Kendra Williams vs. Armando 'Army' Rodriguez - Hammer and Tongs

Match Type: UFC-Style Match
Victory Conditions: Knockout or Submission. The match will be fought with three five-minute rounds. If the match exceeds that time, victory will be decided by decision from a panel of three judges.




Army held out his hands while Carmen wrapped them up in tape. Over. Under. Through. Around. He knew how to do it himself, had done it plenty of times. But Carmen was better at it. She always got just the right amount of tightness. Nothing loose. Nothing wasted. Covering up every inch of his fist and never missing a single spot. He'd never say it straight out, but she was just better at some things. He was going to have to learn to admit that.

The two of them stood backstage, just a room away from the entrance, getting ready for his first match since the clusterfuck of a fight with Jackie St. Michael. He was dressed up and ready, sporting his red boxing trunks with the black trim, with the RODRIGUEZ name proudly displayed on the waist. No boxing gloves, though. No shoes, either, going barefoot. This was going to be a special sort of match.

Carmen managed to pull a few strings and set Army with something closer to what he was used to than the normal wrestling matches, figuring the change of pace would do him good. A UFC style match, taking place in an octagon cage, following close to the rules for the sport. While it wasn’t something he intended to do to often, it was probably as close to a legit boxing match as he could get without actually having a legit boxing match. With all the hell Jackie had put him through - beating him around, getting him to fall for that stupid bet where he had to pay for her drinks for a whole year, and now the way she kept harassing while he did the janitor job he had to take on for all her expenses - he needed something like this. Pure and fun.

”I think you’ll like this.” She finished off the wraps on his left hand and put on a red grappling glove, pulling the strap tight for a good fit. ”I saw this girl’s match with Clyde. Good one, took him to a draw. She’s good and she’s fair, she won’t give you any shit.” She reached up and flicked his nose. ”So you don’t give her any shit, all right?”

Army rubbed his nose with his spare hand and gave her a solid nod. ”I’ll play nice, don’t worry.” After Jackie made him look like a heel in their last fight, Army didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. People were starting to lump him in the same boat as Kent Quick and Killer King - big, dumb jocks who got their rocks off fighting smaller girls and breaking them in two. Army never cared too much what people thought, but he’d be damned and fucked before he let people compare him to those assholes.

”And actually listen to what I have to tell you, okay?” She moved on to the other fist and gave it the same treatment.

”I will.”

”I mean it. This girl’s good, she really pushed Clyde and she’ll push you over if you’re-”

Army started to roll his eyes, but she gave him a light slap in the face before he could even complete the motion. ”Ow, fuck.” He chuckled, rubbing the sore cheek. ”I’ll take her serious, don’t worry.”

”You’d better.” She gave him her trademark ‘You’re such a doofus’ look, before going on to finish his right fist. ”I convinced Dad to watch tonight, and he doesn’t need to see his #1 son get knocked on his ass. Again."

She glanced behind him as some guy from the stage crew popped around the corner, giving them the one-minute signal. ”Right on time. Open up.” She took out a mouth guard and popped it in, fitting it snug between his teeth. ”Posture straight.” He straightened up. ”Eyes open.” He opened his eyes up, wide and strong. ”Hair back, for the ladies.” He reached up and ran his hand over his skull, getting that windswept look that most of his girls went for. "Nice, bein.” She gave him a hard slap on the chest, leaving her handprint and making his blood flair up at the pain. ”Let’s go.”

Daiblo Rojo came on over the loudspeakers and Army made his way out shortly after, Carmen following right behind him with her cutman kit, dressed in her ragged blue jeans and her favorite red TAPOUT shirt. Sure enough, the crowd hadn’t forgotten about his last match, and were giving him the boos they thought he deserved. ”Just shut them out.” Carmen took a quick step to stand beside him. ”Only noise. Focus.”

That was easy for her to say - Carmen never got this sort of flak in any match she’d ever been in. But that didn’t make her wrong. Letting them screw with his head was only to make the match that much harder, and he was having a difficult enough time in the AFW already.

Army made his way into the ring and took his position in the red corner of the ring, while Carmen finished setting up behind him. Throwing a few shadow punches, bouncing on his toes, pacing back and forth like a tiger. Ready to be uncaged.

One, two, kick. One, two, kick. Kendra, in a room not far from Army's, stood in the center of the room, shadowboxing, trying to loosen up efore her next match. And it was a match she was dying to get to. MMA style. It felt right, fr the most part. It was a far cry from what she had gotten used to around here. But now was as good a time as any to get back into the swing. No more crazy high flying moves. No more trying to suplex someone off the top rope or something. Just a straight forward, hand to hand fight. Awesome!

The southern beauty, now coated in the thinnest layer of sweat, grinned as she threw a few more quick jabs and one last high kick. That was more than enough. She was ready. Still, it sucked that she wouldn't have anyone in her corner with her. Back home, she'd at least have some of her friends with her. Not here. Here, she didn't really have friends. Kind of. She wasn't really sure what to consider Clyde at the moment. After their match, she'd gotten a kind of respect for him. Beyond that, there wasn't much. Then again, she never really got the chance to get to know him. Maybe she'd get the chance. Maybe not.

Once she was given the one minute notice, she grabbed a towel and dried her forehead, then grabbed her mouth guard and put it in. She was ready for this. More than ready. Tossing the towel aside, she made her way to the entrance ramp, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Once her music started up, she wasted no time starting her walk down the ramp to the octagonal cage. As she made her way down, she caught glimpse of her opponent to be. He was big. Real big. A good six foot. That wasn't good... But she could take him. She'd just have to keep out of his reach until she had a free shot.

Stepping up into the cage, Kendra settled into the blue corner, taking a deep breath, making her final mental preparations. She could do this. She was in her element. No problem. "Time for a real fight."

They didn't have to wait long before his opponent came out and made her way down to the ring. At first, Army thought Carmen was joking about Kendra - she just looked like some blonde chick playing dress-up. She was cute, sure, but nowhere near his size, not someone he'd think could give him much hassle.

But then he saw the muscle. Raw. Hard. Solid and dense, packed tight around her legs. Small, yeah, but packed tight. And if fighting Jackie - and getting slaughtered - by Jackie taught him anything, it was that being bigger than an opponent didn't guarantee a win. If she hit him enough times, he would go down, like anyone else.

"There she is." Army glanced over his shoulder, looking at Carmen through the chain links. "All right, I'm listening. What's the advice?"

Carmen stared at Kendra for a few moments, before turning to look Army straight in the eye with a serious look. "She's quick. She's faster than you. So you need to play this smart and think about the long game. Don't go for the heavy blows at the start, she'll tire you out. First round, keep it simple. Jabs. Fakes. Test her a little bit, get a feel for the way she moves. You've got the reach and she knows it, so she's going to try to find ways to get inside. Keep your eyes open and, for fuck's sakes, watch out for the kicks. Get it?"

"Got it."

"Good. Kick ass, Army." She backed off and finished setting up as the announcer - the best Michael Buffer lookalike they could find on short notice - came into the ring and started things off.

"Ladies and gentleman, Anime Female Wrestling is proud to bring to you a fine contest of skill and stamina, holding to our tradition of providing the most varied and unique matches for our fans. Tonight's match will be in the UFC style, pitting two of Tension's finest strikers against one another in a familiar environment. Coming out of the red corner, weighing in at  stout 195 pounds with six solid feet to back them up, he is an up-and-coming boxer turned wrestler from Bayomon, Puerto Rico. The latest in a long line of proud pugilists, he is the legacy fighter, Armando 'Army' Rodriguez!"

Army raised his fists in the air and kept bouncing, even as the boos intensified. The crowd was already sold on Kendra's side, ready for her to knock him and get a repeat of the last fight. They were about to be disappointed.

Kendra had to swallow a little bit when she looked ver at Army. Far away, he was big. Up close, he was enormous. But she knew better than to let her head get in the way of the match. Big meant nothing if he couldn't connect. And if she had her way, he wouldn't even get a chance to connect. Still, it sucked being alone in the corner. No moral upport, nothing. suddenly she felt very, very secluded as she watched the girl he was with talk to him. No doubt giving him some much needed advice and moral support.

But now wasn't the time to feel lonesome. She had a fight to win.

"And now, coming out of the blue corner, weighing in at 117 pounds, with a petite stature of 5 foot 4, she is an amateur Kick Boxer and Tai Kwon Do practitioner, hailing from Austin, Texas. She is the Southern Beauty, Kendra Williams!"

When the crowd erupted into cheers, Kendra took a step forward and threw one arm into the air, smiling through her mouth guard. She had to say, she loved the cheers she got. Maybe it was because she had earned some love from her first match. O maybe it was because they really didn't seem to care much for Army. Either way, it felt good to be the one they were rooting for. And she wasn't going to let them down. She'd prove herself here tonight by putting the giant before her down on the mat.

When the roar died down, Kendra lowered her arm and turned to Army, bounding on the balls of her feet. She was still worked up pretty good from her warm up, and shew as ready to keep that fire going.

Shit, another Texan. His sister had taken on Clyde not too long ago, and here he was, now. Granted, Kendra was much better to look at than Clyde Fuckin' Gastin, but it was a strange little coincidence. Who was next?  Dixie Clements?

...actually, he wouldn't mind that if it were true.

The referee snapped him back to reality and away from his  pleasant thoughts of the Three-Count Cowgirl's chest. He already had one cowgirl to think about it, and she would give him plenty of trouble all by herself.

"Fighters, join me in the middle." The ref motioned for them to come over and Army quickly complied, joining her and Kendra in the center of the octagon. "Obey my commands at all times, defend yourselves at all times. If you would like to touch gloves, do so now."

Army extended his fist, meeting her halfway. "You ready for me, goldilocks?" Just a little teasing. Couldn't help himself, wouldn't be a proper match without some ribbing.

At the refs direction, Kendra joined her foe in the middle, only giving a light nod as the ref gave the usual read off. She didn't need a reminder to defend herself. Against a guy who was this much bigger than she was, she didn't need to be told that not defendin herself would be a huge mistake.

Kendra smiled a bit at Army's jest. It helped to ease the tension a bit. As mch as she was looking forward to this, she was nervous as hell. Who wouldn't be? She extended her arm, touching his glove with her own. "Only if yer ready to get knocked out, muscle head." Kendra then backed off a few steps, putting her arms up to about chin level and bouncing on the balls of her feet. Here goes nothing.

Army didn't know jack about Kendra aside from the stuff Carmen told him a few minutes ago, but just going off the initial impression, she seemed pretty cool. Any girl willing to step in the ring with a guy twice her side immediately earned his respect, and she didn't seem to be a total bitch, unlike half of Tension's female roster. She had a good smile. Army didn't meet too many girls with good smiles, these days.

Oh, he was still going to royally ruin her shit in this ring, that wasn't changing. But it wouldn't be anything personal.

Army moved back as the bell ring and started to bounce as well, his slower, steady rhythm contrasting with her light feet. Quick one. Good form. Carmen had warned him about rushing into this, told him to be smart and feel her out, so that was the game he'd play.

Army took a quick dash in, crossing the distance in a few bold steps like he was going to plow right into her, but he slammed on the breaks and jumped back the moment he got into what he thought was her range. Just seeing how she reacted and getting a feel for her style. For now.

DING DING!

The sound of the bell, and the start of the match. Kendra watched as her larger opponent prepared himself just as she did. Both of them had their eyes locked on one another. The southern beauty knew that for now, she'd have to keep her distance. She couldn't close in on him right away. So she waited for him to make the first move. All he had to do was open himself up, then she'd have him.

Then the giant of a man came barreling at her, closing the distance between them in just a couple of steps. Kendra didn't hesitate to take one hasty step back, both arms coming up tight to her face, on the off chance he'd go for a shot at her head. Thankfully, he stopped short. She knew what he was doing. He was probably hoping she'd make a mistake and take a quick shot at him when he'd charged. Too bad for him, she's not that simple.

Once he back off, Kendra started bouncing again, this time moving just a bit closer to him, slowly, little by little closing the distance. Once close enough, she fire one quick low kick aimed at his forward thigh, hoping to solidly connect. She knew it probably wouldn't do much, but she wanted it to hurt. She wanted him to know that being careless would get him knocked out.

The charge didn't give him any openings, but that didn't mean it wasn't useful. Kendra tanked up quite for it, braced her and prepared for impact, and that showed just how cautious she was willing to be if he pressed the attack. It wasn't the time for it, but if he got in a good shot and followed it up fast enough, he was confident he could pin her down.

Of course, Kendra wasn't just going to sit back and take it, something Army figured out when when worked her way into his range and lashed out with a quick kick to his thigh. He didn't dodge it. Couldn't dodge. It came out in a flash and struck him right on the quadracep, so quick and harsh it almost felt like taking a whip. "Shit! He whistled as the sting spread. "Not bad, not bad. Where'd you learn to hit like that?"

He kept his smile up as best he could, but Army flustered by the sheer alactrity of the move. It being a low attack didn't help, either - he'd been trained all his lift to anticipate attacks to the upper body, and even though he was starting to get into wrestling and the squared circle, a small part of him expected the referee to call a foul every time he took a hit below the belt. Some old habits just refused to die, no matter how much pain you take for them.

Army regained his footing and came at her again, trying to catch her before she could get away from his reach. He took a quick step towards her and accompanied it with a left jab towards her face, then another aimed her at her chest. Rapid fire, one after the other, bam bam. A good way to establish the range, deal a little damage if he was lucky, and send back the same message she'd given him.

Kendra grinned when her kick connected with a solid slap! By the way he reacted, she was sure that it sent a good message his way; be careful how close you get, or you'll find yourself eating the mat. He was pretty solid though. She felt a light pain of the impact radiat through her foot. But it wasn't something she was worried about. It soon faded, but she knew then that she wasn't going to be able to take him out with some light shots.

"Practice, big boy," Kendra replied simply, not wanting to engage in too much conversation, lest it distract her from her goal.

Army came back at her full force though. While she was still in his range, he let loose a quick jab toward her face. She managed to block the strike, much to the pain in her arms. But the second strike came immediately after, and struck her solidly in the chest. The impact was enough to send her staggering back a few steps, letting out a loud "oof!" Kendra had to suck in a breath after she regained her footing. He was tough.

"Lucky shot," She said, grinning as she moved back in, just outside of his reach. Not that she knew how hard he could hit if he had a chance, she knew how careful she had to be. If that had landed on her face, she might not still be standing. So, she circled around him a bit, waiting to see if he'd move in on her again. If he did, she'd wait for an opening, and strike at it with all she had.