Title Shot Saturday: Adrianne Palicki vs Courtney Tailor

Adrianne Palicki versus Courtney Tailor
Lightweight Title

BEFORE: It’s a big match-up today as Adrianne is the holder of two lineal title belts after the excellent Battle of Champions last month, featuring Taylor Hill and herself. Palicki is the first to do so and hopes to hold onto both belts for some time, although her management has not yet committed to defending both titles on a regular basis. There is definitely some leeway and time to figure that out as this is unprecedented, but for however long she maintains both, Adrianne has committed to being a fighting champion. Not shying away from some significant challenges and almost none is bigger than her first title defense against Courtney Tailor, who has proven herself to be one of the rising stars in the league. Tonight, she plans on relieving Adrianne of that burden so that her management doesn’t have to make that decision and bring gold back to the Odds & Ends stable here tonight. Adrianne clad in a black bikini with matching gloves and boots - hair in a fighting ponytail; Courtney wearing a baby blue bikini with matching gloves and boots - hair tied in a fighting ponytail of her own. Both fighters are looking ready for a battle tonight...

R1: Tactical first - girls testing reflexes, stepping sharply behind long, hissing jabs. Palicki elbow in, chin tucked hands up - she’s more compact defensively, more apt to block in addition to using her legs. Courtney looser limbed, dropping her left to her when she walks to her right, bringing the stick off her hip. Both girls so good in anticipation - one darts forward, the other slides back, dragging that front foot, ready to check-hook and counter attack. Influence boxing - Palicki doing most of the leading as Tailor keeps to the perimeter.

R2: Same look, but Courtney’s leading, Palicki using fades and step-outs to change up her angles. Courtney trying to fencer’s stomp forward behind a doubled up body jab, then lean into the right cross: Palicki pivoting sharply left, leaning back onto her right foot to let the punch slash harmlessly by. Only defensive highlights through 2, both women carefully negotiating a closer range, missing power shots from too far out early.

R3: Adrianne trying to come back strong after the hurt - jabbing rigid down into Courtney’s body, backing her off early as Tailor dances clockwise. Second minute, Courtney in apparent flight, suddenly times Adrianne’s advance, stomps in and gets that jagged lead left uppercut. Slashing blow undoes Palicki at the knees - she nearly goes down, straightens, and reels backwards, eyes shocked at the sock. Adrianne hitting the far ropes ragdoll, covers up, bends forward - Tailor takes tribute. Courtney long and lanky, teeth bared as she works Adrianne with her hardest punches, Rich, long left hooks down the right side, digging in behind the elbow. Snapping, snatching hooks bouncing hard off the hip and exposed right kidney, then curling back to double up off the ear. Tailor palming Palicki’s shoulder with the left, then reefing up underneath cruel right hands. Adrianne gritting it out - hurt, busted up and well behind after 3 rounds. At the bell, Courtney all sultry in front of Adrianne, leaning her pouty face in close - Palicki pushing her back with a snarl as Tailor grins.

R4: It’s a big comeback round wide for Adrianne Palicki - shaking off the hurt. Adrianne showing her conditioning, upping the tempo, doubling a stiff jab to the body, shooting a straight right and turning over a snapping hook - Tailor backpedaling, looking awkward as she leans and reels to evade blows. Palicki doubling her punch output - missing a lot, but starting to break through, especially with a slashing hook to the waist. Down the stretch, Palicki feathering jabs to get Courtney ropeside - Adrianne able to duck in and bury her right hand in Tailor’s firm abs, carrying in close to smother and body the blonde into the ropes. Courtney hanging on at the bell, sucking air through pursed lips.

R5: Adrianne trying to build on her momentum runs afoul of the excellent jab of Courtney Tailor. Tailor spitting it out hard, stacking Adrianne up, then getting gorgeous cross flush on the jaw, following it up with a swinging hook up into the sternum - Palicki’s legs a-tremble, but she’s punching back game. Courtney steps right, picks Adrianne up a looping outside-in right uppercut - Palicki starting to unravel. Adrianne still trying to punch her way out of the jam - Tailor stepping to an angle, getting clean looks - another right cross slams home, drifting Adrianne to the right - hook catches her backing out and Palicki is dazed! Adrianne taken aback, gives ground as Tailor steps in and swings - overhand rights and lefts - Tailor dancing away, re-establishing control with her legs. Pretty Courtney in the final minute, scoring clean right hands off the jab, extending her arms to palm up on Adrianne’s shoulder and neck, pulling and positioning her as Palicki’s legs too ramshackle to hold ground. At the bell - Palicki deeply shellacked, eyes glassy - Courtney brought her A game with her tonight after this shutout.

R7: Courtney loping left, suddenly leaps in a lead right that gets Adrianne lurching back to slip - Tailor’s slashing hook the pay off that catches Palicki on the tip of the chin. Adrianne stepping right to clear her head - Tailor hopping in quick hook to the left eye, flicking that backhand jab to brush Adrianne across the lips and bending into a searing right over Palicki’s left shoulder to WRACK Adrianne’s head to the side! Palicki stepping in fence post holes, squaring up hurt, earmuffing up the guard and Tailor goes to town! Limber, free swinging lefts and rights against Adrianne’s chiseled ribcage - small gloves making high crisp cracking noises against the hard flesh. Palicki backed up woozy to the ropes, stooping forward, giving away her chest or torso - Tailor just digging in, dipping her shoulders, getting sexy lank on the non stop churn. Palicki punished, but weathering it - she starts chipping away - little left off the ropes, covering up after, Little right hand in the sternum, trading with Courtney, another little left of the mouth. Tailor now covering up as she lays in with Adrianne, slowing the pace - girls just shoulder to shoulder, feeling each other out, trying to fit slick little shots in out of tight guards at the bell. It’s a tough, hard-hitting round, but Adrianne taking control down the stretch to take this round close.

R8: Wounded beauties slouch to midring, stepping flat footed, but supple around each other, grim looks in hooded eyes. Both sticking each other to chest with jabs, stepping left. Palicki jabbing to lips, then clouting Courtney’s tits the hook, then sling-chopping a right to the jugs, then hopping in a tight left, turning the hook across jug and she’d got Tailor backpedaling, misting up. Palicki staying close, turning her torso side to side for short, savage punches - right across the forehead, left across the breasts, right under the line of breasts and ALL forearm against bone - Courtney moaning as she hits the ropes, hands extended. Adrianne bulling her way in - not boxing anymore - she touches Courtney up and down with a pelting series of tippy-tap lefts and right, Adrianne moving her head low, peppering the opponent then HOOKING HER CHIN! Withering blast shoots Tailor’s mouthpiece off her teeth - she lolls stupid against the ropes, upright and staring - PALICKI SMASHES FACE A HUGE RIGHT HAND! Tailor drooping over the top rope, then slumping forward limp - hands reaching weak around Adrianne’s shoulders as Palicki puts together a murderous flurry. Palicki TEARING away at what’s left, hamering Courtney in the body, then picking up her face as she tilts forward and collapses to the canvas. Courtney struggles to rise, but can’t seem to make it back up before the bell as the victory goes to Adrianne Palicki via KO8 to retain the lightweight title!