Blair Yuen vs. Zira Cabalero - MMA Match

[CaptainL]

The first round had been a disaster, yes. But if Blair had any say in the matter, it wasn't going to be all for naught. As long as she could learn from her mistakes in the first round, and do better in the second, then at least it would've been worth something. And the first thing Blair needed to keep in her mind was that she couldn't let herself get blindsided by her opponent's capoeira moves again. If she succumbed to fear and panic, she'd already lost. It was true she was nervous, yes - there was a lot of pressure on her to prove her worth in the MMA world, and she hadn't done well against such an unpredictable style historically. But she wasn't going to get anywhere by repeating the same mistakes. She had it in her to do better than this. After her MMA loss, Blair had thrown herself fully into her training in order to do better; to anticipate the tactics of a skilled capoeirista and to know how to counter them. She'd already forgotten about those lessons in the first round, and she'd paid the price for that. She wasn't going to do it a second time - for the sake of her own dignity, she couldn't.

Taking in a breath and clenching her fist to steel herself, Blair moved in toward her foe. A capoeira practitioner's greatest asset, she reminded herself, was their momentum - the fluidity of their stance; their ability to transition from one manuever to the next and to throw their opponents off-guard. If Blair was going to beat Zira, she was going to have to interrupt that momentum. Something she was ready to do, as she swung a fist right into Zira's jaw as she came near!

Blair could feel her fist connect with the sound of a smack, and how her opponent stumbled aside. It was a moment of long-awaited comeuppance for Zira. But Blair felt no sense of satisfaction; not just yet. It wasn't over yet! She heard Zira hiss at her, and it only made Blair's teeth clench as her body tensed up. Zira wasn't done with her yet. She still had work to do before she'd shut her rival up. But she was prepared for that.

Zira threw another punch Blair's way, and once again, the Muay Thai fighter managed to dodge - letting herself settle into the flow of the action, she instinctively knew to bend back at the waist, letting the punch fly over her. But Zira, too, was thinking ahead - and when Blair managed to dodge one blow, she only left herself open for another. A fact that Zira was going to remind her of soon enough. As soon as Blair righted herself, Zira struck out again just as quickly, and Blair had no chance to respond before her uppercut slammed into her jaw, sending her head back with a crack. As the pain exploded through her skull, she reeled back, taking a few stumbling steps backward. She brought her arms upward to try and shield her head - but that only left her midsection exposed, and open for Zira to knee her right in the gut!

"GAH-!" Letting out a cough, Blair could feel her lungs bow inward as Zira's knee slammed into her stomach, flattening her diaphragm. She still felt the ache in her jaw, and with her balance shifted off center, she couldn't handle the extra push. She took a few staggering, stumbling steps backward, her body reeling to and fro and threatening to go down a few times before it finally did - when her feet gave way, and she dropped to a seated position on the canvas.

There, Blair looked back up at Zira with a hiss, rubbing at her jaw to try and nurse the pain. This was a setback, even beyond the fact that she'd been dizzied. Right when she thought she had the heavyweight figured out, Zira was once again shifting tactics on her - and Blair had been one step behind. But this time, she wasn't going to panic. This time, her eyes narrowed on Zira with a focused glare, vowing to not let her out of her sights. She wouldn't make that mistake again.

[Bare]

Any pretense of strategy or mental mind games were right out the window for Zira as she threw a more traditional combo at Blair, forgoing the use of Capoeira for the style she was much more comfortable and aggressive with. Not for the sake of throwing Blair off, though it did have that unintentional effect, but it was done inherently because Zira, for what it was worth, got pushed by Blair's resurgence, and she was looking to squash it in the best way she knew how. Feeling her knee bury deep into the solar plexus of her opponent and blasting the smaller woman clear off her feet Zira would smirk smugly at seeing the success of her combo on the little dragon. Not wanting to let things slow down in the slightest Zira would rush towards the downed Blair, trying to take advantage of the girl's downed position as she leapt forward, both knees jutted out to try and spike them into Blair's chest to knock the wind out of her and if successful, lead right into Zira mounting Blair, a position that if she got it, she knew she would be able to end the brat right here in the second round with no bell to save her this time!

[CaptainL]

Since the start of the second round, Blair hadn't gotten out of things unscathed. Try as she might to dodge and counter her way around the incoming blows, Zira had still managed to hit her a couple of times - and with the difference in size between the two, any hits that Zira managed to land stood a serious risk of leaving the Muay Thai fighter winded and vulnerable. Even now, she was feeling the soreness set in from the kick Zira had landed against her side, and the knee she'd taken to the gut. Blair didn't have to look down to know that the red marks were spreading across her skin, and she could still feel the lingering soreness wherever Zira's hits had connected - it was enough to make her shudder and clench her teeth. But even still, she couldn't let that stop her. No matter how much it hurt, Blair couldn't forget that she had still managed to dodge Zira's blows, even managing to land a hit on her. That meant she was making progress; that she was capable of hitting her. If she could hit Zira, there was still a chance she could win!

Now that she had been downed, she was definitely vulnerable to whatever Zira had up her sleeve next. Vulnerable, yes - but not helpless. Blair had already guessed that Zira was about to pounce. Given her expertise in the MMA world, it was almost certain that she had a more developed ground game than Blair herself, and when she seemed as aware of the ups and downs of Blair's career as she was, she would surely know that was a weakness of hers - it only stood to reason that she would look to exploit that fact. But Blair was already thinking ahead. She couldn't let her!

Just as Zira pounced, Blair would try and throw herself to the side, looking to dodge out of the way of her opponent's charge - and leaving Zira to wipe out knees-first against the mat! If Blair pulled it off, it would ensure she'd save herself from Zira's wrath. But it would also mean that Zira would have gone down, buying her some time. She'd use that to pick herself back up onto her feet, scrambling to dust herself off - she desperately needed to, now. And it Zira was still within range, Blair would take one stride toward her to close the gap, and then she would kick up her knee with her other leg, aiming a strike for the heavyweight's head!

[Bare]

Zira had started to take things seriously which, unknowingly or not, was a testament to Blair's own skills at being able to push the older woman so with her resilience and ingenuity. Not to mention the power of her strikes despite her smaller size and stature. None the less though Zira still held the advantage in raw power and ferocity. Something she was making great use of as she charged Blair, attempting to take her down to the mat and pummel her into paste or lock in a submission. Whichever became easier in the moment. Unfortunately for Zira though it seemed Blair had expected this and dived out of the way!

"Ngh!" Zira groaned out as her knees hit nothing but the rough surface of the mat as she sat up and was about to turn to get back up... Only to eat a knee in the face! "NGHH GAH!" Zira yelled as she was taken off her seated position and did a roll until she was in a crouch, holding her face which now sported a broken nose, blood dripping down onto the mat... and making Zira look up with bloodlust in her eyes. "Little bitch.." Zira hissed out as she pushed herself up to her feet and blitzed towards Blair, putting her weight on one leg while the other came up, looking for her signature knockout roundhouse kick that had won her many a match before, Mirked Out!

[CaptainL]

When Blair managed to dodge out of the way of Zira's charge, forcing her knee to come down hard against the mat, that was a sign that something she was doing was working. And it could only slow the heavyweight down further, leaving her wide open as Blair whipped her own knee straight up into Zira's face! The fact that she was making such strides against her opponent, taking back ground and rightfully proving that she indeed had it in her to reclaim her former glory, was something that gave Blair hope, and a smirk came to her face as she looked up to see Zira glaring back at her through dripping blood. Now, all those taunts and insults Zira had hurled her way at the start of this match were echoing in Blair's ears, and this time, every one of them rang hollow when they were coming from the woman who Blair had done this to. It was proof she still had a chance!

Still, Blair wasn't going to let her guard down now. Zira, she knew, was still on the move, and any moment at which Zira might strike was a moment Blair had to consider incredibly dangerous. When she saw Zira look back up at her, her teeth clenched in sheer, blind rage, it was enough to make Blair go tense at the thought of what the heavyweight could do to her...but only for a moment. She knew she couldn't lose her cool now. She did her best when she was focused and attentive to the utmost degree, and when she had to contend with a berserk Zira, that was more important than ever.

Narrowing her eyes to train her focus on her foe, Blair watched as the heavyweight came charging closer, and as she lifted her foot up from the ground. She knew that a powerful blow had to be coming...but this time, she would be ready for it. Just as Zira's leg came streaking toward her, Blair went to swerve to the side, hoping to dodge! If that worked, she would grab for her foe's ankle while her leg was outstretched, giving it a crank to try and deal some damage, before pulling it back toward her and falling to her back to try and drag Zira down with her!

[Bare]

Zira was angry and impatient. Determined to do nothing but beat Blair once and for all and lay her out for good. Prove her words and beliefs about the girl for good. All she needed was one kick. One Mirked Out to the jaw and she'd have Blair laid out and drooling on the mat for the TKO and she'd finally be done with this. Too finally break this brat and leave her out cold on the mat, exposed before the world as the coward pretender that she was. Charging forward with this thought along with blind rage propelling her Zira's lashed her leg out at Blair's face, looking to end this! Only for something unexpected to happen. Out of nowhere her ankle had been caught mid air before getting twisted causing a sharp jolt to go through Zira's leg! "Gah!" Zira hissed out, getting pulled forward as Blair fell, getting pulling into the smaller woman's clutches! "Ngh!" Breathing sharply through her teeth Zira immediately pushed up with her arms while lifting her free leg and attempting to shoot it backwards at Blair to try and make her grip slacken!

[CaptainL]

Blair knew that if she let this kick hit her, she wouldn't stand a chance. She wasn't too proud to admit that as much - the Mirked Out was one of the strongest blows in Zira's arsenal, one that could win matches in one shot, and when she had been able to crush her fellow heavyweights with such force, a lightweight like Blair would've crumbled. But Blair wasn't going to take it - she had other plans in mind. She was on edge; every muscle was tense and waiting for the very second she'd be able to make her move, knowing that if she was a fraction of a second off, all would be over. But if Blair could pull this off, she knew, it could well just be the leg up she needed. Just as she saw that foot come near, Blair made her move! As quick as a flash of lightning, she shot out with her hands and grabbed hold of Zira's leg - and now that the heavyweight's balance had been compromised as a result, as soon as Blair gave one sharp tug on her ankle, she was able to pull her off her footing, taking her down with her!

Blair hissed through her teeth as she felt her back hit the mat. She knew that she was weak on the ground, and that this left her vulnerable - but Zira had left her no choice, and if it meant her opponent's taunts and boasts would blow up in her face, this was a risk Blair was wlling to take. She saw Zira's other leg fly toward her, but she was already prepared, rolling her weight over to the side to dodge the incoming blow. Then, she tightened her grasp on the leg she held, with all her muscles going stiff to hold it as firmly as she could. Blair wasn't much of a submission specialist...but if she needed to step outside of her comfort zone in order to stand a chance, she'd do it. Against an opponent as large as Zira was, success would have to come from targeting her legs and compromising her balance; that was even more important when so much of the woman's arsenal came from her kicking strength. If Blair could deal some damage to her legs, she could turn this all around. And now that she had Zira's leg caught...it was time she put this to the test!

Now that she had Zira's leg secured, Blair's legs snapped around her opponent's, scissoring it at the knee. Her hands grabbed onto her ankle, pushing upward on it and stretching it as far as she could. But at the same time, she would bridge her hips up from the ground as she crossed one of her legs behind the other to encircle Zira's thigh, pulling her leg out as far as she could to stretch it with a kneebar!

[Bare]

Blair had found a second wind it seemed, or gotten lucky with how she had angered Zira just enough to slip and go for one of her bigger moves that could be read just a bit easier. Something that Blair took full advantage of as the moment Zira's foot got in proximity to the girl the limb was caught and even as Zira attempted to kick her way she found herself unable too and was instead dragged down to the mat by the little dragon instead!

"GAHHHHHHH!!!" Zira screamed out in pain Blair took the captive leg of Zira and scissors her own legs around it, applying a painful as hell kneebar on her! "DAMN IT!" Zira yelled, punching the mat in frustration, not having the vantage or positioning to try and fight Blair's legs off of her, leaving her unable to do much in response but try and take the submission hold until the time ran out!

[CaptainL]

Blair's heart was pounding. This was it! Just when it seemed like Zira was about to take her out with one well-placed blow, the Canadian's quick thinking had saved her. She was able to grab her by the leg just in time - and now, she had her trapped in the kneebar! Even better, no matter how hard Zira fought - how she twisted her body from side to side and bucked her hips - she seemed no closer to getting away than she was when they started. Blair had her! Her teeth clenched and her brow furrowed as every muscle in her body went firm, holding as tightly to Zira as she could; her fingers wrapped around Zira's ankle with a white-knuckled grip, and her thighs clamped down like she was holding on for dear life. She couldn't let go now - not when she was closer than ever to victory! She didn't even want to look away; her eyes were trained on Zira with an unblinking stare. She couldn't let a second slip by. Everything counted. It would all come down to if she would be able to get her to tap out before the bell rang...

Ding ding

But too little, too late. The round had ended with Zira still trapped within Blair's kneebar - but the round had, nonetheless, ended. Letting out a long sigh of frustration, Blair released her grip on Zira and rolled back, coming to a seated position on the canvas. There, she wiped some sweat off her brow and shook herself out. If she had just a little more time, she thought, she could've won the match by now - but Zira had been saved by the bell. Nevertheless, Blair got her footing under her and lifted herself back to her feet, her arms swinging at her sides as she tried to limber herself up. This was still a victory, she reminded herself - she had still been able to take Zira down. This final round, though, would be where everything was decided. And as Blair got to her corner, she turned around to narrow her eyes on Zira. She couldn't afford to let anything slip now.

[Bare]

Blair had managed to catch Zira off guard, fully making use of her anger to not only block one of her most dangerous moves but use it to pull her down and into a rather vicious leg bar! What made the whole situation all the worse was the fact that no matter how much Zira resisted or struggled against the hold or kicked at her foe nothing was making things loosen for her. In fact Blair seemed to only double down the pain of the hold with each passing moment, making it hurt all the more!

Thankfully soon however the bell would ring out, signifying the end of the second round and forcing Blair to let go of her! "Haghh! Ngh! Fuck.." Zira hissed out in relief as she got her leg back, pulling it in and rubbing her knee for a few moments before pushing her hands down against the mat and pushing herself up until she got on her feet. Managing to put weight on her hurt leg Zira would manage to walk back to her corner, but with a noticeable limp to her gait.

Plopping down into her seat and leaning back against the corner Zira would immediately fix a glare on Blair as she did so. In turn her attendant would drop down and use some cold spray on her leg before placing a cold pack on her knee. Doing so with haste to try and numb the pain as soon as possible, but doing so in silence. Knowing that Zira was in no mood to talk strategy or receive advice. Before she had been coasting, expecting Blair to crumple. Now whether she liked it or not, Blair had proved herself a threat... so Zira would treat her as one once the bell rang.