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

[CaptainL]

From the moment Blair slipped out of her wrestling boots, she could already feel herself entering a place of readiness, a place she felt like she naturally belonged in. To call it a state of tranquility wouldn't be entirely accurate - Blair was hardly sedate, and she was still ready to go, her senses alert and her reflexes at the ready. But she didn't have any worries any more, or any fears of being unable to adapt. Here, she thought, she was at a place where everything made sense. The motions she put herself through were ones she had gone through a thousand times before, and she knew them well. Now there was nothing to hold her back.

With a burst of energy, Blair shot herself forward, closing the distance on Finlay in the blink of an eye before she hopped up and struck out with her knee. Finlay had managed to block it, but he had absorbed a good portion of the impact in the process, and now, as Blair came to rest on the mat in front of him and dusted herself off, she could see that he was still recoiling from the force of the blow. She looked back up at him, content with her efforts, but still not about to let her guard down.

Finlay pushed himself forward again, and Blair was forced back against his shove. She skidded across the mat, gritting her teeth as she tried to brace herself. He too would raise his knee to fire off a knee strike of his own, but in that split-second, Blair saw her chance to counter. Just before Finlay's blow hit, Blair kicked up with her knee again, looking to raise it to the same trajectory as Finlay's and hit him in the knee with her own to deflect his blow. If that worked, with her leg still raised, she would proceed to swing her lower leg outward to transition smoothly into a toe kick!

[Bare]

As Finlay absorbed the full force of Blair’s knee he knew he had the rest if the match cut out for him. They were fighting in Blair territory now and be knew it, but he wasn’t about to let that stop him from fighting with everything he had. Shoving forward he would shift his weight throwing his leg up to attempt a knee strike at Blair.

But the girl really was moving now. Rather than dodging or blocking in a way he expected Blair instead threw her leg up kicking hiseg in the same moment. As their limbs clashed in midair Finlay grit his teeth from the pain that flowed through his knee upon comtact with Blair’s own knee. ‘Damn... its like kicking a steel pole.’ He thought to himself as his leg was forced down.

However that wasn’t the only thing Blair was going for. Before he could react Finlay found her foot stabbing into his side making him grunt in pain. Despite being reasy the force or the kick still forced him back. Not one to back down easily Finlay charged back in immediately after the contact with Blair’s toe kick. Spinning on his heel he threw a leg up in hope to deliver a round house kick to Blair, his hope being tbat Blair, who had just delivered a kick of her own, wouldn’t have enough time to react to the normally slow strke he went for.

[CaptainL]

Blair was firing on all cylinders now. She had shed her boots, but more importantly she had shed the limitations she'd accepted of herself by thinking of this as another wrestling match. Though she wasn't bad at wrestling, it was still clear that it was the striking arts that she felt most at home in. Now, though, she had no reason to limit herself. It was time to start thinking of this on her own terms, and she was ready.

Rather than simply getting out of the way of Finlay's knee, Blair used a technique she had learned from her Muay Thai instructors. Her arms, legs, elbows, and knees weren't just weapons, they could serve to defend her as well. A blow could deflect an opponent's strike and buy herself time just as much as it could inflict harm, and she now put that philosophy into practice as she brought her leg up to perform a so-called check - with just as much force and momentum behind it as any other strike! Though Finlay felt the brunt of the impact, the look on Blair's face, her eyes narrowed and her mouth curled into a stern frown, showed she wouldn't skip a beat. It hurt, all right, but she could ignore that. She knew it would have been a lot worse.

From there, she was in position to follow through on her move, as she kicked out with her lower leg to hit Finlay in the ribs. With such a comparatively smaller motion, she couldn't summon as much force behind it - but it still managed to force her opponent away. Now, she was set to follow through. She took a step forward, moving to close the distance on Finlay and bring herself back into striking range.

As it so happened, though, Finlay had the same idea in mind! Just as Blair was moving forward, Finlay caught up to her, and he lashed out with a roundhouse kick that swept through the air in front of him, clipping the girl in the ribs! Taking the impact, Blair groaned through her teeth, staggering back and clutching her side. She fell to one knee, though she flexed the muscles in the other leg to keep herself righted and in place with the foot she still had on the ground. She had been counting on Finlay being in a good position to keep up the pressure, but instead, the grappler knew she would have to use up valuable seconds in bringing herself back to a neutral stance, and that gave him all the time he needed to strike!

[Bare]

Finlay was no expert in muay thai, he’d be more than willing to admit such a thing. He’d also be willing to admit that turning the match into a unoffical muay thai contest was probably a bad idea on his part. But he didn’t care. Blair was the type of opponet worth taking seriously on even territory. Besides he still couldn’t explain it, but he felt a need to make things as fair as possible for her.

In any case while he was no muay thai fighter he WAS a fighter. Prior to speacializing in wrestling he was a underground figher in many backstreet fights and tournaments. So he certainly knew enough to keep up with Blair, as shown when he successfully managed to knock the girl down with a round house kick to the side.

He wasn’t done yet. In order to have any chance of winning he needed to keep the pressure on her and unleash everything he had in his limited arsenal. Thats why as he pulled his leg back into a standing position he immediately faced the kneeling Blair, and with tbe leg that just hit the mat he pushed forward. Raising his other leg up whike leaping forward he threw himself at Blair with a knee strike aimed right towards her chest!

[CaptainL]

Taking the kick to the side, Blair went down. She was quick on her feet - not to mention quick with her fists and feet - but she couldn't claim she was anything more than a lightweight. While her smaller frame gave her some advantages in terms of mobility and speed, she found it harder to roll with the punches and take blows when they did reach her, and there was only so much she could avoid. When Finlay's kick landed against her ribs, she dropped to her knee, managing to brace herself with one foot but still certainly lower to the ground than her opponent. That wasn't a position she liked to be in under any circumstances, and she definitely didn't want to be stuck with it now!

She watched as Finlay approached her, her teeth clenched and her muscles tense as she prepared herself to act should the need present itself. Blair watched as he raised his leg, a kick aimed right for her, but she wouldn't let it hit! Summoning the strength in her leg and pushing off the mat with her hand as well, Blair forced herself to her feet, swerving aside from Finlay's leg as it streaked by her. If she could manage to get out of the way in time, leaving his leg in the air, Blair would attempt to grab him by the outstretched limb, hoping to still his motion in its tracks.

[Bare]

Finlay watched Blair carefully, his adrenaline pushing higher than it normally would in matches. Something about the self induced stipulation he had put down between them was making him more excited than normal, more aware, perceptive, and ready to act. It was as if he had hit a gear he didn’t know he could reach. He was liking it and he had Blair to thank for it. Even if inadverdently. Something he’d be sure to do when she woke up after he knocked her out...

Swinging his leg forward to try and smash his knee into her chest Finlay prepared himself for impact and was already thinking about what he’d do next. However... as he neared he saw her muscles twitch and flex. ‘She’s moving he thought to himself as his sudden bracing for impact faded away and sure enough Blair had deftly managed to outmanever his planned strike. ‘Damn it.’ He thought to himself as his leg was caught leaving him trapped and vulnerable!

[CaptainL]

Finlay's leg had kicked out, but Blair was ready. If she allowed it to hit her, the force with which he struck could easily bowl her over, she was sure. However, what she had over her opponent was her agility, manueverability, and reflexes. If she didn't want him to hit her, Blair wouldn't have to let him!

Stepping aside of the kick, Blair left Finlay's leg hanging in midair. The cold, focused stare didn't drop from her face, even as she reached out to grab his leg. Wrapping her arm into place around the limb, Blair would only look up briefly to acknowledge Finlay's presence. Now that he was teetering on one foot, his balance would be compromised, in addition to having one less limb to work with when it came to strikes. And Blair wasn't one to pass up on an opportunity. Now that she had her hold on Finlay secured, she would push off with her shoulders, going to swing him by his leg to the ground!

[Bare]

Finlay cursed as his leg was grabbed by his opponet. He knew that her technical skill and agility was great but he hadn’t expected her to be so bold as to try a grab. Even so the move left him with little options. Her own short height played to her advantage here since he doubted he could reach her with his arms given the length of his leg between them. On top of that he doubted a step up enziguri would work. Or at least the odds of it doing so weren’t high enough for him to try it.

Besides Blair wasn’t giving him time too even attempt it. Before he could do anything he found himself dropped down to the mat with a resounding impact and gasp of pain. Wth the tables turned against him and Blair in the dominant position, literally, he was forced on the defensive. Instinctively he threw his arms up above his face in a crossed position, in anticipation for a flurry of blows from the smaller girl above him. Knowing her that was almost definitively what the former muay thai expert would attempt.

[CaptainL]

Finlay might have been larger than Blair, and when it came to brute force he could surely muster more of it than she could ever hope to. It would be a tall order for her to throw him off his feet, and when he seemed to be quite adept at grappling and holds, that would tilt the odds in his favor. However, a little bit of leverage could go a long way. And when Finlay brought his foot off the ground, it would compromise his balance - something that Blair could then use to swing him to the ground.

Looking down on Finlay from his position on the mat, Blair assessed her options. She wasn't used to fighting on the ground, being most comfortable with stand-up striking. But in transitioning to MMA and wrestling, she accepted that she would need to expand if she wanted to be successful, and she knew a few things about holds and submissions. Now was a better time than ever to put that to the test - particularly when she saw Finlay raise his hands to block his face from a strike. However much that would be in keeping with the sort of style Blair had been showing him thus far, it wasn't all she could do. And his defense would do little against something different!

Falling into place, Blair dropped down at Finlay's side and grabbed his leg in between her own. Clenching her legs to hold it in place, she rolled him to his side, then bent back on his leg to extend it in a kneebar!

[Bare]

Finlay grunted with his arms up as he hit the mat back first. Blair was smaller and more agile than him, despite not appearing like it she also hit far harder than she should for her size. That’s why understandably Finlay’s immediate response was to put up a defense of any kind from her devastating strikes. That being said... Blair wasn’t someone he pegged for doing things outside thre box.

But once again it appeared he underestimated. While waiting for the flurry of strikes to rain down on him Finlay aould blink in confusion when it didn’t. Then, his eyes widened in shock. Before he could register the shift in weight above him, or his leg being lifted, it was too late. Soon his leg was wrapped up tightly by his opponet’s lithe but surprisingly strong legs.

”AGHHHHHH!” He yelled out in pain from the intense sensations spurring from his knee and through the rest of his body. An arm bar or choke hold he expected. But a knee bar was far outside what he expected Blair to use against him and she made him pay for such a miscalculation by squeezing with absolutely no mercy. So bad was the pain of the hold that Finlay on instinct began tapping out on the mat. Due to the stipulation of the match it wouldn’t do anything, after all only the last one to stand would win. That being said, to make a proud wreslter like Finlay want to tap, needless to say it got a loud chorus of cheers for the former muay thai practioner as Finlay continued to struggle in her grasp.