Round Two

Carmen had been counting a combination of speed and surprise to work in her favor, hoping it would be enough to drive Diana into the corner, where she could starting piling on all kinds of damage. And, in her defense, it did get her a few steps, and might have even been enough against a less seasoned opponent.

But with Diana, it only got her so far, and then it didn’t get her farther, as if her foe had suddenly transformed into a brick wall. Her muscles formed an immoveable object and Carmen’s feet slid along the ground as she tried to push against her with minimal success.

But that didn’t mean she was giving up. Carmen dipped down and redoubled her efforts, dedicating herself to the task at hand. The Italian Amazon was the bigger woman, the stronger woman, but Carmen was pouring her all into the effort and daring Diana to do the same.

Her eyes replied to Diana’s with just as much fury, all while she pressed their foreheads together. We’ll see.

With the two women locked tight as could be, both pairs of hands clasp on with iron like grip, the gym echoing with the grunts and huffs of both women, Diana couldn't help but feel satisfied. Yet again, it seemed she was about to get the thrill she so desperately desired.

It was by no means a insult to Carmen that pound for pound, in a competition of pure strength, Diana would most likely come out on top. Both women were toned as hell, but Diana simply had the size, even if by a little.

That been said, Diana's power and force was coming from much wider places, where as Carmen's power was condensed, focused, in her slightly smaller frame. Neither could gain certain advantage over the other.

Yet, for a change, Diana simply opted to continue, rather than try for a switch up, foreheads pressing, beads of sweat now more apparent on both fights, as the Italian simply opted to continue her push, almost trying to dare Carmen to continue to match her.

Carmen was being forced back. Oh, it was happening slowly, she was putting up as much of a fight as she could and giving it her all, and she was even managing to recover a little ground here and there. But the hard, inescapable fact was that, at the end of the day, Diana was simply stronger than her. That didn’t make her a better fighter, of course, but it did mean that any attempt to overpower her was likely to fail.

Such was the case here. The two of them butted heads like a pair of wild rams, with Carmen getting pushed further and further back. Their faces ran across each other, their chests molded and mashed, but Carmen’s efforts were ultimately in vain. It certainly didn’t help matters that she wasn’t wearing shoes, and her sweaty feet provided no traction.

”Come on…” She grumbled under her breath as her back hit the corner, a sure sign she was out of room to maneuver. This would normally have been the part where the referee told them to break it up and moved the fight away from the ropes, but that wouldn’t happen today. She was stuck in the corner until Diana decided otherwise.

Given Diana's legendary relentless nature, that could be a while.

Diana might of been making progress, but at somewhat of a great cost to her overall stamina. It was easier to brace than brace and push, that went without saying. And to push a form as firm and solid as Carmen? She was already paying the price, her arms sweating more so under the pressure of trying to move what felt like a unmovable object. Switching up now would of been a small sting to her pride, a statement of sorts that she could no longer keep up her advantage over Carmen. Still, she'd pushed her this far, and Diana wasn't above a little sting to her pride over taking control of someone the likes of the 24/7 Champ.

With her hand behind Carmen's head, other somewhat closer to her own face, she'd tighten the former around the base of Carmen's skull. With that, she'd try to quickly bring her other hand behind, hopefully joining and locking in a muay thai clinch. If all went to plan, she'd shoot a knee up harshly towards Carmen's gut, or even if she could manage the momentum and wind up, cleanly at her chin. Whichever she'd hit, her follow up would be the same- simply stepping back, shaking off her arms, giving her own response to Carmen's challenge with her actions.

She was clearly done with comparing with the champ, and ready to really try to work her.

Carmen was the champion. She knew that. But, as Diana pushed her back into the corner, dominated her one step at a time, she had to admit, she didn’t quite feel like the champion. She felt more like a woman who was getting steadily and slowly dominated because of a mix of her opponent’s strength and her own stupidity.

That was reinforced when Diana blasted her in the stomach with a vicious knee, one that had more than enough power to knock the air clean out of her and drop her to a single knee, gasping for breath. She didn’t stay down for long, grabbing the ropes, and Diana wasn’t pressing the advantage. Nonetheless, the message was clear from the exchange - taking the Italian Amazon head on was just not working. She had to be a bit smarter. ”Okay, then.”

Carmen came at Diana again, full speed, this time her game plan was a little different. Instead of trying to lock up with the powerhouse, she stayed low, gaining as much momentum as she could from the short sprint. At the second before collision, Carmen dropped down and took a page out of her cousin’s book, swinging her legs at Diana’s bare ankles and trying to take her down with a quick sweep.

She’d picked up many new techniques, just in the past year. If she wanted to beat Diana this time, she’d need them.

Most wrestlers of course would talk advantage of knee connecting cleanly, especially against a competitor like Carmen. Follow up knees, maybe a hook, a grapple attempt, their options were pretty varied. Not stepping back cleanly, not when one didn't actually need to. Shaking off her arms from the test of strength, Diana arguably didn't fall under that 'most wrestlers' category.

Her foe rushing at her once more full speed, Diana began to move her arms mid height, once more to prepare to hook under the arms of Carmen as it appeared she went for the double leg take down, this time fully planning to pull with such force upwards that the take down would be completely averted and Carmen would be left facing her fully standing, front to front. Then, champion boxer Carmen did something Diana simply hadn't planned for. She kicked the bitch.

Her sweep coming in from a wide side angle, it wasn't that Diana's base was insecure but the fact that she didn't feel the need to secure it. Why would she? How many boxers would go for a hook or jab against the legs?

She didn't have time to reflect, as the big Italian was taken clearly off her feet, bringing her arms down in a fashion to try and cushion her side-ways fall. Whilst most damage from said fall was averted, the actual damage in terms of the fight had hit very hard-Diana was completely grounded, whereas Carmen could go for any damn manoeuvre she wanted.

Carmen almost wished there was someone else in the gym, if for only one, fleeting moment. She pulled off a flawless leg sweep for the first time in a wrestling match, and absolutely no one was there to see it.

Hardly that big of a loss, though. She still got to turn around just in time to see Diana tumbling, fall flat on her chest in the most awkward way possible. She still got the satisfaction of getting one up on the Italian Amazon, after being in a stalemate for so long. It was always nice to remind people that she could do more than just punch. Most importantly, she had a wide-open window of opportunity to work with, and she knew just how to utilize it.

She swung her leg around to face Diana once more, and then she pounced, jumping on the Amazon’s back to keep her down. She turned to face the massive tree trunks she called legs, grabbed the nearest one, and tried to pull the ankle under her armpit, hoping to secure the first official submission move of their unofficial match - the single-leg boston crab.

To put it lightly, Diana's pride was hurt so much more than her side as she lay on the floor. It wasn't the fact that she'd been knocked flat on her side in pretty much a flawless manner, it was the fact that she didn't even consider Carmen as the sort of fighter who could pull off a manoeuvre. Just because she was a boxer, didn't mean she just boxed. She'd certainly bare the lesson in mind, and would go out of her way to remind herself further down the line in their rivalry that Carmen could pull out any trick, but for now, she needed to focus on the fact that she was literally at the feet of a champion level fighter.

Before she could begin to roll in order to create the momentum to quickly stand, Carmen would straddle her, grabbing one of those thick Italian thighs and forcing her to stay on her hefty chest. She'd of course try to fight it at first, pulling at said leg as Carmen began to bend it back, but in total offering about as much resistance as a butterfly to a hurricane. Baring her teeth and clenching her fists, she wouldn't yet give the satisfaction of letting the champ hear her yelp, as her clenched fist would bang the mat, in frustration from the sharp pain.

Had she not been focusing on the ache in her leg and back, Diana would of most likely shuddered in concern. The match was KO only. If Diana couldn't escape, and Carmen so desired, Diana's back and leg would be somewhat shattered until she literally passed out from the pain.

Carmen had never gotten a submission victory before, and even if they were on the table tonight as a possible way for the fight to end, Diana was the exact last person she would expect one from. The wild woman would probably prefer back being broken to her pride, as intense as she was.

No, she couldn’t score a knockout with a boston crab, but she could use it to whittle away at the iron fortress that was Diana’s body. It was like taking down a mighty redwood, and how do you chop a tree? Start at the bottom.

Carmen leaned back, really milking the hold for a few more painful moment, getting her effort’s worth out of it, before she suddenly let go and let Diana’s bent body drop. She took a moment to gather her breath, walking away from her foe with her hands on her hips, filling her lungs with deep gulps. Just a quick pause. A few seconds. Then, she was right back to work.

Carmen stomped her way back to Diana and reached down, grabbing hold of the Italian’s beautiful black mane. She gripped it tight and pulled her upwards, trying to force her back to her feet whether her body was up to the task or not.

Diana would bare her teeth, almost focusing more so on not letting out what she considered an embarrassing yelp, then actually trying to escape the submission. The question lingered in her head; would Carmen actually let up the move if someone Diana scored a rope break? Diana herself would be unsure if she would were the roles reversed. This was a private match for a reason.

Her mouth would open as Carmen seemed intent on forming a perfect semi circle with that Italian body, still trying to force herself to keep silent. Carmen seemed intent on working the hold extremely hard, attempting to do as much damage as possible. She wasn't going for a long, weary down form of manoeuvre, or she would of saved strength. No, she was trying to near cripple the woman, then most likely get the hell out of dodge.

Diana would fall back to a perfectly flat figure the moment Carmen released, neither her leg being borderline snapped or her head bending backwards in a pained response. She wouldn't be given much time to breath, her hand sliding along the mat to try and comfort her tortured leg, before Carmen grabbed her hair, forcing her to stand once more, painfully yanking at the scalp, as the Italian wobbled in front of her.