5. Bella Thorne vs. Chloe Bennet (Bantamweight Title Bout)

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Bella Thorne – Bantamweight Champion
(23, 5’8, 120 lbs, 37:11 FCBA, The Dollhouse)
Vs.
Chloe Bennet - Challenger
(28, 5’6, 115 lbs, 43:3 FCBA, Front Street)

Results: Lookout!; Story: Caspian & The Dollhouse

BEFORE:
As is tradition, the Bantamweight champ makes a delayed entrance into the press room earlier, with the challenger, Chloe Bennet, forced to face the media crew on her own for about thirty minutes before the Doll finally decided to show up. All part of psychological warfare, and Bennet, a former champion in her own right, might simply not be used to Thorne's antics in tonight’s title fight.

Bella enters the room without so much as remorse, just a smirk and short wave of her hand, quickly seating herself at her end of the table before removing those dark aviator sunglasses so the cameras can finally get to work.

"I'm glad I finally get to fight Chloe. Been hearing a lot about her and her record is honestly...f*cking stupid good.” Bella shakes her head. “But it's f*cking padded. She hasn’t fought anybody even close to my level in years. Just check her records, her wins seem impressive if you only look at the numbers. I guess I wanted to see if she can back those numbers up against someone who's actually good. And by good I mean the best.” Bella laughs and sticks out her tongue. “I bet she can't. But I respect where she's coming from, The Wiz has shown me a lot of love, he's a Bella Thorne fan!” The redhead laughs as she shoots the Front Street corner a knowing grin. “And I know his team knows what they’re doing. But letting her fight me might be something they end up regretting hard. I'm not expecting tonight's fight to be a total cakewalk or anything, but come on....she's in over her head and I'm the clear favorite. Honestly, I'm just here to wave my belt at her face...then I'll knock her the f*ck out."

Chloe remains calm as she listens to the champ’s tirade, but even the keen-eyed viewer can see a twitch at the corner of her eye when Bella mentioned her boss being a huge fan of her opponent tonight. What does it mean then when both girls are set to face off at opposite ends of the ring? Who will Old Wiz be rootin’ for by the end of tonight?

“Let me assure you, Bella, that while Wiz may be a fan, he’s an even BIGGER fan of yours truly. There’s a reason I’ve got the fights I’ve gotten, why I’ve been pushed so long, and WON that title belt that’s sitting on your shoulder for now. And by the end of tonight, I’ll prove that Wiz took the right bet by winning the belt again. I respect your run, it’s defintely impressive – but it stops here. Tonight. I think you’ve held onto that belt a little too long, don’t you? Time for you to scoot on along, maybe try for that JMD thing again or something. I know people are pretty bored of seeing you as champion by now, I’m gonna give them something fresh.”

Some incendiary words right there and there’s an unusual amount of animosity between both women. It’s a title fight in every sense of the word, and one that’s got the rest of the press room (and later, the arena) on the edge of their seats as to who will ultimately prevail. For now, champ and challenger meet at the center podium for the traditional staredown, and Bella’s two plus inches on Bennet might prove to be a solid advantage, but one can’t deny the Front Street girl’s athletic physical form is packing plenty of muscle compared to her lankier Dollhouse counterpart which can prove to be a decisive advantage in raw power.
Hours later, Bennet enters the arena first to silver fireworks, and with a confident smile, the same one that got all those fans falling in love with her when she made her on-screen debut years ago in Marvel’s Agents of Shield. She’s wearing a similarly-themed outfit for tonight’s fight: silver tube top that’s cut-off at the midriff, black and white boxing trunks and gloves laced up in her corner, ready to go. Out next is the champ herself as Bella Thorne's pre-fight performance is the usual deal – her new song SFB (Stupid f*cking b*tch) blasting through the speakers as the smiling Doll emerges in a flaming red sports bra and long red and black tights, striking a pose at the center of the stage before flourishing her moves with a dance down the ramp towards the ring. The champ is accompanied to the ring by Kristanna Loken and Carmen Electra who will never regret signing this huge young talent almost exactly 3 years ago, who has gone to win 4 (!!!) titles for the Dollhouse club in just 3 years with her current title run still going strong and maybe even stronger if she can defeat the almost undefeated Bennet tonight. And who knows how many more titles Bella is destined to win throughout her career?

Plenty at stake here tonight as Bennet’s on the verge of breaking the sound barrier with yet another victory to her already-impressive winning streak. Bella on the other hand wants some of that for her own record, part of the reason we think she challenged Chloe tonight, after all. Ladies touch gloves when ordered to, then head back to their corners, both sides of the crowds roaring at their backs for the win.

Referee waves his hand and HERE WE GO with ten rounds of Bantamweight action! This here’s for the BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP!

ROUND 1:
Bella takes the action easy at the opening bell, keeping her distance and only letting her fists fly whenever Bennet veers in for a close-quarters brawl. Yes, the former champ might be three inches shorter, but from past experience, she also packs a punch, and Thorne might be looking to avoid her power from the way she’s moving now. Bennet for the most part also takes things methodical, but goddamn are those defences of her solid as she expertly blocks most of Bella’s jabs towards her head, either that or weaves her head side-to-side to avoid the punches completely, rattling the Doll on more than one occasional with a side-swing to the chin or to the side of her head, scoring first blood and many times after. Bella not used to her opponent’s ability to telegraph her attacks, and what’s worst is she’s getting out-punched in the technical department as well whenever she takes an unexpected blow to her face. Bell rings and it looks as though Chloe’s long-term win-streak is well-founded – the Front Street darling has come into this fight looking like a million dollars, and just showed the current champ who’s who.

ROUND 2:
That all means that Bella has to kick things up another notch as the action picks up in the second. Thorne moves faster this time, determined to catch up as she sends multiple flurries and combos in Chloe’s direction, hoping to score at least a couple of fast ones on the challenger’s frame. It works, for the most part, with Bennet able to block a majority of attacks but c’mon, even she’s not superwoman, lets a few slip in past her arms and into her pretty face. That doesn’t mean that Thorne goes off unscathed, however, as Chloe battles back with the occasional hook to the body or side of the head, which throw Bella backwards a couple of paces from the impacts, rinse and repeat. On aggregate, we’d say the champ’s doing more damage by landing her punches more frequently, but this fight is still too early to say who’s ahead.

ROUND 3:
Bella switching tacts again in the third, this time using her height advantage to scour hits from afar. Chloe’s height disadvantage is tested for the first time as she bobs and weaves and mostly keeps her head hidden behind her arms as a barrage of jabs is sent in left and right, Bella maintaining her professional distance and then streakin’ her fists inwards at a moment’s notice, which quickly translate to points in her column. This always proved to be a sore point for the Front Street corner, whose girl has to make double the effort in order to close the distance and enact revenge. Bella for the most part keeps her cool and retreats at the first sign of trouble, controlling Chloe with more shots to her face on her way out. Wide round keeps the ball in the Doll’s corner.

ROUND 4:
That is – till a bangin’ hook lands hard on Bella’s arms, which rocks her with a painful shout! First minute had seen the action resume as before, another back-and-forth dance on the edge as both girls exchanged punches from afar. But Bella zoomed left just as Bennet feigned right – result is a bashing uppercut down the middle and up into the chin, snapping Thorne’s bewildered face upwards in the rockin’ middle minute. Chloe senses a golden opportunity, storms in with more swings that catch Bella on the tummy and arms, the redhead now groaning and moving about on her feet best she can to avoid being trapped in one spot. Still, the bell rings at the end and Bella’s still standing, breathing hard on the ropes and gnashing her teeth, vowing revenge. For now, both ladies have tied the score, by our account.

ROUND 5:
Here we go with both girls getting into the groove of the action! They’re all riled up and ready to do what it takes, and none more so than Thorne, who barrels inwards with surprising, zig-zagging action as she pesters Chloe to her arms and body, then rattles the challenger with zippy hooks to the side of her head. Chloe definitely surprised at first, covering up and taking tentative steps backwards as she weathers the onslaught, the occasional swing back met with two more from the champ, who’s eager to make her mark with a win tonight and stamping out her opponent’s coveted win-streak. Bennet doesn’t appreciate the insolence, of course, maintains her posture in the middle minute before she unleashes a straight hand through the Doll’s arms – POWW!! – catches the redhead clean on the lips! OUCH! Bella gets caught in her own whirlwind of action, her own arms overextended and unable to retract in time to block the subsequent attacks: Chloe eagerly banging away on the champ’s shocked features, another left-right combo bashed into the nose and lips before the challenger DROPS her with a step-in right cross to the chin!! It’s a KNOCKDOWN for Chloe Bennet!! And an early one at that!! The arena lets out a ROAR as one girl sees early results tonight, having out-foxed the champ herself and sent Bella down onto her back with that clothesline of a right hand!

Bella with barely a groan from her lips as she hit the ground with a dull THUD, eyelids blinking upwards at the stadium lights before trying to unglue her back from the canvas. Meanwhile, Chloe’s soaking it all in, smiling on her way back to corner as she pumps one fist into the air and returns to recuperate, stealing glances at Old Wiz by the ring-side to garner his approval. But her victory’s short-lived as Thorne is already on her way up, first steadying herself on either knee then working her way up to both feet by the ropes. A close call right there for the champion, but the night’s still young, judging by that look of pure hatred etched onto her face!

ROUND 6:
Chloe has little time to celebrate when the bell rings and here comes Thorne, looking for revenge! Bennet thinks the rest of this fight might be a mop-up exercise but her thoughts get realigned when the first punches come sailing in, Bella picking things where she left off as she hammers Chloe to her face and body with more long-distance jabs, never giving her much breathing space to mull. Only in the second minute does Chloe recover her groove, fights back with her own swings that force Bella to duck or swerve backwards, or get knocked down for the second and final time. Girls exchange body shots after their arms prove too tough of a nut to crack, exchanging dull grunts in tandem as they go back-and-forth this round, much to the delight of the crowd. Neither girl really pulling ahead by the end, but our money’s still on Bennet, who’s already had a knockdown notched on her belt.

ROUND 7:
Experience might trump aggression on any day, as Bennet predicts the champ’s movements early and SHOVES a right hand straight into her lips in the opening seconds of the seventh! Thorne, for all her fire, still hasn’t realised who she’s up against, moving and ducking and wildly swinging as though Bennet’s another young punk to be put away before supper. Chloe instead predicting her movements to the letter, bashing another angled hook into her face later on, which sends the Doll swerving dangerously close to the ropes, in further worry of getting sent down to the canvas so early. Chloe methodical with her advance though, her head low and gloves sent packing into the champ’s tummy left-right-left, followed by another swing to Bella’s head designed to knock out a lesser girl. Thorne, bless her soul, still manages to hold on all the way to the bell, groaning and shouting in pain whenever she feels the wrath of Bennet’s paws landing on her. Things aren’t looking too good for the Doll as we enter the final quarter of this fight.

ROUND 8:
Chloe’s focus should be the talk of the town as the challenger continues her quest for the gold and to make Front Street another stable to boast simultaneous title-holders. Early bangin’ action sees Thorne again getting pushed about the ring as she struggles to shake Chloe off her scent, Bennet’s relentless pounding on her arms and body, occasional right hand stuck into the top of her forehead or snagging the nostrils make it hard for Thorne to see where’s she’s headed. Only in the last minute do we see a sudden comeback, Thorne channelling all her rage and pent-up anger into a short but stiff WHACK of a right hand clean into Chloe’s face, momentarily stunning the challenger in place. Chloe lets out a shout of alarm, pain flaring in her nostrils, reacts too slowly before Thorne delivers another swivelling hook across her cheek, which sends her spinning off to the ropes. How the tables have turned! Chloe gets a little taste of damage herself, and the two girls go back to playing wary dance-partners for the rest of this round.

ROUND 9:
The outcome of this fight is still up in the air as both ladies lock themselves down for the last two rounds. Chloe knows her opponent ain’t going down without a fight, and Bella’s awoken to the idea that she ain’t facing off against some random cream-puff after all. Slow dance for the first thirty seconds before Bennet comes charging in, swingin’ as if it’s her last rodeo. Fists fly in both directions as Bella reacts first with reflex, parrying most of the punches aimed at her face but takes a knocking uppercut to the base of her chin, which dazes her slightly. Bennet empowered as she continues to veer in and all out –nothin’ to lose as she hopes to overwhelm the champ here and now. Bella keeps her cool, however, gets tangled up in some close quarters fightin’ with arms and legs clinched up and wrestling for dominance at various points, before she manages to RAM a short uppercut into the tip of Chloe’s chin, stacking her upwards with a grunt. Another uppercut lands hard, this time throwing Chloe’s mouth open wide in shock, before a third launches the poor brunette’s head upwards and back, her back hitting the ropes before she suddenly CRUMPLES down onto her chest! A return KNOCKDOWN from Bella Thorne, who sends her adversary down for the first time in the ninth!

She’s too spent to celebrate, however, as Bella immediately stumbles back to neutral corner to catch her breath, willing to the gods that this might be the end of it. But NO! Chloe’s still breathing, and worst, already pushing herself back to all fours, her head swinging side to side, her breaths laboured as she wills herself back to her feet by the count of 9!! Hell – these girls want to go all the way! Referee does a quick check on Chloe’s status, and with the Front Street corner’s hesitant nod of approval, WAVES for the fight to resume!

Two minutes left on the clock and HERE both girls come again for another CLASH! Wild swings both ways as Bella scores first blood with a hard poke to Chloe’s nose and then another shocking swipe sent across her face. But Bennet made of sterner stuff, just refusing to go down as she stumbles about the extent of the ropes, choking on her efforts to remain upright as she gasps and tries hold her breath. Bella pounds away in a final effort to put away the stubborn girl, more lefts and rights buried into her body followed immediately with short, uppercut-chops into her faltering arms. Chloe forced to clinch up with Thorne multiple times in a bare-bones effort to stay afloat, till a third painful hook across her face sends her spinning right into the referee’s arms – AND HE’S SEEN ENOUGH! Referee turns the poor girl around the ropes in order to cover her up, before he calls for the bell! It’s OVER!

Official Decision: Bella Thorne defeats Chloe Bennet via TKO9! Bella Thorne is STILL the Bantamweight Champion!

AFTER:
HELL of a fight, in which Thorne finally sticks her flag in the ground and dares the best of the best to challenge her for supremacy! She’s taken the Bantamweight division by storm thus far, and makes no secret of the fact that she’s now put away one of the very FEW girls who might’ve proven a legitimate challenger to her throne!

A tired looking, panting yet smiling Thorne posing confidently in the middle of the ring, immediately throwing her hands into the air before jogging to all four corners and mounting the turnbuckle to elevate herself further. She ignores Chloe, of course, who’s getting flooded with Front Street personnel and other worried-looking ring officials, who pat her on her reddened cheeks and drowse her with water.

Soon enough, however, Bella’s seen approaching Chloe but keeping a few feet away from her. "Sick fight. You're honestly better than I expected. We need to do this more often......."

Surprise flashes in Chloe’s eyes – perhaps she was expecting one of those signature breast smothers to take effect after turning into yet another one in Bella’s long list of victims. Instead, Chloe simply nods, returns Bella’s offer of a fist-bump. “He likes you too much….don’t think he’d enjoy seeing me beat you up.”

Bella laughs, clearly amused by Chloe’s confident attitude. "Heh,...I mean, it’s not like you’re ever going to win...." Bella stares at Chloe for a few more seconds, hands on her hips, before walking away with a lasting, cocky smirk.

Thorne leaves the ring soon after, and she’s interviewed by the media on her way backstage. “Chloe is hella tough. I’m tougher. What more can I say? I’m just THAT good.” Bella sticks out her tongue as the fans in the arena explode in agreement. When asked about her next title defense plans, she chuckles. “I know Demi Rose wants it, she wants it bad. Am I going to give her a shot? Maybe. But I’d rather just keep her guessing……..it’s more fun that way. Now if you’ll excuse me….I need to go shower, I f*cking stink.”

Bella laughs, raises her belt above her head one last time for the cheering fans around her, then signals to her team she’s ready to go, disappearing behind the curtains shortly after with another huge win added to her record and the championship belt still sitting firmly on her shoulder.