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

Direct hit!

Army's second blow hit Kendra right on, and even though it was way, way too early in the match to celebrate, he had to be just a little satisfied at that. Tagging speedy girls was always the trickiest part, and he'd just proven that he could do it. A little patience went a long way.

"...makes perfect, little girl." He said with a smirk as she got her senses back. Army thought he'd have to chase after her around after she took a blow like that, so he was suprised to see how quick she was to come his way, instead. Oh, sure, she was staying just out of his reach. She wasn't suicidal. But, still, taking a big risk. Maybe too big.

"Footwork!" Carmen called out to him from the sidelines and he nodded without looking her way, turning the pace up a couple of notches. He moved a little faster, swayed a little looser, put more effort in moving around the ring as he tried to move with her. He'd never quite be able to catch up, but that didn't mean he couldn't keep Kendra on her pretty toes.

Army started to move to Kendra's side, looking like he was trying to circle around her, but he quickly changed direction before he went all the way and came at her with a right hook, aimed high and tailor-made for her face.

Kendra eyed Army as he started moving a bit more loosely now, obviously knowing that he'd have to change his tactics if he wanted a chance of catching her. But the cowgirl wasn't going to let her guard down. She'd let him come to her. From there, she'd find an opening.

As he glided ever closer, he started circling around her. Kendra had her arms up high, ready for just about anything. Then he changed his direction. He threw a surprisingly quick right hook her way. While she had her arms up high, she hadn't expected him to come right in like that. She managed to get her arms up, and turned herself just enough so that the blow hit mostly her forearm. But Army had enough backing force behind that punch that she still felt it rattle her head some.

Kendra staggered back, trying to get some space yet again from the much larger man. She had to shake her head a bit to clear the cobwebs. Had she not managed to block most of that, she'd be out.

Army was crafty. He knew how to change things up to make up for his lack of speed. This was not going to be easy. Arms back up, and eyes on him, she moved back in. The cowgirl circled around a bit, sizing Army up, looking for a possible chance. Taking a chance, she closed the distance between them, and once close enough, she'd throw a couple punches of her own, one quick left jab toward his face, then a hastily thrown uppercut, which she hopped would connect solidly on his chin.

It was a little hard to see Kendra's face with the way they were moving, but Army didn't really need to in order to have a good idea of the look she was making. Body language told the story like pages in a book. She'd managed to block the hook, but this wasn't like some game where blocking let you take off all the damage. No, she'd felt it. He could see it in her steps, the way her feet pitter-pattered away and struggled to right themselves. The way she was moving more cautious now, slower and deliberate steps. If there ever a time to move in, it was now. Right now, while she was trying to prep herself up for a move.

Army bolted towards Kendra and reared back, going for a right cross with enough force to push her into the cage. Even if she blocked it, it wouldn't matter if he got her pinned and laid the hurt on her from there.

It would have worked, if the cowgirl wasn't quicker on the draw than Army was. She was, of course, so when she launched forward at about the same time, he found himself eating a jab to the face.

The blow hurt more than it normally would thanks to his own momentum behind it, and it made him do a little staggering of his own. His guard came up on reflex, but it didn't stop what was coming. Her uppercut came in between his guard and popped him square on the chin, stunning him and making him take another couple of steps back with a weakened guard. "Ah, come on-"

Kendra, after blocking a punch that would have surely put her on the mat, moved in on Army. At the same time she went at him, he was come right at her, his fist tightened and wound up for a punch of his own. Thankfully, the southern beauty was much quicker to the punch, so to speak. She launched her fist straight toward the larger man's face, making solid contact. The punch had managed to knock him back a few steps, and gave her another opening. Closing the distance, she launched her uppercut, knocking back another few steps.

Kendra smiled at her success. She got his guard down. This was her chance! Army wasn't going to know what hit him. The cowgirl charged in, arm cocked back. Throwing all of her momentum in, the threw a wild haymaker straight toward the side of the big man's head. She might now have the backing power that he had, but she didn't need it if his guard was wide open.

Army didn't know what hit him.

He could have sworn he was fighting a girl about half his size, but he wouldn't have known that going from the hellish haymaker he just took on the side of his skull, rattling his brain and loosening his teeth. Kendra wasn't big, she didn't have the muscle of some AFW girls he could name, but he had to admit that the cowgirl knew how to get some serius impact. That blow was dynamite.

Her punch sent him back, step after step, until he found himself with nowhere to go - a cold cage behind him, a Southern Southpaw in front of him. "Army!" Carmen's voice would've quieter if she used a megaphone. "Guard up!"

He was about to do that, anyway, but the extra encouragement helped clear his head. Kendra'd left him a little too dazed to strike back at the moment, so he needed some time to clear his head. His arms came up in a tight guard, covering as much of his bulk as he could manage.

Kendra's haymaker hit it's mark, sending the larger man staggering back to the cage behind him. His arms came up, prepared to block any more incoming attacks, which was good for him, because she had absolutely no intention of letting up. She had him on the ropes, so to speak.

Closing the already little distance between them, she'd start launching punch after punch, trying to hit him at any exposed weak spot she could get her fists on. She had to wear him down, little by little. As big as he was, even he couldn't take it forever.

Army was big. Army was tough. Army was strong. But, then again, so was a mountain, and even that get could worn by the rain. Oh, one droplet wouldn't do it. Not two. Not three. But millions and millions and millions? Sooner or later, it would wear down. And Kendra? She hit a hell of a lot harder than a raindrop.

Army could cover a lot of his body with his arms, but it didn't matter much. She found every opening and slid her fists in, landing stinging blow after stinging blow, and she just kept on coming with them. Army thought she might get tired after a few seconds, but she didn't slow down. Not a bit. If anything, she seemed to hit harder with every punch, like she was taking a little bit out of him on contact and using it to build her own strength up.

Whatever the case, he had to put an end to it or she'd have against the wall all night, and not in the way he would've typically enjoyed. Army dropped his left arm - he took two punches in the face for it, but if the uppercut he threw to her stomach in response was enough to make her back off, they'd be worth it.

Kendra's punches flew with great speed, and clearly, with great accuracy. Her blows slid between Army's defense one after another, slowly chipping away at what stamina he must posses. At the same time, it felt like hitting a brick wall. The larger man was built tough. It was clear that his mass wasn't just for mere show.

Punch after punch, Kendra kept it going. She had no intention of letting up, even for a second. He may be a brick wall, but even a brick all would crumble eventually. When Army's arm dropped, the Southern Beauty didn't even consider it a threat. All she saw was an opening. She launched one quick, powerful blow to the big man's face, making a solid connection. Unfortunately, so did he.

So focused on just raining hell on him, she didn't stop to think about the possibility of his counterattack. His balled fist came up hard, crashing right into the cowgirl's toned middle. Kendra's mouth opened wide, spittle flying out as she did. For a brief moment, she faltered. The punch was enough to send her staggering way back, both arms going immediately to her middle to protect, and nurture it at the same time. She needed to regain herself quickly, or she'd pay dearly for letting him get this chance.

There was a price for Army's move, and it wound up being a punch in the face from Kendra's sharp fist, biting him in the jaw. It was weird - he knew he'd taken harder punches, but something about the size of her knuckles and the speed she delivered them made them seem to hurt more, like he was getting whipped with each blow. This one cracked him in the jaw with such vicious impact that he had to run his tongue along his teeth right after, making sure that none of them were knocked loose or cracked.

But it had been worth the cost. He was still aching from all the accumulated damage she'd dealt, but now, in this golden moment, she was the one reeling from his blow and he had the advantage. Now it was just a question of what he'd do with it.

This wasn't exactly a wrestling match, but that didn't mean he couldn't use some wrestling moves from the limited list he had to work with, and he had just the right one for the job. Army burst forth and closed the distance as fast as his lumbering for would allow, raising his leg along the way to try and hit her with a Big Boot to the chest, looking to knock her flat. "Incoming!"

Kendra reeled back after his unexpected punch. He hit hard. Really hard. If that punch had been thrown at her face, she might have been knocked right out. Thankfully, that didn't happen. But she still wasn't in a great position. Army still had the upper hand.

Arms at her middle and chest, she braced for Army's incoming boot. His boot made solid connection with her chest. Thankfully she had her guard up. But it didn't do much to protect her. His boot, though it didn't knock her down, sent her staggering back all the way to the other end of the ring to the caged wall opposite him. If it hadn't been there, she would have eventually lost her footing completely.

Wind driven from her chest, Kendra moved away from the cage wall. Hopefully, Army asn't already bearing down on her.