and black.

The over pronounced chin and squaring of the head also invokes a loader. Not too sure on the backpack on EXE but I like how they turned the power crystal on the base design into the ‘emblem’ of EXE’s. The addition of green is also nice, just enough to pop but not enough to distract.

GM-EXE takes it, 1-2 in favour of Battle Network

Next is a pair I’d love to have right now to deal with the heat, Ice Man and IceMan.EXE

This one...did not take the chibification too well. And granted this picture isn’t...great for EXE’s head shape, I’m doing my best to ignore it....it’s like a ham chunk stuck in a glove...

Er, sorry. The shades of dark green and mint green aren’t really doing it for me, and are just making me wish for mint choc chip ice cream...The face swirls are...there, I guess...I like the contrast between the boots and gloves vs the rest of the design...

Yeah, classic takes it with a less is more approch. 2-2, tied up again

Bomb Man vs BombMan.EXE

...man, this was the coolest villain grunt from the show growing up, him and StoneMan.EXE introducing the concept of userless navi and how their looks are sometimes vastly different from ‘tame’ navi.

I like the overal, vaguely grenade like design for his armour decals, even if it cribs a bit from Grenade Man.

And I much prefer a ‘visable’ hammer space for pulling bombs out of-his shoulders-compared to them just appearing even though it’d make more sense for the virtual being to pull them out of thin air.

Obvious winner, 2-3 back into BN’s court

Fire Man vs FireMan.EXE

Doing my best to just let the designs do the talking instead of my love for .EXE’s user Mr Match, who was Scottish in the dubbed anime.

I really enjoy the colour inversion between the armour vs main body, with the splashes of blue and gold-y yellow adding more to the simple base design.

I can see why some wouldn’t like the head of EXE but since the clasic doesn’t have a mouth anyways, might as well go whole hog and create an imposing, slightly off-humanoid design

MMC 2-4 MMBN

And last of the first game’s robot masters, Elec Man vs ElecMan.EXE

Deffinitely my favourite change, and not just because I prefer the purple to the 4th robot master with red and/or black as their design

This took the concept of the digitized beings going more form over function (since so long as the code was good they COULD function) and ran with it. The tesla coil back spikes, the helmet mimicking the shape of the original’s...why does EM have a domino-mask, anyways?

Point being, a very imposing design and a superior one to the original

And so for this round, we end with a somewhat noticible gap of 2-5, and it would have been worse for MMC if I didn’t count draws as points for both sides. As we get further into the classic series it might even out a bit more

[deadlygoldfish22]

Iceman and cutman please talk about cutman more—

Oh boy get ready for a long one apologies in advance-

First up, Iceman! My son! My baby! Child!

I love nearly all versions of this guy and funny enough the Ruby Spears version is probably my favorite

I like to see Ice in my own work as really quiet, with a tiny voice that sounds like a light whisper almost but nothing he has to say is ever really nice, (if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all), as he’s rather bitter (bitter cold haha geddit) and a bit of a workaholic since that means he gets to be in an environment he’s actually comfortable in, otherwise, when he’s home he spends most of his time pouting and hiding in the fridge. He also does have anxiety and when that flares up, his breath gets foggy and the room starts to freeze so he keeps a breathing mask handy to circulate the nitrogen better

Now for Cutman, the Killer Rabbit. He was actually my first favorite megaman character getting into the series, i just thought he was extremely funny with how he looks and how he was in the Archie Comics, a real charming fellow! Now though,

He’s not quite the same as how he started around seven years ago when i first started making content and writing with him, unfortunately the universe needs a punching bag and this guy is the owner of the unluckiest rabbit’s foot on the planet, he’s pretty darn miserable all the time but he pushes through like a champ. Not even Dr. Light is comfortable around him. He has some good reason though, Cut does have a tendency to snap back to his evil coding without warning when triggered but who doesn’t love a good mauling now and again? Cut doesn’t actually, he really doesn’t. It’s hard to talk about this guy without sounding like an edgelord i know lmao but he does try his best to make sure everyone else around him is still smiling

I can say in full confidence that Cutman is the strongest character i have in the Retooled! AU i write and throw my hcs in with my friend. He has an unbreakable spirit despite it all

Also, i do color him orange but imma state for the record, i actually hate the color orange lmao it’s like my least favorite color

[machinesandman]

Shaska is a Milf confirmed, and someone needs to take her on a date. Shadow Man is a BIG DILF, we know this, and got the wife Aria milf. Elec is a Bro Dilf who will chill. Dahlia is the milf of all Milfs. Snake Man is cursed dilf. While Cut Man is here and is baby, he is a bilf. ( Bro I'd like to befriend. )

There is just shouting in a different language as Shaska goes off, completely loosing it at this point.

"Can we please stop all of this and drop it, it's been literal hours? Why are all of you so obsessed- Snake Man here isn't even fully ACTIVE yet, how is he cursed at all? And the other two are perfectly fine."

"How the hell did I get dragged into this?! Since when did I fall into any of these categories?"

"This sibject seems popular amongst the organic life forms, they truly must be lacking in bhasic cohesion and comprehension." Dahlia proceeds to once more, go off on scientific clarifications.

Cut meanwhile, is chuckling, with hands on his hips. "I'm clean! I am just a pure Robot, clearly." He is so proud of himself.

[ick25]

Rockman.EXE Episode 47 Review.

Told you these guys would be back. -__-

Let the Wacky Races parody begin!

We start the episode with car related shots, something that looks like a photo shooting with Aki-chan, more car related close ups and a scene of Iceman being taken away from Aki by Glyde.

A race is taking place today! Shots of the drivers getting their cars ready along with Rush getting chained to one of the cars for some reason, and Rockman putting on the goggles we saw earlier along with his battle mask.

He looks cute with goggles. :3

We see the different “cars” at the starting line as the race begins!

Yes, that is in fact Magicman’s arm shoveling coal into a train engine.

Its is reveal to be a Net Mobile Grand Prix hosted by Yaito since the commentator is one of her maids. Just then, a newcomer drives in at the last second.

Blues joins the brawl! I mean race.

After the title card, Yaito’s maid tells us the name of each car and their respective drivers.

Rockman is driving the only real race car, Gutsman is racing in a tank, Roll’s car looks sentient and Glide is wearing gloves over his gloves.

Mania-Obsessive, the Ex-WWW Navis are driving a train, Net agents are driving a manly submarine and Yaito’s maid just straight up insults Blues. Talk about an objective commentator.

This is basically Mario Karts, so we all know they’re gonna attack eachother, be realistic woman!

The winner, aside from the title, will also receive a kiss from the CGI race queen.

“I love you, you love me, we all love weird looking CGI~”

I can only imagine those are the lyrics of a new cheezy song of hers.

This is something I didn’t like from the dub, we all know that Roll has a crush on Rockman, but it is not okay to make her jealous of other girls? The dub change the dialogue to Roll complaining about Rush not being in the car with her, as if she didn’t know that she has him strapped to the car’s front. It’s actually cute how Roll wants to win the race to avoid having Aki kiss him.

But Rockman couldn’t care less about the kiss because all he wants is to win no matter the battle, as he then gives us a flashback from a few days earlier at the Maha Ichiban where Yaito is telling everyone (including Higure for some reason) about the race.

I love that little gag with Netto, eating curry is always a priority for him. Also, why is one of Hello Kitty’s friends on the wall? Or... maybe its just a pig.

Yaito then shows them a new line of Navi cars with Numberman as the model.

The idea behind these cars is that Navis will be able to drive cars through the internet, which is pretty stupid considering that there are no highways in Internet city and Navis can easily travel fast plug-in style. But we all know that the real reason is to make Blues look cool in a future episode and have a Wacky Races parody.

In order to advertize the cars, Yaito wants to hold a race and asks Netto and the others to take part, they accept, but the Ex-WWW overhears them and ask to join as well for the publicity for their restaurant. And for some reason Commander Beef and the rest of the Net Agents arrive and decide to enter as well to foil WWW’s idea. And Yaito being so selfish doesn’t give a crap about the WWW’s intention like she did in the last episode and just accepts everyone.

But it DOES bother you when Enzan joins the race at the last second, you self centered big headed hypocrite! You are tied in with Rush for the second spot on my list of most hated characters from this season! (You should all know who number one is).

In the cyberworld, Glyde asks Iceman to be his co-pilot and Roll invites Rush along before noticing something wrong with him. Turns out the Cutman brothers are back and they made a paper cut out of a flea to spy on Rockman’s group. They plan to take out Rockman during the race because they still think he’s evil and now they seem to have a crush on Roll all of a sudden.

Makes sense that Glyde asks to team up with Iceman, because I don’t believe there is a car small enough for him.

The flashback ends, making me wonder if the Cutmen scene was part of Rockman’s memory, and we return to the race. We also see the thoughts of the Net Agents taking part as well.

Funny you ask that, Miyuki, because we then cut to Madoi wondering why the WWW is driving a train. Mahajarama just happens to have a thing for trains.

We cut to Rockman who just now finds out that Blues is in the race, I mean come on, Netto didn’t tell him?

Gutsman manages to pass Rockman... On a tank! How?

Gutsman gets in front of Numberman and decides to bend the rules by attacking the car, sending it flying and forcing Numberman to log out after it blows up leaving an emoji face Higure-san.

The cars enter a tunnel where Iceman decides to freeze the road causing Gutsman to drift out of control.

However, Roll-chan is too close, but she avoids crashing into Gutsman by quickly drifting along with him. Worried about Roll’s safety, Gutsman decides to destroy his own car forcing him to log-out.

Here is another line changed in the dub. It’s a fact in both versions that Gutsman has a crush on Roll and he even sacrificed himself in episode 24 to protect her. Here, the dub had him saying that he was getting dizzy and he destroys his own car because he couldn’t take it anymore. I guess the dub wanted Roll to be portrayed more as an equal than having a man sacrificing himself for her for no real reason.

After this we see the Cutman brothers waiting outside of the tunnel where they make a giant paper cut out of a canon. Netto cheers for Rockman, but just then the WWW train pushes his car off balance making him slide out of control before cutting to commercials.

We come back from commercials with Netto saving Rockman by changing his tires, with a little warning about using those tires in public roads that was skipped in the dub. Rockman regains control by driving on the walls of the tunnel and the race continues with Higure-san as a new commentator.

The insult of the day is “pain in the ass” because this is the third time we hear that in this episode. Or the sub was too lazy to think of another insult.

The cars exit the tunnel where the Cutmen are waiting for Rockman with the canon, but for some reason they just stand there. I guess the cars are so fast that they didn’t get the chance to shoot?

The line in the dub was just as pathetic. ¬ -¬

The next obstacle is a draw bridge opening, Rockman and Blues manage to jump to the other side without problems, Roll-chan has some kind of air bag under her car that allows her to bounce to the other side, but the manly submarine can only do what it does best, dive.

So the Net agents are out and now its time for the WWW to upgrade their train from a steam powered locomotive to an electrical train thanks to the Count and Elecman.

I like how Coloredman and Heatman are waving their hands in the air like they don’t even care. XD

Time for the Cutmen’s third attemp to destroy Rockman, by planting something on his car using a manhole they created out of paper. It looks like they forgot cut some stairs because Cutman Jiro (Eyebrows) is using the rest of the Cutmen to give him leverage. The fat cutman at the bottom gets a supper boost of strenght causing Jiro to get run over by Rockman’s car. They ask about what happened to the paper cut out, which turns out to be a time bomb, and they assume that it successfuly stuck to Rockman’s car making them feel victorious and making up a new excuse for last time about Roll-chan being in danger too. What’s this sudden crush for Roll?!

“It was at this moment that Cutman Jiro realized... He f*!ked up.”

We return to the race with the WWW Navis in first place and attacking the other cars, they eventually take out the Battle Bus much for Yaito’s maid’s dismay.

Boo-hoo, maybe now you  can concentrate in being an objective commentator.

The WWW feels confident, but Enzan, Netto and Meiru power up their Navi’s vehicles giving them a boost of speed to pass the WWW train.

As the WWW Navis are shocked by Rockman and the others passing them, the Otoko-Maru raises from the water and returns to the race just to get in the way of the Wakahage taking both teams out.

This was just a hilarious accident, but the dub made it look like the Navis themselves did it on purpose to get the WWW out of the race. That would actually make sense, Sharkman, Woodman and Skullman sacrificing themselves for their main objective fits with their characters, after all we don’t see their reactions inside the submarine. They like “Screw this race, we are taking the WWW with us!” ;)

Cue the final lap music of Mario Karts, or in this case, Rockman’s victory music since we have reach the third and final lap of the race with Rockman, Blues and Roll-chan racing eachother.

We see the Cutmen waiting at the finish line as Rockman and Blues focus on eachother and both of them try to make a move in a corner, but they seem to forget that Roll is behind them because they open up a gap for her to move on to first place.

And the seventh panel was ruined by a layering mistake. ¬ . ¬

Roll is now in the lead, but Rockman and Blues are not happy with this so it’s time for their Netops to send in their last accessory chips to transform their vehicles, with Meiru doing the same to keep her advantage over them.

Roll’s corny car just became a freaking rocket plane with wheels!

As Rock and Blues try to catch up with her, we check back with the Cutman brothers who discover a tiny problem with their plan of blowing up Rockman.

That little Cutman is an idiot. Turns out the bomb was stuck to Jiro’s back all along, probably after he got ran over by Rockman’s car, the rest of the Cutman panic trying to take it off with no avail.

The three Navis are almost at the finish line, Roll is holding her ground, until one of her tires suddenly blows up for whatever reason causing her to spin out of control, Rockman and Blues take advantage of this to pass her. 

Roll’s car finally crashes and blows up sending Rush flying and forcig Roll to log out leaving behind a tear.

Yeap, that is a tear drop breaking. The dub kept this in because I remember wondering what that was. I inicially thought it was like a sweat drop, but after watching the original version, I realized that was a tear because Roll was heartbroken knowing that she failed to stop Rockman from winning and getting kissed by Aki-chan. AWWWWW.

So now it’s down to Rockman and Blues! Who will become the champion?

Hmmm... Considering that motorcycles don’t normally take part in car races, this is gonna be a tough call.

Anyway, the race is over and I want my fireworks!

Woo hoo! Let’s celebrate because this is the last time we see the Cutman brothers. (Until the Beast saga, but that’s another story.)

As they are waiting for the results, Blues raises his index finger to the sky making everyone believe that he is declaring himself the winner, but he surrprises them by pointing at Rockman and declaring him the victor.

But this moment of good sportmanship is ruined by the photo finish that shows that the winner of the race.... Is Rush.

I dont know why they cutted out Blues’s reaction in the dub, it was funny. Or do they think Blues is too cool for this?

Yes, Rush is the winner because he crossed the finish line first after Roll’s car blew up, so I guess in a way, Roll got her wish. :3

And the episode ends with everyone booing as Aki-chan kisses an unconscious Rush and Netto breaking the picture with his face.

My thoughts?

Before I forget again, here is a fun fact! Cutman Jiro and the original Cutman were voiced by the same person who voiced Bubbleman in the rest of the anime, Chiyako Shibahara. It was until the Beast saga when the Cutman Brothers and Cutman himself return for an episode where I realized it was the same voice, the only difference being that they don’t say “Puku” all the time.

Wacky Races was an old Hanna-Barbera show from the 80′s that was very popular in a lot of countries, specially in Japan for many animes would include an episode based on the concept. Whether it was a direct parody or just inspired by it, this episode is clearly one of those examples. Sure, it might also be a reference to the Megaman Battle and Chase game that was released in 1997, but that could’ve been inspired by Wacky Races too.

How can I tell if this was directly inspired by the Wacky Races cartoon?

Because Roll-chan’s car is an obvious parody of Penelope Pitstop’s car from the show, with the car wearing mascara an all. And I think there was also a tank in the race.

All and all, this was a very fun episode to watch, it wasn’t ridiculous like the baseball one, this one was written into the story to actually make sense. Remember my criterias for episode 43? The episode introduced something new that fits in with the anime’s universe, and Blues’s bike will make a comeback in a future episode.

[blaze8403]

BOXER MANAGER CONTRACT

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA

STATE ATHLETIC COMMISSION

MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT made this ______ day of ______________, 20__ , between

(Boxer)

Of

(Ring Name) (Address) (State) (Zip Code)

date of birth _______________________, Age ______, hereinafter referred to as Boxer, and / ,

(Manager) (Co-Manager)

of hereinafter referred to as a Manager.

(Address) (State) (Zip Code)

In consideration of the covenants and conditions hereinafter contained, the parties, intending to be legally bound hereby, agree as follows:

FIRST: This agreement shall be binding on all parties for a period of ______ years (not to exceed 3 years) from date listed above. The Boxer agrees to render

his services solely and exclusively for the Manager in all contests or exhibitions and in all areas as designated by the Manager.

SECOND: The Manager agrees to pay the Boxer _________% (Must be at least 60%) of all sums of money derived by him from any services that the said

Boxer may render hereunder. The Manager shall be responsible for all necessary training expenses incurred by the Boxer in the performance of his duties,

which shall include but not limited to license and insurance fees, payment of all trainers/cutman and necessary travel expenses. Manager further agrees and

guarantees said Boxer that the said percentage of the moneys to be paid to him as stated above shall in no year during the term of this contract be less than

______________Dollars. (Not less than $1,000.00).

THIRD: THE BOXER DOES CERTIFY AND WARRANT THAT THERE ARE NO OTHER AGREEMENTS BETWEEN HIMSELF AND ANY OTHER

MANAGER REGARDING HIS SERVICES AS A BOXER.

FOURTH: The Boxer agrees to faithfully fulfill any contract entered into by him and his Manager during the term hereof. It is understood and agreed by and

between the parties, hereto that the services of the Boxer are extraordinary, exceptional and unique.

FIFTH: The Boxer agrees that he will not, during this contract, take part in any contests or other exhibitions, or otherwise exercise his talent in any manner or

place except as directed by the Manager, and will not allow his name to be used in any boxing event whatsoever without first obtaining the written permission

of his Manager so to do.

SIXTH: The Boxer shall attend to such training exercises as the Manager shall require, and shall proceed and travel by such means of conveyance as and when

required by the Manager for the purpose of fulfilling this agreement.

SEVENTH: This agreement is subject to the provisions of the Pennsylvania Athletic Code and to the Rules and Regulations of the Pennsylvania Athletic

Commission, (hereinafter referred to as the Commission) and to any future amendments of either of them.

EIGHTH: Both parties certify that they are currently licensed by the Commission. This agreement shall be automatically terminated if the license of the Boxer

or Manager is revoked by the Commission, or, if the Manager fails to renew his license within thirty (30) days after the expiration thereof. If the license of the

Boxer or Manager is suspended, this agreement shall not be binding upon the other party during the period of such suspension. (If Co-Managers, this section

will apply only to that Manager whose license has been terminated, revoked or suspended. The contract shall continue in force with respect to the remaining

parties).

NINTH: The Manager agrees to use his best efforts to secure remunerative contests and exhibitions for the Boxer.

TENTH: All parties agree to waive any and all claims against the Department of State, Commission, and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania arising from any

defects in the ring or ring equipment under the provisions set forth in the Athletic Code or regulations. Any approval of the ring or ring equipment by any

Commission representative does not amount to a warranty or guarantee of its safety or fitness for use in any boxing matter, contest or exhibition.

ELEVENTH: ALL PARTIES AGREE TO WAIVE AND HOLD HARMLESS ANY AND ALL CLAIMS AGAINST THE COMMISSION, THE

DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA ARISING FROM ANY CONFLICTS UNDER THIS CONTRACT.

TWELFTH: Boxer and Manager shall not sell, assign, transfer, or in any way encumber, attempt to sell, assign or transfer any interest, in whole or in part,

which he shall hold under this contract for the services of the this contract, without notice to and written consent of either party and the Commission.

THIRTEENTH: THIS CONTRACT IS NOT VALID AND BINDING UNTIL BOTH PARTIES HAVE APPEARED BEFORE THE COMMISSION AND

HAVE RECEIVED ITS APPROVAL ENDORSED HEREON.

THE UNDERSIGNED HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THIS AGREEMENT:

WITNESS OUR hands and seals on the day and year first above written.

(SEAL) (SEAL)

MANAGER CO-MANAGER (If Applicable)

(SEAL)

BOXER

STATE OF __________________________________:

SS:

COUNTY OF _________________________________:

On this _____ day of ___________________, 19 ____, before me (a notary public, the undersigned officer), personally appeared

___________________________ and ________________________________/________________________ known to me (or satisfactorily proven) to be the

Boxer Manager Co-Manager (IF APPLICABLE)

Individuals whose names are subscribed to the foregoing instrument, who acknowledged to me that they did execute the same for the purposes

therein contained.

______________________________________________________

Notary Public

Approved by __________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________

Commission Representative Date

[juliedeardorff]

“It’s easy to win the fights that go your way right from the opening bell; it takes true courage & confidence to realize that things aren’t going your way, and to not give in to the critic inside us all.” -Eric Turner, owner of Knoxville Martial Arts Academy

I saw my first live MMA fight January 31, 2015 in Pigeon Forge. It blew my mind.

Isaac Fine had an 8 second knockout; Jason King had a 10 second knockout. Amy Coleman was just a badass.

I was impressed by the class shown by Isaac in the moments after his fight. I was an instant fan of Jason’s as he entertained the crowd with his personality and entrance music. Amy & her coach’s post-fight celebration showed me what a client/coach relationship ought to be–complete belief and trust in each other until perseverance finally wins.

I was all around just addicted to this sport.

Being apt to like violent sports in general, what was it about this one that lit me up inside?

1. MMA is the perfect contrast in a culture of sissys that incarcerates people for throwing a punch. And let’s face it: some people today just need their asses kicked.

2. It takes a unique combination of character traits to have the guts to step in the ring and put your ego on the line.

3. It taps into a side of ourselves that has been deemed obsolete by today’s standards of society.

I would say a primal side, but it in fact is not entirely; as Amy’s brother explained to me: if you fight with instinct & emotion only, you won’t be fighting for very long. You need a game plan; you need adaptable strategy; you need a shit ton of practice. You need people who support you.

4. I didn’t know how, but I knew I wanted to be a part of it.

Three separate people invited me to visit their MMA gym that day; all 3 were from KMAA–Knoxville Martial Arts Academy.

Here I discovered a kind of comeraderie I hadn’t found anywhere else before; not in other sports; not in law enforcement; not even in the Marines. And I didn’t even fight! They welcomed me anyway.

Their mantra: 10,000 hearts; 1 heartbeat.

I went to an Eddie Bravo seminar they hosted to learn more about my new passion, and also took a few lessons from BJJ ninja and fighter Chad Clark. As it turns out, I can’t sing, dance, or fight either, so instead I promoted events and cheered on amateur fighters as I watched their careers unfold.

Weigh-in’s were my favorite though, because people kept asking if I was a fighter. 🤗🤗

I had issues with the ring girls at first, until 3 of them befriended me and asked when my fight was. 🤗🤗

(Being made fun of for being small my entire life, I’m now happily susceptible to flattery of this nature.)

On January 21 of this year, I stepped into the cage for the first time. I was shadowing Mark Laws, the best Cutman in the sport.

What makes Mark the best?

With 14.5 years of experience in cardiac surgery and 3 years in orthopedic surgery, there isn’t much he can’t handle under pressure. Of over 300 people interviewed and stories submitted, Mark was 1 of 3 Cutmen chosen to be featured in the book “From the Fields to the Garden” by Jacob “Stitch” Duran. He is also the first American aside from Stitch asked to join the International Cutman Association.

If you ever watch Mark at an event, he will be doing physicals before fights, wrapping hands in between fights, stopping blood during fights, and resetting noses and doing actual stitching after fights.

It was impressive. I was hooked.

I was also honored that he was willing to share his extensive knowledge and skills of this craft with me. Not only is he fully devoted to his cause and to the well-being of every fighter, he has what Dave Ramsey refers to as the heart of a teacher.

Why does this job appeal to me?

- You’re part of the action, but the spotlight isn’t on you; it’s on the fighters, as it should be.

- You get to rub elbows with champions and interact with some of the most exceptional athletes and human beings you’ll ever meet.

- I’ve been conditioned from childhood to cheer about things like “First blood!!” and “Authentic battle damage!”. I blame my 2 older brothers. And violent sports. And maybe Mortal Combat.

-I have a natural tendency to want to fix other peoples’ problems; here I get to fix fighters so they can continue focusing on the most important fight of their life– the current one.

- Cageside seats!!

Moral of the story: Follow your passions. If something resonates with you, it does so for a reason. It means it’s somehow struck a core value that’s very important to you, and it connects on a deep level of your being. Pursuing it puts you on track to living a fuller & more fullfilling life.

Moral #2: When life presents you with a golden opportunity, take it. Some doors take a breaching kit to tear down; others open simply because it’s time for a new adventure.

#liferecon #cutmanchronicles #episode1#barrierbreaker #satoriseeker #slayin #goals #seeit #wantit #workforit #achieveit #Nevergiveup #datingstillsucks

P.S.

“Don’t push your punches.”-KMAA. Wise advice for both fighting and life.

“If I had to make a list of top three people I’d never want to be hit by, Isaac Fine is def in that top three.” -Mark Laws

“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” -Bruce Lee

“For those who fight, life has a flavor the sheltered will never know.” -Suckerpunch

“Son of a bitch! You tried to kill me!” “Well that doesn’t mean I don’t like you.” -Broken Arrow

“As soon as the fight is over…we can recite to you a complete poem on why we do this. It’s beauty. It’s just a different type of art. There’s something about this sport that takes a particular kind of individual and brings something out in them we didn’t know was there….this will change your life. This is why we do it. That one feeling. That one rush.” -Pat Barry

“When you are presented with an opportunity, don’t be afraid to take the risk and go for it. Even if it may seem improbable, or even crazy, believe in yourself. And if you decide to try to achieve something great, understand that it’s a process. It might not be easy. As a matter of fact, sometimes it might seem unreachable. Keep going! You never know where you’ll end up.” -Jacob “Stitch” Duran, 'From the Fields to the Garden II’

Dear Lord, let me do your will today. If that includes punching a ring girl cool; if not, please forgive me. @devildorff, a past tweet. Leah Scroggins, you know I heart you ❤️ 😂

[iveneverplayedmegaman]

It's pages 155-157!

Iceman shows us what he usually does all day everyday!

Goodness, it's been a while! I think this might be the first time it's taken me over a month to put out an update. Between my other comic, art fight, and life, things have been pretty hectic. But now I can finally move on to the next section of the story, yay!

[scatterpatter]

Any Cutman headcanons?

Anon,,, Anon you angel,,, ANON YOU ABSOLUTE ANGEL THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY

*CRACKS KNUCKLES*

Okay so my headcanons on Cutman kind of conglomerate a bunch of different medias since he's so different across the,, but I'd describe how I see him best as a mix between Megamix/Gigamix and Archie, leeet's see here

Given he's the first robot master built, and the first robot after Rock and Roll, he's extremely close with the two

Cutman was finished before the rest of DLN 004-008, and as a result got to hang around Light Labs while his linemates were finished

He's either the mom of the group or the bratty child, there is NO in between

No seriously, hell hath no fury like a Cutman scorned. You touch one of his linemates and you're DEAD. You thought Elecman could get scary when mad? Nooooooononono, nah. You mess with the scissors, the pain delivers.

His relationship with his linemates is best described as brotherly, and he'll often refer to them as "bro" or similar affectionate nicknames

He's terrible when it comes to puns. Everyone hates it (they secretly adore them but sh don't tell Cut)

He has an interesting dynamic with Elecman- Cutman is the first in the line, but Elecman tends to have the more mature personality and is often considered the leader of the line. So as such they often bicker back and forth a lot, but they each take their turns making sure the rest of the line is being taken care of.

Cutman, clinging to Elecman's arm: "I don't have a favorite linemate."

"Deforestation" NO. Cutman works in the forestry management department yeah but HE ISN'T JUST CUTTING DOWN TREES LEFT AND RIGHT, he works in sustainable forestry. Meaning preserving old growth, ensuring replanting after harvesting, protecting from diseases/wildfire, etc etc. If all he was there for was to only cut down trees, Light wouldve just built a chainsaw.

... I'm... I'm a MetalCut shipper... 👉👈

haha what ANYWAYS- Cutman doesn't get along with most of the DWN for- for pretty obvious reasons- though he moreso hates Wily for building them for destruction instead of hating the DWN for simply being the way they are

... Woodman is cool tho. Woodman can stay.

He's all for any DWN redeeming themselves and choosing a different path in life other than just destruction tho

He totally owns multiple houseplants (mostly bonsai trees) and names each and every one of them

He usually doesn't wear human clothes but whenever he does he's a flannel guy <3

Also his favorite genre of music is alt rock dont @ me

He likes spending his weekends at Light Labs and hangs out with Rock and Roll a lot- he and Rock play lots of video games together

He has multiple nicknames for Rock and Roll- his personal favorites are Rockstar and Rollercoaster

He has retractable cleats on the soles of his boots- they give him a good grip to easily climb trees or keep a good grip on any rough terrain

He has... mixed feelings about Protoman. A familial love-hate kind of dynamic.

The rolling cutter on his head acts like finials and can emote with him (yes like cat ears >:3)

Trust me I could keep going but enjoy these for now <3

[mariaantonnietta]

So, I played Megaman 1...

I was utterly destroyed XD.

Haha, no really, difficult game is difficult.So, this is atually the second time I played this game (first time was a few years back in summer,(is winter right now) but that same summer my pc overheated and the disk was damaged, so, not more megaman that summer )

So, under the cut my opinion, that I have to give because I really want to, but so people can ignore it because it will have a lot of ramblings and be longXD.

So, I actually feel satisfied by this run of the game. In the first run I had to use save states to defeat some  robot masters. In this I only saved between robot masters, and in the willy stage, I did end up saving before the final stage, and the final boss, but my improvement is great.

I suppose if I played up another time I could challenge myself by doing the Willy stage without pause, but for all purposes, I feel acomplished for now XD.

And about the robot masters in general:

Well, in my first run I did Cutman->Iceman->death(I did have to save here to pass, Iceman is really difficult without Elecman weapon, you have to jump precisily, and if you die, is plataform hell again)->other bosses I don’t remember(Ice traumatised me)-> Yellow Devil.(I died here)

So, in this run, I knew that :

Fire weakness is Iceman.

Go for the magnet weapon before ever thinking of facing Iceman.

So, I started with Cutman again, because I remembered his stage being the easiest, and he being easy to defeat (he is when you notice his pattern).

Then, I when to Elecman, that I remembered was weak to cutman....but I had forgotten about the enemies in the floor that hit you when you pass, and more importantly, that with cutman weapon they were easy to defeat. With that knowledge forgotten, I decided to use the other path in his level, tht needed Gutsman weapon. 

Gutsman level difficulty lies in the plataforms at the start of it. Once you pass them, the rest of the level is easy, and Gutsman is easy to defeat with the buster alone, and some life to spare.

Armed I came back to Elecman stage, and there I defeated him with cutman weapon, hurray!. And I got the Magnet weapon (double hurray!)

So, I tried Fireman stage-> frustrating level, and the boss is more frustrating, need Iceman to defeat him.

So, I tried Iceman stage-> Plataform hell (but you had the magnet...yes, but I could not use the magnet well, and the penguins got me, and the stupid grinning shooting platafoms as well)

also, what is Iceman weakness?

Didn’t know, and was already frustrated, so I went to Bombman stage. He was an easy boss, with buster I could defeat him not problem, but the bombs in his level were frustrating, I fell to my death a lot of times.

Then, I decided that Iceman stage was still to difficult, at least I had reached Fireman boss,(also, are you sure it was fire weak against ice, and not vice versa, my head whispered me) so I did the Fireman stage and defeated him with buster.

Then, I did my best with Iceman stage, and thanks to magnet I could reach him (was an hybrid of magnet, jump platafoms and luck, honestly). Elecman is Ice weaknesss, an really easy to defeat Iceman with it.

At this point in time I would like to offer my opinion about the robot weapons:

Cutman’s: Helps with the floor chasing robots, and Elecman.(I didn’t try this, but it looked to me that ELecman would be much more difficult without it)

Gutsman’s: Only serves to remove obstacles in the game, I think is the less useful weapon (you only need to use it to advance, like a mo slave in pokemon), but I prefer it to bombman weapon, because destroying (the few targets I could)  with it feels amazing 

Iceman’s: I like this weapon, because it helps with Fireman in the final stage, and because I can freeze those enemies that jumpo and are at the end of every level, I do not know how to defeat those things, if someone knows I hear, I just passed throught them hoping I had enough life when I did not had Ice weapon.

Bombsman’s: My least favourite. It helped me against gutsman in the final stage when I realised it was his weakness(the funny thing is that the first time I  used it to defeat him in his level I had totally forgotten about it), but  nothing else, it is really slow, and really only serves for that. Had more fun with gutsman.

Fireman’s: Love the weapon. Firepower! I used this weapon to defeat both copy and Willy machines. Love the damage it makes, and the armor taking the minor enemies around me is awesome too. It is Bombsman’s weakness, I learned in he final stage, but Bombman is too fast for me to end him with this, I had better luck using my buster alone against bombman.

Elecman’s: Did you just say, the most versatile weapon in the game? Love it, can defeat to many enemies without being hit, used to defeat Yellow Devil (I did see that there was a glicht, but I did not use it, mostly becuase I pretty sure it does not work where I played it XD)

And that is all, in willy stages, in the first one: I heate you with passion, moving plataforms, (and spikes, but mostly the moving plataforms), and the accuracy to defeat yellow devil had me chanting jump while I battled (I not tend to talk while playing, so, really surprising ). The second: I hate you with passion, pursuing balloons, (and I saw how t defeat copy megaman, someone said, use fire!; I did, and it worked, mostly because the weapon does a lot of damage I think,  really great) The third: I almost forgot you, I when to check the name Yashichi in the wiki and it mention that there was a face I did not remember...you were really easy, but the fast peace was fun. the fourth: I hate you with passion, moving plataforms (not so much because of magnet though) Also, I learned what a Yashichi is. Lokked it up because I did not want to waste lives to grab it if it was not useful (did not grab, because also I do not trust me with magnet, I always end up falling if I am not careful)....to defeath four bosses one after the other is rought, the most difficult was fireman, I could not help losing life there. Gutsman also was only feasible for me with bombman an withhim alone in his corner. 

Willy boss: FIREMAN WEAPON ATTACK. I can defeat the first phase in three shots with it. The second I had to evade, that ray trayectory was strange, but after a while it is possible with fireman weapon.

I totally see megaman with other eyes after this, the little one is awesome to do this in one go!.

I really had fun with this game, in the future, I will someday challenge myself to do the willy stage in one go, but not right now XD. 

I really liked it, go on Megaman!

[drifter2lnxpls]

Repost: My boy @big_serg_estrada The Cutman doing what he does best. #KingOfTheCage #20thAnniversaryShow #KOTCHallOfFameInductionCeremony When I think of the journey... I have no regrets! A true testament on how hard work, dedication, support and encouragement from believers but most important of all a firm belief in yourself can help make dreams reality.🙏🏼 While it blows my mind to see myself like this, it reminds me that I have been and continue to be on the right path. Believe me when I say, this is just the beginning of great things to come; stay tuned for even bigger and better things! A huge shout out to my friend @hecktorpuente1 for this cool video and his words. Once again I’ll say... I appreciate all the love and support that I constantly get from everyone, everywhere I go! Believe me when I say that it never goes unnoticed. Thank You💙 💥🥊💥👊🏽💥👣 #AlwaysHumble #BigSergTheCutman #GotCuts? #BigSergKOWraps #WartapeFamily #TeamSavages #TeamMadballTattoos #Blackhouse #InternationalCutmanAssociation #Fighting4Autism #TeamCutman4Hire #TeamUSArmy #WoundedWarriorProject #OchoasCustomConstructionInc https://www.instagram.com/p/BpqapWMAdIe/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1804dqj34ed6a

[ick25]

Rockman.EXE Episode 36 Review.

This new comercial bumper is the cutest I’ve seen!

Isn’t Japan like in the north?

We open the episode with Netto dying from the heat in the middle of a hot day when a robotic penguin walks in to cool him down.

It was just Meiru trying to brag about her newest toy, an “Adelin-kun” penguin, named after the Adélie species of penguins.

Not a 100% identical, but pretty close.

Apparently, having these penguins is the newest trend in Densan city, especially during the summer. After getting a few shots of people walking around the city with their own penguin coolers, we go to something that looks like a freezer somewhere in Internet city where we see today’s navified robot master, Freezeman.EXE.

I honestly don’t know why he is like that, I inicially thought he was hibernating or something.

We cut to Midorikawa talking about the newest trend of having a robot penguin slave following you around 24/7.

There is no way that this thing is gonna end up gathering dust in a closet during the winter.

We then cut to the Ex-World Three that finally decided to open a curry restaurant named Number One Curry aka Maha Ichiban, where Madoi and Count Elec are complaining about the heat. Luckily for them, they still get a customer who seems to be more interested in the fact that they don’t own one of those penguins.

I wonder if this guy will have an important role in the future.

Netto and friends are heading over to Yaito’s mansion who decided to build a pool because of the heat, figures. We see Yaito waiting for them in her bathing suit as she decides to go for a swim with her personal army of Penguins behind her.

As always, nothing is too excesive for the rich.

Meanwhile, at the Net agents HQ, Saloma and Miyuki are inspecting an Adelin-kun where they discover a strange chip with Gospel’s logo on it.

Why would they start doing this now when the penguins have already been release to the public? There are like hundreds all over the city!

Of course this is the perfect time for Gospel to put their plan in motion. For some reason there is a display of giant penguins in Internet City that Freezeman turn into a super ice tower that begins to emit electronic waves.

Seriously, why is there a display of giant penguins?

This somehow affects the weather in the real world making it suddenly snow in Densan. The robot penguins are shown to be feezing the entire city, Netto and the others try to escape the cold with Meiru forgetting her penguin, but Dekao and Tohru are mysteriously frozen.

Hmm... Iceman’s operator has been frozen... Isn’t that ironic in some way?

Looks like Meiru’s penguin doesn’t like being left behind a second time and ends up freezing her. The penguin plans to do the same with Netto but he gives it the slip on his ice skates, yes, ice skates.

Why is Netto packing ice skates in the middle of summer? Plot convinience!

At the Net Agents HQ, Commander Beef tries to warn Saloma and Miyuki but they are all surprised by a penguin that came in after the Commander.

See? This is what happens when you inspect it late.

The whole city is covered in snow and the tempetures are decreasing fast, as told by Midorikawa who ends up frozen by some penguins that snuck up behind her.

As Netto is skating trying to figure out what is going on, unaware that Meiru’s penguin is following him, Rockman tells him that the network is cold too and that maybe it has something to do with what’s going on in the real world.

Funny, when Iceman froze the Water Works computer back in episode 6 you didn’t mention anything about it being cold. Can Navis even feel cold?

Netto decides to go to Yaito’s mansion to plug-in, but we interrupt this Rockman.EXE episode to bring you an evil robot penguin drama that was cutted from the dub.

RIP, Penshirou.

Yeah, for some reason Maha Ichiban is the only place in the entire city that isn’t frozen because something is keeping the penguins from getting closer. I don’t know why they cut this from the dub, maybe it was to avoid making kids feel bad for the evil penguins?

Netto arrives at Yaito’s mansion where he finds everything frozen, including Yaito. He also discovers that the penguins are the ones freezing the city.

I’m glad Yaito got what she deserved for being super materialistic and excesive, but as we’ve seen before, she is probably not gonna learn anything from this.

After the new cute comercial break animation, we see that Netto managed to escape from Yaito’s army of penguins and is now walking through the blizzard finding somewhere else to plug in. Unfortunately, Netto discovers that he dropped his PET somewhere and goes back to try and find it.

“I was wondering why you were suddenly so quiet”

After this, we cut to another report from Midorikawa, wait, what?

Weren’t you frozen by the penguins earlier?! How many times do you have to perish in this episode?

We then cut to Maha Ichiban where they all seem to be talking about something that will help stop Gospel’s plan, so Mahajarama, Madoi, Count Elec and the customer from earlier run out of the shop, but they all slip on the ice causing the man to drop a strange PET that is melting the snow around it.

They are suddenly surrounded by the penguins who freeze them all together.

It’s nice to know that Penshirou was avenged.

Netto keeps looking for his PET in the snow, luckily, Rockman calls out to him and is found.

Netto! Do you kiss you’re useless mother with that mouth?!

Netto digs Rockman out of the snow, but is too tire to stay awake, he falls on the snow with the blizzard starting to bury him alive. Rockman tries to wake him up with no avail, Meiru’s penguin appears and tries to freeze him before he is buried until Rockman yells his cyber lungs out to finally wake him up causing the penguin to fall off.

In the dub, Megaman notices the penguin, but I think the original gag was that the penguin was trying to freeze Netto the whole episode, but was never noticed until the end.

After successfully waking him up, Rockman reminds Netto that they have to find somewhere to plug-in. Coincidentally, Netto discovers the unfrozen Maha Ichiban and goes inside where he finds a connection behind the counter. Netto plugs-in Rockman and he finds this.

I think that is suppoused to be the gate to Internet city, but wouldn’t that mean that the whole Net is frozen? Or is it just that part?

Anyway, Rockman blasts it with his buster and enters Internet City where all the Navis are frozen too. He sees the giant Ice tower and figures that it is emitting strange waves, Rockman is suddenly surrounded by viruses, but its nothing a few cutted buster shots can’t handle. Oh hey, a Ice Bear virus, long time no see.

Rockman races to the ice tower where he comes across a blue dragon virus, he manages to the avoid its blizzard attacks, but his buster shots are inefficient. Thankfully, the battle chip rule doesn’t include instant win programs, so Rockman activates the Style change and uses the Wood Shield style to defeat the blue dragon.

Now Rockman faces the ice tower, but Freezeman finally makes himself known.

Butt shot! XD

Freezeman introduces himself as a commander for Gospel, he says he wants to test Rockman’s power and creates an ice stage that allows them to use Battle chips in Internet City.

Well, about that, Rockman defeated Shadowman quickly because Yaito passed Netto a bunch of rare chips, and with Cutman they used the Elec Brother Style combined with Woodman’s power, so I doubt you’re gonna get any of that in this battle.

The battle begins and Rockman is having trouble to get near Freezeman, the animation for this battle is pretty good. Something I want to point out is that the art style for this episode is knowen for showing shots where you can appreciate Rockman’s muscular body (and some butt shots), thats why I call this style “bulky Rockman”.

It is no surprise that I learned to draw bodies from watching Rockman. Also, guys have anime girls with mini skirts and jiggly boobs, we girls have moderately muscular anime boys in spandex.

Freezeman immobilizes Rockman with some ice spears and begins to freeze him slowly, while Netto is just watching from the real world waiting for Meiru’s penguin to freeze him.

Seriously, Netto, what are you waiting for? Did you ran out of chips?

However, Freezeman is interrupted by a new fire Navi named Heatman.EXE.

Heatman attacks Freezeman causing him to drop Rockman, and the penguin to break down somehow. The fire left by Heatman’s attack melts the ice covering Rockman allowing him to regain conscieness while the two Navis battle.

As a final attack, Heatman summons an insanely giant flame tower that melts all the ice in both Internet city and in the real world. Netto protects Rockman from the giant flame tower by sending him a Barrier chip.

New butt shot! This art style does not dissapoint in the butt shot deliveries.

After everything goes back to normal, Freezeman has escaped and Heatman tells Rockman that they will be enemies the next time they see eachother.

“No, I’m Rockman”

Netto remembers that the Navi’s name is Heatman and leaves the curry shop after noticing Meiru’s dead penguin behind him.

Finally, now Meiru’s penguin can join Penshirou in evil penguin heaven.

And the episode ends with the revelation of Heatman being Hinouken’s new Navi as he delivers Curry to some random house.

My thoughts?

Before you say anything about the title joke, the title actually alludes to the fact that penguins only live in the southern hemisphere of the planet. 

We spend the mayority of the episode following Netto around the frozen city, along with shots of the penguins and the World Three’s restaurant with their mysterious customer, but the animation for Rockman’s battles against Freezeman and the viruses was the best part.

The scene where Penshirou breakes down when getting glose to the curry restaurant was skipped in the dub, along with the shot of the girl penguin avenging him after freezing the World Three. I’m still not sure why, the scene contributed to the plot because it let us know that the curry shop was unfrozen because the penguins where afraid of getting near, it wasn’t explained why, but at least we knew there was reason why it was the only place not covered in ice.

The Curry Restaurant is called Maha Ichiban and it translates to Maha Number one, in the dub, it is changed to Number One Curry since Mahajarama’s name was changed to Yahoot. 

This episode introduces Freezeman, a Gospel comander who, just like in the game, covers the net with ice. The mysterious customer is also an important character, but I will talk about him later.

Heatman is Hinouken’s Navi in the second game, we never learned what happend to Fireman during that time, but something tells me that we are finally gonna get the answer to that and many other questions in the next episode.

[flauntpage]

Georges St-Pierre Returns, But What Does He Have Left?

He knew. He had to know. The title was being taken from Georges St-Pierre round by round and he no longer had time to win it back. The great welterweight rose from his stool, shaking off the muddle and anxiety of the corner as his seconds left the ring. In the opposite corner, the challenger could barely contain his jubilation. Johny Hendricks, an almost two-to-one underdog, paced back and forth, chanting silently to himself amid the din of the crowd.

This weekend, Georges St-Pierre returns to action for the first time since that night almost four years ago. The big question going into it is just what effect his time off has had. Was it a well-timed and much-needed retirement for an old champ who had clearly lost a step, or will the time off have rejuvenated him in some way? If it's the fighting that ages you, can you effectively preserve a great fighter in a time capsule of temporary retirement?

November 16, 2013 started out mundane enough. Another night, another showing for St-Pierre in all of his frustrating perfection. The champion opened the bout with his measured, methodical striking at range and Hendricks swung back with the overhand left, just as advertised. St-Pierre timed his level change beneath his opponent's haymaker, and in that instant Hendricks' two NCAA Division I wrestling titles no longer mattered—the puncher's chance was off the table, and any edge in pure wrestling seemed hard to work with his back to the mat.

The problems started after Hendricks scrambled back up. The next time he stopped to throw that predictable overhand, GSP dived in, aiming to steamroll through his target's open hips once again but instead was met with an uppercut as Hendricks dropped his hips heavy on him. St-Pierre scrambled up and, clinging to Hendricks' lead leg, tried to muscle through. He drove Hendricks onto the fence but found himself absorbing sharp elbows to the temple and unable to break Hendricks' balance. As the round wore on the two men labored in the clinch and each moment of inspiration for St.Pierre was met with the harsh reality: he could not outmaneuver the challenger.

If St-Pierre was going to best this stocky wrestler, it would not be by ragdolling him to the canvas and keeping him there. It would be by playing the part he had been cast in on the promotional material: he would have to use his more rounded skill set. St-Pierre's striking would carry the fight and that in turn should open the door to the takedowns he was now failing to force onto Hendricks.

Hendricks was simply that old mixed-martial-arts archetype, the one-handed wrestler. The threat of the takedown opened up chances for the one big punch and vice versa. On paper, Hendricks brought nothing St-Pierre hadn't seen before. When faced with Josh Koscheck, whose business card reads "right hands and double legs," St-Pierre had given his most convincing display of mastery to date. Through that bout, St-Pierre's ramrod jab beat Kos's swings to the target and raised a hideous wound around the challenger's eye.

That jab was the most versatile and convincing this young sport had seen. The champ would spring in with it, step off to the side with it, take it out entirely and use the step in to punt Kos's lead leg out of his stance. St-Pierre confounded Koscheck with variation in timing and cadence: a thrusting of the lead shoulder would have Kos reaching blindly with both hands, and when he realized he had fallen victim to a deception, he flapped wildly to get back to his guard. Amid this confusion the champion would effortlessly slap in a backhand on the humming bulb growing around Koscheck's eye as he floundered, and Koscheck's body would seize up as he winced. Each time the cutman attempted to ice his eye on the stool between rounds, Koscheck would pull away as if the endswell and the jab were one and the same.

In many respects, Johny was the mirror image of Josh: a southpaw wrestler with the big left hand. His road to the title shot had been carved with a handful of surprising knockouts. Hendricks would hang his lead hand out, feeling and checking, and this made him a pain for St-Pierre. Even a mediocre southpaw can make the jabber's job very hard if his lead hand keeps obstructing the path. The champion snuck jabs in throughout the bout, but Hendricks' eyes remained unscathed. St-Pierre opened up with his kicks, but each time he did Hendricks would surge in on him and catch him on one leg.

Johny Hendricks' hands were hideous. St-Pierre's jab was a love letter to economy of motion. There was nothing of that in Hendricks' punching game. He threw his arms like an octopus, but he could close distance on his man extremely fast. Martin Kampmann found that out the hard way, bouncing forward and back in his stance; his feet were clean off the ground as Hendricks shot in to crack him with the left hand.

And when Hendricks did get in, he didn't care how he hit. The arms would swing out straight like clotheslines and if one's path was obstructed by the champion's skull, Hendricks would wrap that arm around it and keep hitting with the other. What's more, GSP's challenger turned out to be much more than advertised. As the rounds progressed, Hendricks seemed to slow a little, but as his big fight nerves dissipated his right hand began to come into play. Now he was not simply obstructing St-Pierre's lead hand but coming in behind jabs and lead hooks of his own.

As St-Pierre left his corner for the fifth round, he was in a position he had never been in. The fight was into the championship rounds—his championship rounds—and he needed the finish. Through his entire title run he had been criticized for his lack of urgency. He had barely lost a round in the past four years, but the fans won't forgive a fighter for lacking killer instinct. Now St-Pierre's crown seemed to rest on his ability to do something that he hadn't been able to do even in fights where he controlled the action from the start.

The champion immediately went after Hendricks' leg and clung to it for the first half of the round, unable to take the wrestler down. When Hendricks turned St-Pierre onto the fence and dropped down to attempt a takedown of his own, St-Pierre grabbed hold of a kimura and almost had his arm torn off as Hendricks snatched out of it. But the champion rallied and rattled off a volley of punches and kicks, and finally dragging Hendricks to the mat to rapturous applause. It lasted all of 20 seconds before Hendricks came up and manhandled St-Pierre on o the fence as though he were stuffed with feathers and sawdust.

As the final klaxon sounded it seemed to everyone in attendance that Georges St-Pierre, the greatest welterweight to ever play the game, had finally been dethroned. Yet when the scorecards came in, it was the bloodied and bruised champion whose hand was raised while the unmarked challenger fell to his knees in disbelief.

They say that one night a fighter turns up and realizes he is old. Aging in the fight game is a strange subject to begin with: we speak of a fighter being a "relatively fresh 40," or an "old 34." While St-Pierre was just two years older than Johny Hendricks, and Hendricks was already 16 fights deep into a professional career, St-Pierre had been training for title fights since 2006. This was St-Pierre's 16th camp for a five-round title fight, and throughout the buildup he had made repeated references to an upcoming announcement after the event. When he finally took the microphone, he told the unsatisfied crowd that he had to take some time away from the fight game.

Things became even more peculiar when UFC president Dana White flew into a fury at the post-fight press conference and insisted that while Hendricks was there to take questions, St-Pierre had been carted straight to the hospital due to the battering he had sustained. White went on a tirade about St-Pierre's retirement, insisting that he owed more to the fans and to Hendricks. When St-Pierre walked in and took his seat ten minutes later, apparently having never seen the inside of an ambulance, it made for one of the most awkward press conferences in the history of the company.

The reasons for St-Pierre's departure were never fully revealed and the fans and press speculated wildly. Conspiracy theorists speculated that there was a woman claiming to be carrying the his baby. Perhaps more reasonably, some focused on St-Pierre's remarks on obsessing over opponents and camps; they believed the champion was simply worn down by the relentless grind of the past few years. St-Pierre himself teased a return many times but could never come to terms with the UFC over its single sponsor deal with Reebok among other issues.

Johny Hendricks did win the title after St-Pierre vacated it, and shared a pair of tremendous fights with Robbie Lawler, but as the saying has it, shooting Jesse James won't make you Jesse James. Hendricks' career fell off a cliff after the second Lawler fight and he has now won just two of his last six fights. He struggles on the scale before the bout, he fights sluggishly, and his heralded punching power and surprisingly decent stamina have completely vanished. Hendricks, the vaunted knockout artist, has not stopped anyone in five years. The weight issues might be the result of the ban on I.V. bags, which was enacted in July 2015, but Hendricks' overeating is also well documented.

With the coming of the USADA age shortly after St-Pierre's retirement, plenty of UFC stalwarts have had marked drop-offs in results. While Hendricks has never failed a drug test, fans will always hunt for patterns and this has left him in a rough spot. He has gone from beloved underdog, robbed of the world title he earned, to a sort of pitiful character. In his last fight, Hendricks shambled onto the scale, missed the middleweight limit despite having 15 more pounds leeway to play with, and was head-kicked by eternal gatekeeper Tim Boetsch.

So many of St-Pierre's old foes are no longer relevant. Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, and Dan Hardy are long gone. B.J. Penn keeps coming out of retirement only to break more hearts. Josh Koscheck has won just two fights in the seven years since they fought, and has been knocked out three times and submitted twice. Nick Diaz lost interest in the fight game altogether after failing numerous drug tests for marijuana. Thiago Alves is in a constant state of injury and scraping by in the middle of the division. Carlos Condit is staying out of action so that a surprisingly decent losing performance against Robbie Lawler in 2016 and a single victory since 2013 can somehow keep him in the welterweight top ten. These men have all shuffled on to new pastures.

St-Pierre's opponent this weekend is another relic from the era of SPRAWL shorts and shaved heads, the current UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping. Bisping is seen as a man who lucked into the middleweight title, but the truth is that he has been grinding away in this sport for years. Bisping was always a middle-of-the-pack kind of guy. He never had the title fights and rarely fought the toughest fighters in the division. But now, at almost 40 years old, Bisping is unarguably looking the best he ever has. And so at UFC 217 we get to find out how much of Georges St-Pierre is left, and how much of that talent he was able to keep in suspended animation.

Pick up Jack's book, Notorious: The Life and Fights of Conor McGregor.

Georges St-Pierre Returns, But What Does He Have Left? published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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Georges St-Pierre Returns, But What Does He Have Left?

He knew. He had to know. The title was being taken from Georges St-Pierre round by round and he no longer had time to win it back. The great welterweight rose from his stool, shaking off the muddle and anxiety of the corner as his seconds left the ring. In the opposite corner, the challenger could barely contain his jubilation. Johny Hendricks, an almost two-to-one underdog, paced back and forth, chanting silently to himself amid the din of the crowd.

This weekend, Georges St-Pierre returns to action for the first time since that night almost four years ago. The big question going into it is just what effect his time off has had. Was it a well-timed and much-needed retirement for an old champ who had clearly lost a step, or will the time off have rejuvenated him in some way? If it’s the fighting that ages you, can you effectively preserve a great fighter in a time capsule of temporary retirement?

November 16, 2013 started out mundane enough. Another night, another showing for St-Pierre in all of his frustrating perfection. The champion opened the bout with his measured, methodical striking at range and Hendricks swung back with the overhand left, just as advertised. St-Pierre timed his level change beneath his opponent’s haymaker, and in that instant Hendricks’ two NCAA Division I wrestling titles no longer mattered—the puncher’s chance was off the table, and any edge in pure wrestling seemed hard to work with his back to the mat.

The problems started after Hendricks scrambled back up. The next time he stopped to throw that predictable overhand, GSP dived in, aiming to steamroll through his target’s open hips once again but instead was met with an uppercut as Hendricks dropped his hips heavy on him. St-Pierre scrambled up and, clinging to Hendricks’ lead leg, tried to muscle through. He drove Hendricks onto the fence but found himself absorbing sharp elbows to the temple and unable to break Hendricks’ balance. As the round wore on the two men labored in the clinch and each moment of inspiration for St.Pierre was met with the harsh reality: he could not outmaneuver the challenger.

If St-Pierre was going to best this stocky wrestler, it would not be by ragdolling him to the canvas and keeping him there. It would be by playing the part he had been cast in on the promotional material: he would have to use his more rounded skill set. St-Pierre’s striking would carry the fight and that in turn should open the door to the takedowns he was now failing to force onto Hendricks.

Hendricks was simply that old mixed-martial-arts archetype, the one-handed wrestler. The threat of the takedown opened up chances for the one big punch and vice versa. On paper, Hendricks brought nothing St-Pierre hadn’t seen before. When faced with Josh Koscheck, whose business card reads “right hands and double legs,” St-Pierre had given his most convincing display of mastery to date. Through that bout, St-Pierre’s ramrod jab beat Kos’s swings to the target and raised a hideous wound around the challenger’s eye.

That jab was the most versatile and convincing this young sport had seen. The champ would spring in with it, step off to the side with it, take it out entirely and use the step in to punt Kos’s lead leg out of his stance. St-Pierre confounded Koscheck with variation in timing and cadence: a thrusting of the lead shoulder would have Kos reaching blindly with both hands, and when he realized he had fallen victim to a deception, he flapped wildly to get back to his guard. Amid this confusion the champion would effortlessly slap in a backhand on the humming bulb growing around Koscheck’s eye as he floundered, and Koscheck’s body would seize up as he winced. Each time the cutman attempted to ice his eye on the stool between rounds, Koscheck would pull away as if the endswell and the jab were one and the same.

In many respects, Johny was the mirror image of Josh: a southpaw wrestler with the big left hand. His road to the title shot had been carved with a handful of surprising knockouts. Hendricks would hang his lead hand out, feeling and checking, and this made him a pain for St-Pierre. Even a mediocre southpaw can make the jabber’s job very hard if his lead hand keeps obstructing the path. The champion snuck jabs in throughout the bout, but Hendricks’ eyes remained unscathed. St-Pierre opened up with his kicks, but each time he did Hendricks would surge in on him and catch him on one leg.

Johny Hendricks’ hands were hideous. St-Pierre’s jab was a love letter to economy of motion. There was nothing of that in Hendricks’ punching game. He threw his arms like an octopus, but he could close distance on his man extremely fast. Martin Kampmann found that out the hard way, bouncing forward and back in his stance; his feet were clean off the ground as Hendricks shot in to crack him with the left hand.

And when Hendricks did get in, he didn’t care how he hit. The arms would swing out straight like clotheslines and if one’s path was obstructed by the champion’s skull, Hendricks would wrap that arm around it and keep hitting with the other. What’s more, GSP’s challenger turned out to be much more than advertised. As the rounds progressed, Hendricks seemed to slow a little, but as his big fight nerves dissipated his right hand began to come into play. Now he was not simply obstructing St-Pierre’s lead hand but coming in behind jabs and lead hooks of his own.

As St-Pierre left his corner for the fifth round, he was in a position he had never been in. The fight was into the championship rounds—his championship rounds—and he needed the finish. Through his entire title run he had been criticized for his lack of urgency. He had barely lost a round in the past four years, but the fans won’t forgive a fighter for lacking killer instinct. Now St-Pierre’s crown seemed to rest on his ability to do something that he hadn’t been able to do even in fights where he controlled the action from the start.

The champion immediately went after Hendricks’ leg and clung to it for the first half of the round, unable to take the wrestler down. When Hendricks turned St-Pierre onto the fence and dropped down to attempt a takedown of his own, St-Pierre grabbed hold of a kimura and almost had his arm torn off as Hendricks snatched out of it. But the champion rallied and rattled off a volley of punches and kicks, and finally dragging Hendricks to the mat to rapturous applause. It lasted all of 20 seconds before Hendricks came up and manhandled St-Pierre on o the fence as though he were stuffed with feathers and sawdust.

As the final klaxon sounded it seemed to everyone in attendance that Georges St-Pierre, the greatest welterweight to ever play the game, had finally been dethroned. Yet when the scorecards came in, it was the bloodied and bruised champion whose hand was raised while the unmarked challenger fell to his knees in disbelief.

They say that one night a fighter turns up and realizes he is old. Aging in the fight game is a strange subject to begin with: we speak of a fighter being a “relatively fresh 40,” or an “old 34.” While St-Pierre was just two years older than Johny Hendricks, and Hendricks was already 16 fights deep into a professional career, St-Pierre had been training for title fights since 2006. This was St-Pierre’s 16th camp for a five-round title fight, and throughout the buildup he had made repeated references to an upcoming announcement after the event. When he finally took the microphone, he told the unsatisfied crowd that he had to take some time away from the fight game.

Things became even more peculiar when UFC president Dana White flew into a fury at the post-fight press conference and insisted that while Hendricks was there to take questions, St-Pierre had been carted straight to the hospital due to the battering he had sustained. White went on a tirade about St-Pierre’s retirement, insisting that he owed more to the fans and to Hendricks. When St-Pierre walked in and took his seat ten minutes later, apparently having never seen the inside of an ambulance, it made for one of the most awkward press conferences in the history of the company.

The reasons for St-Pierre’s departure were never fully revealed and the fans and press speculated wildly. Conspiracy theorists speculated that there was a woman claiming to be carrying the his baby. Perhaps more reasonably, some focused on St-Pierre’s remarks on obsessing over opponents and camps; they believed the champion was simply worn down by the relentless grind of the past few years. St-Pierre himself teased a return many times but could never come to terms with the UFC over its single sponsor deal with Reebok among other issues.

Johny Hendricks did win the title after St-Pierre vacated it, and shared a pair of tremendous fights with Robbie Lawler, but as the saying has it, shooting Jesse James won’t make you Jesse James. Hendricks’ career fell off a cliff after the second Lawler fight and he has now won just two of his last six fights. He struggles on the scale before the bout, he fights sluggishly, and his heralded punching power and surprisingly decent stamina have completely vanished. Hendricks, the vaunted knockout artist, has not stopped anyone in five years. The weight issues might be the result of the ban on I.V. bags, which was enacted in July 2015, but Hendricks’ overeating is also well documented.

With the coming of the USADA age shortly after St-Pierre’s retirement, plenty of UFC stalwarts have had marked drop-offs in results. While Hendricks has never failed a drug test, fans will always hunt for patterns and this has left him in a rough spot. He has gone from beloved underdog, robbed of the world title he earned, to a sort of pitiful character. In his last fight, Hendricks shambled onto the scale, missed the middleweight limit despite having 15 more pounds leeway to play with, and was head-kicked by eternal gatekeeper Tim Boetsch.

So many of St-Pierre’s old foes are no longer relevant. Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, and Dan Hardy are long gone. B.J. Penn keeps coming out of retirement only to break more hearts. Josh Koscheck has won just two fights in the seven years since they fought, and has been knocked out three times and submitted twice. Nick Diaz lost interest in the fight game altogether after failing numerous drug tests for marijuana. Thiago Alves is in a constant state of injury and scraping by in the middle of the division. Carlos Condit is staying out of action so that a surprisingly decent losing performance against Robbie Lawler in 2016 and a single victory since 2013 can somehow keep him in the welterweight top ten. These men have all shuffled on to new pastures.

St-Pierre’s opponent this weekend is another relic from the era of SPRAWL shorts and shaved heads, the current UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping. Bisping is seen as a man who lucked into the middleweight title, but the truth is that he has been grinding away in this sport for years. Bisping was always a middle-of-the-pack kind of guy. He never had the title fights and rarely fought the toughest fighters in the division. But now, at almost 40 years old, Bisping is unarguably looking the best he ever has. And so at UFC 217 we get to find out how much of Georges St-Pierre is left, and how much of that talent he was able to keep in suspended animation.

Pick up Jack’s book, Notorious: The Life and Fights of Conor McGregor.

Georges St-Pierre Returns, But What Does He Have Left? syndicated from http://ift.tt/2ug2Ns6