The UFC-A had different divisions based not just on weight classes, but fighting styles. There were the eastern martial arts, the basic Greco-Roman style of wrestling, and basic pugilism. Boxing is a pretty serious sport where people could get severely hurt. But the UFC-A rules prevented any chances of serious injuries, though there will be a lot of bruising and swelling later.
There were some pugilists who were favored by the fans and the betters. Probably the most popular one was Shamus O'Farrell. There were several reasons why he was considered a likely boxer to win. First, he was an Irishman and it was well-known that Irish Boxing is some of the best in the world. The fact that he was also an Irish Sport Horse meant that he was much stronger than a normal boxer. And there were some people who had filmed his beating the stuffing out of a dummy while on his honeymoon and that got posted online.
But another reason why he was favored by the fans was he had a new daughter to take care of. Shannon was a bit relieved to no longer being pregnant. While she had borne many a foal over the years, it was not much of an inconvenience for a horse, until the final weeks that is. Though with uplifting, there came many perks and enjoyable things. And being pregnant could get in the way of quite a few of those things. Not to mention Shannon didn't have to think much of her figure when she was a normal horse. But she was grateful that her pregnancy only lasted nine months instead of eleven.
Astra O'Farrell was very cute. She seemed to have taken mostly after her father in coloration, being mostly black. However, her main and tail were black with a few white hairs mixed in. She also had some white spots on her back and sides. Apparently, Astra was going to be a snowflake type of horse, with more white spots appearing as she ages.
When asked about Astra's name, Shamus said, "Well, many years ago, other horse breeders were bringin' their horses from their own lands to compare with the Irish. I remember one mare by the name of 'Astra'. She was from Norway or somewhere near there. She was a right pretty mare, with a coat like the night sky. So when I saw the color o' me dear little lassie, it reminded me o' her. I suppose she'd find that flattering, if she had a mind for such things."
Of course, having a daughter is not a guarantee of victory, but it did make the fans favor Shamus and seemed to give him motivation to fight. Shannon was not so impressed. "Ye don't need to be beatin' each other's brains out to be a man or stallion," she said. But considering Shamus was so supportive when she was in the IAC last year, she was supporting him with his boxing. Though she wouldn't like her husband's nose broken over something so silly.