Uppercut

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Uppercut
Participation Information
Reboot Seasons	Discovery Season 4 Discovery Season 5 Discovery Season 6
Other Events	BattleBots: Champions
Team Information
Team	Team Uppercut (formerly MIT Combat Robotics Club)
Team Members	Alex Hattori Mason Massie Chetan Sharma Jared DiCarlo Greg Xie Jackson Gray Sofia Leon (Discovery S4-S5) Devansh Agrawal (Discovery S4 & S6-Present) Dayna Erdmann (Discovery S4) Lili Sun (Discovery S5) Tiffany Hattori (Discovery S5-Present) Linda Hattori (Discovery S5-Present) Austin Brown (Discovery S5-Present) Jonhenry Poss (Discovery S5-Present) Jen Curtiss (Discovery S5-Present) Saba Zerefa (Discovery S5-Present) Sam Ferguson (Discovery S5) Jules Ferguson (Discovery S6-Present) Aaron Sliski (Discovery S6-Present) Anna Zolnikov (Discovery S6-Present) Jeremy Germita (Discovery S6-Present) Amy Fang (Discovery S4) Sarah Pohorecky (Discovery S4)
From	Cambridge, MA
Associated Robots	SawBlaze (Alex Hattori) Road Rash (Jared DiCarlo, Alex Hattori) P1 (Sarah Pohorecky)
Robot Statistics
Weight	250lbs
Weapons	Vertical spinner
Statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Not to be confused with the heavyweight robot built by Team Coolrobots which competed in Comedy Central Season 5.0.

Uppercut is a heavyweight robot built by Alex Hattori's team, formerly known as the MIT Combat Robotics Club, which has competed in every season of the BattleBots reboot since Discovery Season 4.

It is a two-wheel drive robot armed with a large asymmetric vertical spinning bar which could reach speeds of 200mph, though is often reduced to 180mph for battles. One end of the weapon is shaped like a fist, while the other is curved to counterbalance it. This 50lb weapon, referred to by the team as a "puncher", could be swapped out for two other options: a 50lb bar spinner which was used in several fights, and an as-yet unused 80lb weapon called "The HOOP".

Uppercut's BattleBox-inspired minibot for its fight against Hydra.

Team Uppercut has a clear boxing theme, with the fist-shaped weapon and the team often appearing in boxing attire ahead of fights. Uppercut had a minibot called Helping Hands, a small wedge-shaped robot with hands designed to try and distract opponents and help out the bigger robot. They also entered a minibot themed around the BattleBox, complete with HEXBUG Tombstone and Witch Doctor toys. Despite a rumble loss in its first ever fight, Uppercut did well in its rookie season, making the Top 16 before losing out to eventual champions Bite Force.

Uppercut fitted with The HOOP in the test box.

Returning for Discovery Season 5, Uppercut boasted relatively few upgrades due to the team's MIT lab being locked down due to COVID-19 with Season 4's Uppercut still inside its crate. Therefore, the team were unable to work on the robot until Uppercut shipped to Los Angeles en route to filming of Discovery Season 5. Luckily for the team, they were able to perform several upgrades away from the lab, including custom-built weapon motors making use of encoders to enhance its power and result in one of the fastest spin-up times in the field. Uppercut now also sported "ears" and additional horns protruding from the top of the robot to aid it when upside-down, and prevent the weapon from hitting the BattleBox floor at full speed. One horn was slightly taller than the other, to encourage the robot to tilt back onto its wheels when flipped. Uppercut made its mark in its Fight Night battles, beating Gemini, SawBlaze and HiJinx by KO in quick and spectacular fashion, before losing out to Ribbot in the Round of 16 and failing to reach the quarter-finals for a second time.

Uppercut returned again for Discovery Season 6 with several noticeable upgrades to the design. The team designed a brand new front plow, with the sides bearing its name now angled rather than being a single flat piece of material. The top horns which aided Uppercut's invertibility appeared to be swapped out for a narrow scoop bolted to the top of the chassis, though it is currently unknown whether this is also interchangeable. Uppercut's 2021 season began with a convincing knockout win over Robotic Death Company's Gigabyte, before defeating Free Shipping in explosive fashion. After getting the nod in a double knockout against HUGE, Uppercut fell to rookie Riptide in the Top 16.

Uppercut's submitted CAD ahead of the 2019 season.

Entering BattleBots: Champions as one of the most featured robots in its bracket, it first faced Wild Side Robotics and Dragon Slayer.

Robot History

Discovery Season 4
Uppercut vs. Jasper vs. Tantrum Uppercut tries to capitalize on its other opponents being stuck together. Uppercut's first fight was an untelevised rumble against fellow newcomer Jasper and Aren Hill's Tantrum. Uppercut got its weapon up to speed early on, and opted to target Tantrum as Jasper held back. Uppercut then delivered a big hit to the back of Tantrum, which resulted in Uppercut's weapon dying due to one a post above the weapon preventing it from getting stuck becoming bent. Uppercut played little part thereafter and eventually took hits to its underside from Tantrum and stopped moving in the center of the BattleBox. Jasper hadn't moved since it initially got stuck on Tantrum, so both were counted out, giving Tantrum the win by KO.
Uppercut vs. Mammoth Uppercut topples Mammoth over. Uppercut delivers the final blow to Mammoth. Uppercut's next match was against another fellow newcomer, Mammoth. Before the match, Uppercut had its wedge removed to run inverted and its minibot Helping Hands was also present. As the fight began, Uppercut was causing problems for Mammoth, though mostly to Mammoth's forks, ripping one off and flipping Mammoth over. Mammoth self-righted so Uppercut moved in again, after righting correcting itself, this time toppling Mammoth over and ripping a wheel and motor off. This time, Mammoth wasn't righting itself so Uppercut went in for another attack, almost putting Mammoth back over but also rupturing Mammoth's fuel tank. Mammoth was now on fire and being counted out, giving Uppercut the win by KO.
Uppercut vs. Breaker Box Uppercut takes a slice out of Breaker Box's plow. Uppercut next fought against veteran Jim Smentowski and his entry Breaker Box. Uppercut went into the match relatively unchanged, and as the match started, Uppercut was dishing out some damage to Breaker Box's lifting plow, peeling up a small section, but not causing any major damage. Uppercut soon had trouble as they were shoved around the arena due to their robot's own tendency to tip over. Uppercut found itself turned on its side on multiple occasions, but simply came back down each time with little to no trouble. Uppercut also ended up upside down a few times, but was able to run inverted and came back at Breaker Box in no time. Smoke soon began to erupt out of Breaker Box and soon Breaker Box stopped moving, with Uppercut giving a final hit that dented Breaker Box's rear panel and giving Uppercut the win by KO.
Uppercut vs. Skorpios Uppercut hits one of Skorpios' tires. Uppercut hits and tosses Skorpios. Both weapons collide. Uppercut was next placed against veteran Skorpios. In response, Uppercut opted for a different weapon bar and support. As the match got underway, Uppercut was quickly taking control, dealing three shots in the opening second one to each of Skorpios' tires, while the second exchange to the back cost Uppercut one of its side bars. Uppercut momentarily got stuck in the killsaws slot, which gave Skorpios an opening to lightly puncture the right tire, but Uppercut managed to get away without any further damage. Uppercut managed to get back up to speed and deliver a side on shot, throwing Skorpios back a bit. Uppercut delivered another shot, this time throwing Skorpios onto his head, before the boxing robot turned away to get back up to speed, but it was stopped early. After a bit of driving, both met back up for weapon to weapon shots, which Uppercut got the better exchange, before throwing Skorpios back again. Uppercut got two more shots in, one to the wedge and a final to the saw, before Skorpios started emitting smoke that turned into a fire and stopped moving. Skorpios was counted out, giving Uppercut the win by KO.
Uppercut vs. Railgun MAX vs. Bloodsport Bloodsport flies out of the arena, leaving Uppercut to fight Railgun MAX. Uppercut hits the disabled wheel of Railgun MAX. Since Uppercut's record was tied with Railgun MAX and Bloodsport, the three of them were picked to fight in a rumble to decide which of them earned a spot in the Top 16. As the rumble got underway, Uppercut hung back while Railgun MAX and Bloodsport traded blows. Uppercut eventually got into the melee once Bloodsport was thrown out of the arena by Railgun MAX. Uppercut started to take control by attacking Railgun MAX's exposed wheel and had little to face in return as Railgun MAX had lost the use of its weapon from the exchanges with the horizontal bar spinner. Uppercut continued to attack until Railgun MAX stopped moving and was counted out, giving Uppercut the win by KO and a spot in the Top 16.
Uppercut vs. Bite Force The initial collision between Uppercut and Bite Force. Uppercut went into the Top 16 as the 16th seed, with a match against the current champion Bite Force and opted for its front wedgelets. When the fight began, Uppercut remained in its square, getting its bar up to speed while Bite Force came over to it. The first shot threw both bots around, with Uppercut nearly getting stuck on the screws. After getting a bit of distance once again, the second hit left Uppercut in a much worse position. Uppercut was flipped twice in the air before landing one the wall, but directly on its weapon support, leaving its wheels fully off the ground. Due to the significant damage Uppercut had caused to Bite Force's weapon system and chassis in those two hits, they were left alone instead of being freed. Uppercut was unable to move and was counted out, giving Bite Force the win by a quick KO and a spot in the quarter-finals.
Discovery Season 5
Uppercut vs. Gemini Uppercut launches Hydroxyl out of the arena. Uppercut takes a chunk out of Fred. Uppercut's first match was against Gemini. At the start, Uppercut hit Hydroxyl from the back so hard, it flung the robot from halfway across the arena and clean out of the arena. Shortly after, Uppercut hit Fred, taking off its right wheel and motor, leaving it on its back and immobile. Gemini was no longer able to continue the fight and was counted out, giving Uppercut the win by a very quick KO at just 25 seconds.
Uppercut vs. SawBlaze Uppercut bursts SawBlaze's flamethrower fuel tank Uppercut's second match was against SawBlaze as the Main Event of the matchup card. As the match began, Uppercut charged and landed an extremely powerful blow to SawBlaze's left tire, which sent SawBlaze flying halfway across the BattleBox and landing on top of the screws. Just as SawBlaze managed to get down from the arena barrier, Uppercut rammed into SawBlaze and burst it's flamethrower's fuel line, creating a massive explosion. Uppercut continued to dominate the match, ripping a chunk of Sawblaze's armor off and jolting it's left drive chain off. Uppercut delivered a final shot to Sawblaze which immobilized it, giving Uppercut the win by KO.
Uppercut vs. Hydra Uppercut is flipped into the air by Hydra. Fresh off an explosive Main Event win over SawBlaze, Uppercut was now facing Team Whyachi's Hydra. In response, Uppercut was armed with a longer bar meant for cutting instead of its fist-shaped bar. They also added a minibot designed to look like the BattleBox, complete with a HEXBUG Tombstone and Witch Doctor inside, but these toys were removed before the fight. Uppercut was not doing well at all as they were quickly tossed into the air by Hydra. Uppercut recovered but had lost their minibot completely and were unable to mount a counterattack before being tossed again. After a third hit, Uppercut was taken to the screws, where its bar tore off a piece of the hazard before being pushed onto the one next to the one it damaged. Luckily, the screw was able to reverse and Uppercut escaped but took another flip that cost it one of the two spikes intended for inverted driving. Uppercut spent most of the last 10 seconds on its side before time ran out. The judges awarded Hydra a unanimous 3-0 decision.
Uppercut vs. Hijinx Uppercut punts HiJinx out of the arena. Uppercut made it into the Top 32 seeded the No. 4 seed and came up against the No.29 seed HiJinx. With the match underway, Uppercut charged at HiJinx and nearly hit its left tire. Uppercut continued to push against HiJinx's long stabilizer which kept both Bots' weapons from making contact. Now near the Screws, Uppercut went weapon-to-weapon with its opponent, sending HiJinx out of the arena and sending itself spiralling out of control around the BattleBox. With no way back into the fight, HiJinx was counted out, giving Uppercut the win by another very quick KO with just 33 seconds gone.
Uppercut vs. Ribbot Uppercut tears a wheel from Ribbot in the first few seconds. Having progressed to the Top 16 for a second time, Uppercut's next opponent was No. 20 seed Ribbot, who opted for their horizontal undercutter configuration. Uppercut was dominant in the opening moments of the match, tearing up the front of Ribbot and ripping away both front wheels. However, Ribbot was still able to push Uppercut into the walls and as the fight progressed, Uppercut's drive motors began to fail on them. Ribbot then pushed Uppercut towards the pulverizer and landed a huge hit on Uppercut. Ribbot drove away as it became clear that Uppercut was no longer moving. Uppercut was counted out. giving Ribbot an impressive comeback win by knockout and eliminating Uppercut from the tournament.
Discovery Season 6
Uppercut vs. Gigabyte Gigabyte and Uppercut duel it out in the corner of the BattleBox. Uppercut started its 2021 campaign with an undercard match against Gigabyte. It entered the fight with two minibots made up of D2 kits. From the off, Gigabyte was unable to remain stable as an early nudge from Uppercut sent it into the screws. From then, Gigabyte bounced into the area to the left side of the Upper Deck hazard and became trapped, taking a slightly harder hit from Uppercut. The next impact saw Uppercut bounce upwards, forcing its vertical spinner into the BattleBox floor and sending it flying over the corner of the Upper Deck. They recovered, but rather than escape the corner, opted to attack Uppercut instead. Gigabyte lays immobile as Uppercut watches on. This proved to be a mistake as Uppercut was able to get a mean bite on their shell and flip them over. Gigabyte righted itself but was again vulnerable, and the next hit bent Gigabyte's self-righting pole to 90 degrees upon landing. Uppercut dealt a few final hits until Gigabyte could no longer recover. It was counted out, giving Uppercut the win by KO.
Uppercut vs. Free Shipping Uppercut and Free Shipping duke it out. Uppercut causes another explosion in the BattleBox. Another angle of the explosion. Fresh off an impressive display against veterans in Gigabyte, Uppercut's second fight was against Gary Gin and Free Shipping. Uppercut struggled in the opening moments as Free Shipping led with its arm raised, managing to unbalance Uppercut and send it bouncing across the BattleBox floor. Uppercut then landed a big hit to Free Shipping which flipped its opponent over. This was followed up by an attack to the fuel tank of Free Shipping, which caused a massive firey explosion reminiscent of their previous win over SawBlaze. Free Shipping attempted to escape while still on fire but its wedges were bent upwards and it drove into the wall. Uppercut maintained its aggression and struck the front of its opponent once more, ripping both wedges away and the right-front tire in the same impact. Free Shipping was now upside-down again and drove to the corner to right itself, but Gary Gin inadvertantly propped himself up against the wall. Although Uppercut's drive was disabled on one side, Free Shipping was counted out and Alex Hattori's team progressed to 2-0 for the season.
Uppercut vs. HUGE Uppercut and HUGE go weapon to weapon. Both bots lay immobile in the short corner. Uppercut did not receive a third Fight Night battle, and advanced to the Round of 32 as the No.5 seed. In its first knockout battle, Uppercut faced No.28 seed HUGE. In the opening seconds, Uppercut darted towards HUGE but Jonathan Schultz was able to evade the box rush. The two spinning weapons collided which sent HUGE bouncing over the Upper Deck and Uppercut flying backwards into the arena wall, landing in the corner of the BattleBox. Both robots' weapons survived the impact as HUGE attempted to smother Uppercut in the center of the arena, cutting away one of their side poles and leading them into the short corner. HUGE stopped moving as Uppercut attacked from the rear, driving underneath and bending one of their stabilizing arms inward. However, Uppercut went in to attack a second time and flipped onto its side. A count had not yet started on HUGE and Uppercut was now also immobile. With neither bot moving, both judges began counting as a simultaneous knockout was announced. The fight therefore went to the judges, who ruled in favor of Uppercut.
Uppercut vs. Riptide Foam litters the BattleBox as Uppercut's tires are shredded. Next up for Uppercut was a surprise package of the 2021 season, No.21 seed Riptide. Both bots charged to the center of the BattleBox, but it was Riptide who engaged first with its weapon, hitting the right side of Uppercut and throwing it around. Uppercut landed on its side against the wall and before it had a chance to recover, Riptide struck two more times and Uppercut bounced into the screws. Uppercut was stuck behind the screws for a moment before being spat out. Riptide sliced their foam-filled tire upon recovering, littering the BattleBox with foam as Uppercut tried to escape. Alex Hattori's team attempted to use the gyroscopic forces from their weapon to maneuver away, but lost a side pole in the process. Riptide continued to overwhelm its opponent and honed in on the exposed tires until Uppercut was no longer mobile. Uppercut was counted out and was eliminated from the competition at the Round of 16 stage.
BattleBots: Champions
Uppercut vs. Dragon Slayer Uppercut returned for BattleBots: Champions, and faced Dragon Slayer in the first round of the bracket.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 10
• Losses: 5

Competition	Wins	Losses
Discovery Season 4	Mammoth (Undercard Match) Breaker Box (Undercard Match) Skorpios (Undercard Match) Railgun MAX and Bloodsport	Tantrum (Untelevised Undercard Rumble) Bite Force
Discovery Season 5	Gemini (Undercard Match) SawBlaze (Main Event/Undercard Match) HiJinx	Hydra (Undercard Match) Ribbot
Discovery Season 6	Gigabyte (Undercard Match) Free Shipping (Undercard Match) HUGE	Riptide
BattleBots: Champions	TBC	TBC

Faruq Tauheed Introductions

"Do you like piña coladas and getting punched in the brain? If you're not into yoga, but you are into pain, you're gonna love UPPERCUT!"

"It floats like an iron butterfly and stings like a million bees. It's got a fist of fury and it's in a hurry to knock you on your knees. It's UPPERCUT!"

"From MIT, but it's serving up Ha-die-an Punch and you're about to get Kool-laid out. Ohhhhhh yeah! It's the bot that pours on the shots. Going straight for the gut, UPPERCUT!"

"You know the thrilla in manila and the rumble in the jungle, and now it's time for this bot to make you crumble. Welcome to the melee in LA. It's UPPERCUT!"

"It's got more swings than a playground, make you dizzy like a merry-go-round. You're going to take one straight to the gut from UPPERCUT!"

"It's the #16 seed. It earned its spot by a double KO, let me hear an A-O. It might be the underdog, but to shock the world, all it takes is one... UPPERCUT!"

"From Cambridge, Massachusetts, it's the fist of robotic fury, UPPERCUT!"

"Ding ding, ring the bell. There's gonna be a rumble tonight. This guy's like Conor McGregor... if he actually won his last fight. He's putting up his dukes and like Muhammad Ali, he’s gonna float like a butterfly and sting like... getting punched in the face by a 250lb robot. They're not all going to rhyme… It's UPPERCUT!"

"From Cambridge, Massachusetts, it ain't the jabs or the hooks that'll leave you cooked, it's UPPERCUT!"

"This team comes from MIT and they'll leave you MIA. They specialize in TKOs so their opponents better pray. BTW, those were acronyms, and they're fitting in this case, because OMG, you'll be DOA if you get in his face. Give it up for UPPERCUT!"

Trivia

• Much like Rotator from the third season, Uppercut was the only seeded robot that did not have every fight televised in Discovery Season 4.
  • It was also one of the four robots who did not get a Main Event in that season - the others include Blacksmith, Black Dragon, and Quantum.
  • Aside from its match with Hydra, every fight Uppercut had resulted in a KO.
• Uppercut was the first robot to have knocked out Gemini.
  • In addition, this KO earned Uppercut the quickest win in BattleBots history - 25 seconds in total, beating the original record of Witch Doctor vs Rotator which was 27 seconds. To make this record even more impressive, Uppercut disabled both halves of Gemini in that time.
• Outside of BattleBots, Alex Hattori is a 7-time US National Yo-Yo champion, and even featured in the music video for OneRepublic's "Wherever I Go".