Blair Yuen [D] vs. Finlay Zeffer - Last One Standing Match

[CaptainL]

Blair was without a doubt a striker. That was her main strength, and it was what she would fall back on if it ever came to that. But that wasn't to say she was a one-trick pony. Blair didn't have as much faith in her grappling compared to her punches, kicks, knees, or elbows, but she had enough experience to round her out and to ensure that she wouldn't fall behind in sports where a greater control over throws and holds would be necessary. Now that she was within range, and that Finlay was down and vulnerable, Blair saw her chance to act on that - and she threw her arm into place around his throat, squeezing down hard!

Her eyes narrowed in focus, and she tightened her grip, pulling her opponent closer against her body. She clenched her teeth, sucking in a breath that came as a hiss. Finlay was resisting, but Blair only tightened her hold. She had Finlay in her grasp now, and she refused to relinquish it! Even as he struggled against her, Blair drew back her free arm to bend it at the elbow before she swung an elbow strike for Finlay's ribs, attempting to silence his struggles!

[Bare]

Finlay grunted and groaned as he struggled within Blair’s surprisingly tight grasp, struggling to breathe with her arm clamping tighter and tighter around his throat. ”Guh..” He groaned out as he pulled against Blair’s arm to reclaim at least a few seconds worth of oxygen. But unfortunately Blair was deceptively better at submissions than her strike oriented nature led him to believe as every time he tried to pull her arm refused to budge.

But of course Blair wasn’t one to let him get off without a blow for godd measure. As he struggled against her hold the lightweight striker tagged him with a powerful elbow which dug right into his ribs making him gasp in pain from the sheer pain that spread through him as a result. Gritting his teeth as his oxygen began to get too low Finlay tightened his own fist as he threw his arm behind him into Blair’s ribs to try and loosen her hold.

[CaptainL]

Up until this point, Blair had relied on her expert striking prowess to keep the distance between her and Finlay, punishing him for trying to come too close. Yet now that the two were in grappling range, and Blair had the chance to lock in a sleeper, she was proving just as capable at keeping the pressure on him! The difference in size between the two of them meant nothing if Finlay couldn't breathe, a fact Blair was well aware of. She was intent on using this to her advantage, as she tightened her grasp around his throat, her teeth clenching and her body stiffening as she grew tense and focused.

When Finlay tried to break away, Blair met it with an elbow into his ribs. From how closely the two were locked, she could feel the reverberations that shook his body off the impact. She could feel him starting to go slack, too, and her heart began to beat faster. Blair was sure that it'd only be a matter of time - a few more seconds, and victory would be hers!

But she wasn't the only one who could strike - and much as Blair had shown she knew a few things about grappling, Finlay was about to prove he could hit hard too! He swung his fist behind him, and with a crack, Blair felt the pain radiate through her ribs. She doubled over coughing, her grasp around her opponent's neck weakening and going slack before she at last was forced to let him go. Bent over at the waist to keep herself from falling over and clutching at her side, Blair backed away from Finlay. Slowly, she lifted her head, looking back at him with a piercing gaze.

"You're not too bad at striking yourself..." she muttered hoarsely. It was more of an observation than a compliment. Blair wasn't here to make friends - but what else could she say to that?

[Bare]

Finlay certainly hadn’t expected Blair to lock in such a secure and dare he say perfect sleeper hold. But once again she had suprirsed and impressed him with her skill, which despite him repeatedly telling himself not to do he kept doing it and suffered for each time. But needless to say he was legitimately impressed with her ability and found himself respecting her, not just for her skill but also her attitude. Very quickly he found Blair on his good list, a place shared by only one other person here in LAW.

However that being said Finlay would be damned if he just rolled over and allow Blair to defeat him, regardless of how much he was coming to like her. That’s why he went to show her his own aptitude for strikes. Laying into her with sharp elbows into her side to hurt and loosen her hold as much as possible. Thankfully Blair was smart, and knew right away to abandon the hold when he started firing back at her.

Soon he found himself freed from her grasp and able to roll away, recovering his lost oxygen and able to rub where Blair struck him with her own elbow. Getting to his knees he looked over at her after her words to him. ”Thanks. I can say the same to you about your grappling.” He said before noticing the band around her arm and recognizing it and what it meant. “But judging from the pra jiad around you’re arm, I’m guessing muay thai is more you’re speacialty, hence the reliance on strikes.” He said to her with a nod, not really asking but stating a fact. New Zealand bad a surprising faction of muay thai fighters residing there, and picked up a few things, hence hin knowing what her arm band was.

[CaptainL]

It was almost poetic. Both of the competitors were masters in one area, and thus far they had been getting along well enough relying on those skills. Now, though, both Blair and Finlay had gone outside their comfort zone in making use of the disciplines the others favored - and both came away feeling even more impressed by what their opponents were capable of. In Blair's case, she felt Finlay's elbow come flying back toward her and catch her in the ribs, and she, anchored in place with her arm around his throat, had no choice but to take it! Her teeth clenched in a grimace as she stumbled away from her opponent. Blair knew she hurt, and she didn't want to risk taking more damage to an already wounded location, especially when she knew Finlay outstripped her in size. She could live with having to abandon the sleeperhold if it meant she'd still have a chance to win the match.

She shook herself out, rolling her shoulders and cracking her neck as she warmed herself up for the next time she and Finlay would go head to head. Finlay would also need to collect himself, and that gave Blair the opportunity to catch her breath - an opportunity she welcomed, given how hard she had been fighting up until now. Now, with a lull in the action, she and Finlay had the opportunity to exchange a few words.

What came as a surprise to Blair was how Finlay recognized the armband she wore - a gift from her mentor in Thailand when she had been training in Muay Thai. It gave her pause, and she stopped, looking back up at him. Blair wouldn't have guessed Finlay would be that versed in the art, but it caused her to crack just the slightest hint of a smile. "You know your stuff, I see. Yeah. I competed in Muay Thai and MMA for a few years..."

At that, however, Blair stopped. As her thoughts turned to where her career had taken her, they also brought up the memories she preferred to leave behind, recalling the devastating losses she had taken that forced her to start elsewhere with a clean slate. She clenched her teeth and stiffened with a huff, drawing in closer to Finlay, as she tried to return to the present and put it out of her mind. She wouldn't let that keep her back.

"...It doesn't matter, though. I'm still ready to take you down."

[Bare]

As Finlay escaped the hold he gasped and groaned in pain as he managed to escape the sleeper hold in just the nick of time. It was certainly too close for his own comfort but as long as he was free and able to breathe he’d simply roll with the move and try his best to counter Blair as the match proceeded.

Rubbing his neck and regaining his oxygen Finlay looked across at his ooponet and made note of her stance, her physique, and most importantly the band on her arm. Recognizing and calling it out he nodded to her, understanding her a bit better now. He also caught the small smile she gave and admittedly smile a tiny bit himself seeing it.

But something appeared to come over the girl as her face contorted to s much more serous form, her eyes apearing to be clouded over as she approached ready for a fight. For once however Finlay wasn’t ready to resume just yet. Holding his hand out to tell her to wait a moment he spoke again. ”Hold on. If thata the case this match hasn’t been fair. You’re clearly still learning proper wrestling so in a way I have a unfair afvantage.” He explained lifting both his arms up paralell to eachother and away from his face, resembling that of the classic Muay Thai stance.

”I refuse to partake in a unfair battle against someone I respect, I may only know the proper basics of it, but given the size difference between us a muay thai fight will be a much more fair battle for the remainder of the match.” He explained, this being probably the most he’s ever spoken in a match period. That alone being enough to say how much he respected Blair already. But more so was his desire to make things even between them, even if it meant limiting himself a bit but he didn’t quite care. Rather he was just focused on making the battle between them as even as possible.

[CaptainL]

Now that Finlay had caught sight of Blair's armband - the same one that marked her as a practitioner of Muay Thai - the conversation had turned, and with that the match paused. It wasn't an unwelcome ceasefire to Blair, who could use the moment to catch her breath and recenter herself before she went back into the heat of the action, and Finlay, who needed the chance to get some air in his lungs more than anyone, would doubtlessly not complain either. But Blair tilted her head curiously as the conversation began to turn.

At first, Blair's eyes narrowed. What did he mean, she was still learning proper wrestling? Blair had been involved in a few wrestling promotions before coming here - but, indeed, she had never quite mastered the style, and how it differed from what it was used to. Watching her as she relied on strike after strike, and struggled when it came to close-range grappling, would make that clear, no matter how much Blair would deny it. For better or worse, Finlay was right.

Before she could say any more to that, he also went on to bring up something else that caught her attention - he wanted to face her on even ground. At first, this confused Blair, who was sure that he would be struggling to grasp Muay Thai just as much as she found it difficult to adapt to his style. Just looking at his stance revealed plenty of signs he wasn't carrying himself quite right - signs most would miss, but that were easily spotted by a proficient Muay Thai user. Why would he handicap himself this way? Yet, he came at it from a place of earnest, and he did so out of genuine respect for Blair. She could appreciate that - that he would put himself at a disadvantage just to make things fair.

The smile, however slight, across her face grew just a little at the thought. "You...want to face me on my own terms, hm? I hope you know what you're getting yourself into..." She bent down, starting to unlace her boots, but in the midst of it she glanced back up at Finlay. "This is your last chance to back out." Although Finlay was larger than she was, Blair seemed quite confident she would be able to take him down!

[Bare]

Finlay watched the cascade of shifting emotions across Blair’s face as she considered his proposition. Hopefully she didn’t take it as a insult, after all thats now how he intended it but he could see how it could be taken that way. But he honestly just wanted to have a even slug fest with the girl. After all he may have been no muay thai fighter, but he knew enough about bare knuckle brawling that be could keep up, besides he jad a definite size and strength advantage. So playing by Blair’s rules seemed more than fair.

Finally though tht slight smile she had before seemed to return, more over it seemed to get bigger as a result of his words. Good. He couldn’t quite explain it but he was glad he had made her smile, but he was also glad she accepted his challenge, he was eager to see what she could truly do when not held back by a unfamiliar rule system that didn’t work in her favor. Although he was admittedly confused about why she had started to unlace her boots but he shrugged it off. He was sure she had a reason.

Instead what he chose to focus on was her pause and the words she had spoken. Smirking ever so much himself he cracked his knuckles in response. ”I never back down from a challenge... especially when I’m the one that made it.” He said despite the disadvantage he just levied to himself, but he did smirk just a bit wider. “Give me you’re all Blair, I won’t accept anything less.” He said truly throwing down the gauntlet now, eager for jer to finish whatever preparation she was doing so they could get started.

[CaptainL]

All those who knew Blair Yuen would attest to the fact that she was a quiet and taciturn woman, one who rarely showed any real signs of emotion. To Blair, there was only fighting and getting stronger, and anything else - even things like happiness - were distractions from that path. But now, as she looked up at Finlay, her smile grew wider, and without another word she accepted his challenge with a nod of her head. If it was a fight he wanted, it was a fight she was going to get - and now that things were on her terms, she knew she could really let loose. This whole time, Blair had been a Muay Thai fighter trying to adapt to wrestling. But now, she could let her true self shine through.

With the laces of her boots undone, Blair kicked them off, now standing in front of Finlay in her bare feet. She had conceded a fraction of an inch to him, but if anything, she looked even more confident than before. She was back in her element, facing him under the conditions she was used to. Blair looked up, meeting Finlay with a look in his eyes one last time before she nodded again. Curling her toes, she got herself limbered up and ready.

"I will...and good luck," she said. No sooner had the words left her mouth that Blair took a step forward, closing the distance on her opponent. As she came closer, she quickened her step, until she broke into a charge at Finlay. Hoping that her quick moves and agility could get her into range in time, Blair would kick off the ground and propel herself forward, swinging up her leg in the process to crash into Finlay with a flying knee!

[Bare]

Finlay watched Blair carefully as she undid her boots and kicked them away, eyes never leaving her form even as the ref went about removing them from the ring. He could see it, visually catch the change in her disposition and very aura as she resumed her stance but with a renewed fire. A fire he liked to see as be smiled a bit wider as he flexed his knuckles, cracking his fingers in the process.

But he had no more time to dwell on the change Blair had taken, the time had come for their battle to begin once again. Squaring himself up Finlay watched as Blair ran, the sound of her bare feet oadding on the mat echoing in his ears as he tuned out everything but his opponet. He knew that he stood no chance whatsoever in matching Blair in speed, that was obvious, instead he needed to rely on his greater size and strength.

Staying stationary he readied himself as his smaller opponet jumped up throwing her leg forward to go for a knee strike. Throwing his arms around he would grunt as he blocked the blow from the girl. ‘Damn are those boots weighted?’ He asked himself internally as he winced from the blow, not only did she seem to move faster, but the knee which he had previously blocked felt much, much stronger.

Gritting his teeth he pushed forward with his arms he would try to shove her back. If successful he would step forward and shift his arms before throwing his leg up to try and slam his own knee into her gut with a rising knee strike.