Blair Yuen vs. Suzan Hinyanko [D]

[CaptainL]

It seemed as though Suzan had more experience with Muay Thai than Blair had given her credit for. Not only had she shown off a well-executed stance earlier, but now she was showing some impressive knowledge of the fundamentals of the style - she was able to get her knee up in time to parry Blair's incoming strike, using every part of her body to intercept and deflect attacks. Right now, though, Blair was in little mood to appreciate such expertise from her opponent. Her eyes narrowed into a glare, and her teeth clenched in frustration - she was still struggling far too much for her liking. Her muscles tensed and she leaned in forward, set on closing in on Suzan to try and punish her further. But Suzan was ready!

Bringing her foot down, Suzan was able to shove Blair back by delivering a boot to her chest, causing the Canadian to stagger backward toward the ropes. She grumbled under her breath, trying to shake herself out and get herself back into the game, but Suzan was quick to capitalize on her momentum. She swung a couple of punches at Blair, both hitting her in the ribs and knocking her from side to side, sending her reeling and coughing as she was steered backward toward the ropes. It all culminated in one last blow from Suzan's knee, which shot up like a rocket into Blair's jaw, causing her head to crack back - and the rest of her body followed, her spine twisting into an arc as she was knocked off her footing to fall backward!

The only thing that saved Blair from losing her footing was the fact that she landed against the ropes, narrowly hooking her arms around them to keep herself upright. They sagged against her weight, leaving her bouncing in place a few times, but they had still stopped her from going down. And because of that, Blair was soon able to plant her feet against the mat, straightening herself back up. She still felt sore where Suzan had hit her, and bruises were forming across her body, causing her to shudder. But when she looked back at the blonde, her eyes narrowed into a glare, all the more filled with determination to stand up to the girl who was seemingly showing her up so easily. If Blair was leaned against the ropes, she still had them to rely on - and she could use them to her advantage!

She leaned back against the ropes, stretching them against her weight. Blair hoped that she could utilize this to spring herself forward toward Suzan in order to close in on her quickly - and she would stick her fist out and her leg back as she came close to deliver another Muay Thai staple, the Superman Punch!

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urES5T4uxFo

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Suzan smirks before countering with a DDT, while also setting up a guillotine choke.

Suzan: Let’s see how long you last against this one!

[CaptainL]

Blair thought she had everything figured out. She had the spring of the ropes behind her, and she could draw on the momentum to catapult herself into her foe, her fist extended to land a Superman punch. It was a move that she had used to end fights before, and with the ropes fueling her through it, she was sure she was traveling too quickly for Suzan to easily be able to dodge. Her eyes narrowed as she closed in on her opponent, her teeth locked into a grimace as her body grew tense. But Blair had made a miscalculation. In the heat of the moment, she managed to convince herself that as long as she threw herself at her opponent hard enough and fast enough, nothing else would matter. But in doing so, she had foregone the more careful and methodical approach she had used to get herself to where she was in the first place. Now she was being reckless, and making mistakes she should have known better to put herself into. She was going too fast, with no heed to the consequences. When she came toward Suzan, the blonde just as quickly used that same momentum against her - grabbing her by the head, and throwing the two of them to the ground!

As she fell, Blair's head struck the canvas, sending a thud through the ring. She bounced up from the mat, and her face contorted in a wince. What hurt even more than the landing was the knowledge that she had made such an amateurish mistake - something that should have well been a rookie mistake, a mistake that she was above - and paid for it. She could feel a blush coming to her cheeks, but she bit at her lip to try and suck that urge back down; she didn't want to admit her failings now. She still had to be on her toes - especially considering that Suzan was still on the move, and just now, she was getting into position to take hold of Blair's throat for the guillotine choke!

Blair's eyes went wide, and she sucked in a half-choked gasp as she felt the pressure of Suzan's embrace tighten around her neck. Now she was really paying for her recklessness - she was left in a position where Suzan could get the upper hand on her, and she had already learned that once Suzan got a hold in place, she wasn't one to let go! For a moment, as she felt the force close in around her waist, a panic began to set into Blair's mind. Surely, this was it. She was done for!

But then, she took in a breath - however strained it might have been - and reminded herself of one thing. She couldn't panic now. That would only seal her fate - but as long as she kept her wits about her, there was still a chance. Blair was well acquainted with the guillotine choke herself. She had used it in many matches, and she liked to think she understood the ins and outs of how such a move worked! If she knew how to apply it, then surely she could escape it, too - that was something she would put to the test!

Blair drew in a breath, trying to steel herself in preparation for the trial she was about to endure. She just had to last long enough to deal out enough damage to escape from her predicament. She looked down at Suzan, her eyes narrowed in a glare - and she swung her fist back at the blonde's ribs, hoping it would prove enough to rattle her!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Suzan bears through it as she increases pressure.

[CaptainL]

Despite Blair's best efforts, Suzan still wasn't letting go. All she did was squeeze the Canadian even tighter, her grasp tightening around her throat as her thighs pulled closer against her midsection. As the air was wrung out of her lungs, Blair's muscles pulled tighter, her whole body growing tense as her face grew red. Her teeth were locked into a desperate grimace as she fought as hard as she could to keep any precious air from escaping her lungs. Sweat began to bead on her brow as the worries cut through her mind. She knew this was bad - she already had seen from experience that when Suzan had a hold in place, she didn't want to let go. She had sworn to do everything she could to avoid falling into that same predicament - and, as those thoughts ran through her head, she was all the more reminded that she had broken those commitments by recklessly charging into the fray, where Suzan could more easily take her down. Her brow furrowed as she cursed her own stubbornness once again. But Blair couldn't let that stop her now. This was her chance to make up for her mistakes. If she couldn't avoid Suzan's holds, she would at least fight back against them to her dying breath. If she was going to go down, she'd just go down fighting!

Sucking in whatever air she could in her current position, Blair attempted to draw all her force into another punch aimed for Suzan's ribs. At the same time, she would buck upward with her hips, hoping to shake off the pressure her foe was bearing down against her and to worm out of her clutches. She knew she could hit hard; hopefully that would make up for whatever Suzan knew about submissions!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Suzan grunts as she releases her, rolling back while holding her side in pain.

[CaptainL]

It was no easy feat, that was for sure. Suzan had a good hold on Blair, and true to form for the blonde, she wasn't letting go - at least, not without a fight. The longer the struggle went on, the deeper her forearm dug into her opponent's neck, and her legs threatened to squeeze her sides flat. Blair's face had grown red under the strain, the sweat beading on her brow and her teeth clenched in a grimace. But through it all, the Muay Thai fighter had made a promise to herself - she wasn't going to give up! She couldn't give Suzan the satisfaction of knowing she had taken her down. Blair still saw she had a chance to escape, and, as she hurled a volley of punches and elbows against her foe's ribs, that was a chance she was going to hold onto!

At last, it worked! Unable to withstand the pain any more, Suzan was forced to let go of Blair, scrambling away to nurse her wounds. As the pressure on her gave way, Blair sank lower; she had to right herself on her hands and knees as she shifted her weight to the side, but still, she was able to prop herself back up enough to set her sights on her opponent. She panted a few times to draw the breath back in her lungs - it had, after all, been a close brush with succumbing to the guillotine choke, closer than Blair was willing to admit to. Even now, she was sore, letting out a cough from the pressure on her throat. But a grin still came to her face when she saw that Suzan was down. Blair had managed a comeback. She had inflicted some damage on Suzan - and more importantly, she had proven she wasn't going to sit back and take her attacks head-on any more. It was time to turn the tables!

Now that that had worked, Blair was emboldened - she had to push that success even further! She pushed up off the ground, looking to right herself on her feet. She was still a little sore, but she quickly shook that off as she ran toward Suzan to close in on her. As she came near, she drew back her foot to unleash a toe kick aimed at Suzan's jaw, hopefully enough to cut her off in her attempts to rise! Ordinarily, Blair wasn't one to take fights to the ground - but Suzan was leaving her with little choice!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Suzan staggers into a corner from the hit.

[CaptainL]

If her first successful blow wasn't enough for Blair, this one was only lifting her spirits higher. Her foot slammed into Suzan's jaw, and the blonde's head went cracking backward, sending her toward the corner! Suzan might have been the larger of the two, but Blair's deft strikes had landed with just enough force to direct her momentum where she needed it to go, leaving her open for a follow-up. Now, Blair bent at the knees, leaning in closer to where Suzan had landed as she settled into a stance. For a moment, she smirked, pleased with her efforts. However, her eyes soon narrowed into a steely, determined glare. Blair had to remind herself there was no use in getting cocky just yet. She had taken control back for herself, yes, but she couldn't lose sight of the goal. It was now that she had Suzan cornered - and now, it was her time to make amends for what she'd suffered up to this point.

Hoping to close in while Suzan was stunned for a couple of quick blows, Blair lunged in toward her foe, shooting out with a couple of jabs aimed at Suzan's chest. If all went well, she would pivot around to land a roundhouse kick against her side! It had been a rocky start for her, but now that Blair had the chance to turn things around, she wouldn't hesitate. It was her turn to show off what she could do!

[ClockwerkSamurai12]

Suzan blocks the jabs by moving her arms up.

Suzan: *Thinking* Just gotta wait for her to use a rising knee attack..