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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".[1]

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.[2] 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.[3] 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[] |
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Uppercut vs. Jasper vs. Tantrum ![]() Uppercut tries to capitalize on its other opponents being stuck together. |
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 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 vs. Hydra ![]() Uppercut is flipped into the air by Hydra. |
Uppercut vs. Hijinx ![]() Uppercut punts HiJinx out of the arena. |
Uppercut vs. Ribbot ![]() Uppercut tears a wheel from Ribbot in the first few seconds. |
Discovery Season 6[] |
Uppercut vs. Gigabyte ![]() Gigabyte and Uppercut duel it out in the corner of the BattleBox. ![]() Gigabyte lays immobile as Uppercut watches on. |
Uppercut vs. Free Shipping ![]() Uppercut and Free Shipping duke it out. ![]() Uppercut causes another explosion in the BattleBox. ![]() Another angle of the explosion. |
Uppercut vs. HUGE ![]() Uppercut and HUGE go weapon to weapon. ![]() Both bots lay immobile in the short corner. |
Uppercut vs. Riptide ![]() Foam litters the BattleBox as Uppercut's tires are shredded. |
BattleBots: Champions[] |
Uppercut vs. Dragon Slayer Uppercut returned for BattleBots: Champions, and faced Dragon Slayer in the first round of the bracket. |
Results[]
UPPERCUT - RESULTS | ||
Discovery Season 4 | ||
Fight Nights 3-1, won Play-in | ||
Fight Night Rumble | vs. Jasper, Tantrum | Lost (KO) |
Fight Night | vs. Mammoth | Won (KO) |
Fight Night | vs. Breaker Box | Won (KO) |
Fight Night | vs. Skorpios | Won (KO) |
Play-in Rumble | vs. Bloodsport, Railgun MAX |
Won (KO) |
Top 16 16th seed | ||
Round of 16 | vs. Bite Force (1) | Lost (KO) |
Discovery Season 5 | ||
Fight Nights 2-1 | ||
Fight Night | vs. Gemini | Won (KO) |
Fight Night Main Event | vs. SawBlaze | Won (KO) |
Fight Night | vs. Hydra | Lost (JD) |
Top 32 4th seed | ||
Round of 32 | vs. HiJinx (29) | Won (KO) |
Round of 16 | vs. Ribbot (20) | Lost (KO) |
Discovery Season 6 | ||
Fight Nights 2-0 | ||
Fight Night | vs. Gigabyte | Won (KO) |
Fight Night | vs. Free Shipping | Won (KO) |
Top 32 5th seed | ||
Round of 32 | vs. HUGE (28) | Won (Double KO, JD) |
Round of 16 | vs. Riptide (21) | Lost (KO) |
BattleBots: Champions | ||
Sin City Slugfest ROTATOR Episode | ||
Round of 8 | vs. Dragon Slayer | TBC |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 10
- Losses: 5
Competition | Wins | Losses |
---|---|---|
Discovery Season 4 |
Mammoth (Undercard Match) Breaker Box (Undercard Match) Skorpios (Undercard Match) |
Tantrum (Untelevised Undercard Rumble) |
Discovery Season 5 | Gemini (Undercard Match)
SawBlaze (Main Event/Undercard Match) |
Hydra (Undercard Match) |
Discovery Season 6 | Gigabyte (Undercard Match)
Free Shipping (Undercard Match) |
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".
References[]
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/kz9wyd/comment/gjo4xwg/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/kz9wyd/comment/gjo0t9h/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/kz9wyd/comment/gjo2ew6/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
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