A-plot has an old boxing buddy of Garibaldi, framed out of the official leagues when he refused to take a fall, comes to B5 to fight in the Mutai, a mystical alien mixed martial arts fight club that's supposedly super-brutal. Ho-hum. Cue the "Rocky" music and some really mixed-quality martial arts.
The B-plot is slightly more interesting, as Ivanova is forced to confront the emotional reality of her father's death. There's some nice character bits here, not just for Ivanova but for her relationship with Sinclair. But it's definitely secondary to the main story, which is just so darned pedestrian where not just plain silly that it's the one B5 episode I'll skip sharing with my daughter.
Most Dramatic Moment: Ivanova breaks down at the end of sitting shiva.
Most Amusing Moment: Small beer here, but probably when Ivanova and her Uncle, Rabbi Koslov, whether some Centauri food is kosher.
Most Arc-ish Moment: Garibaldi's friend Walker tells him repeatedly to watch his back. Heh.
Overall Rating: 2.0 / 5 – Your life will not be poorer for missing it, but the Ivanova bits make it just tolerable. Make it 1.5 for the A-plot, 2.5 for the B-plot.
Midwinter Guide: http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/014.html
Babylon Project: http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/TKO
Even sadder than the Rocky comparison, the A plot is close to the exact same plot as the Jean Claude Van Damme movie Bloodsport. Or perhaps the JCVD movie Kickboxer, which had the American getting into the world of Muay Thai (note the similar pronunciation).
Yeah, I used "Rocky" as shorthand for "pugilistic cinema." While I've not seen the movies in question (I've managed to avoid all but one JCVD film), I'm familiar with the basics of that genre.
SIGH
It was actually the 19th ep of the series filmed, so there's really no excuse. Larry DiTillio did a handful of B5 eps (http://babylon5.wikia.com/wiki/Lawrence_G._DiTillio), and while none of them are gems, most of them are a lot better than this.
Actually, I forgot the actual Most Amusing Moment, at the end of the ep, along the lines of:
IVANOVA: Thank you sir, for the time off. I'm ready to return to work.
SINCLAIR: No problem. And it's about time … I was getting tired of pulling double shifts.
IVANOVA: I shall remember that, sir, next time Ms. Sakai visits the station.
Zing!