Karlie Kloss vs. Ronda Rousey

Karlie Kloss vs. Ronda Rousey (Results: Lookout! Words: Wiz)


BEFORE:

Perhaps no one in the FCBA has fallen farther, faster than Karlie Kloss. The tall beauty, who burst onto the scene in 2016 by winning her first seven fights and nearly taking the welterweight gold in her eighth, was an excellent 17-8 after her junior year in the FCBA. Since? 3-13. And seven losses in eight tries. Yeah. Front Street welter stuff. And, she's not exactly in with a creampuff tonight. Rousey's a respectable 5-3, and, while she hasn't managed to claim any of the elite scalps in the division, she's got the physicals to be very, very dangerous. And, Karlie knows it. "This is a big one for me," Kloss admits. "This division...I can get right into the title picture again if I can get things straightened out. But. That has to start TONIGHT."

"I LOVE the fact that Karlie thinks she's going to use ME to get well against," says Ronda with a thin-lipped smile. "But, what she's really going to do is get WHACKED."

ROUND ONE:

Kloss has the reach, and she clearly plans to use it. She doesn't want to get into any in-fighting with Rousey. Instead, the younger woman goes immediately to that long, long left jab and WORKS it. And, she works it HARD. She's snapping it out again and again, showing, if not a flyweight work rate, at least a lightweight work rate. And, as much as she tries to, Rousey can't get through those defenses. Instead, she's being held out on the end of Karlie's punches. And, as the round goes on and she gets in rhythm, Kloss is able to put those punches together...and very well, too, piling up the points while she keeps that left in the older woman's face. Late in the round, Rousey's able to close and get some work done, but it's much too little, much too late. At the bell, it's Kloss wide and with the 10-9 lead.

ROUND TWO:

Rousey doing a little better at getting the range and geometry she wants in the second stanza. She's able to slip Kloss' jab at times now, and, when she does, she gets in the model's face and begins banging away, WHACKING body and thumping away upstairs. Kloss plays it smart, giving a little ground, moving the feet laterally, working to get back to gunnery range. But, while the younger woman is mostly able to keep Rousey's sojourns to the inside short, the Rowdy one is relentless in her efforts to get there, and she's able to do it often enough to offset Kloss' work at range. Result is a good, two-way round that's in doubt until the final seconds, when Ronda gets inside and backs Karlie up with a couple of hard flurries that make the difference. At the bell, it's Rousey close and we're even at 19.

ROUND THREE:

Rousey getting a lot more of what she wants now. Athletic older blonde moving the feet well, working past Kloss' defenses to the inside where she can work over the taller woman's body with short hooks to the ribs and midsection. Karlie tying up in there, trying to force breaks, but, Ronda knows how to leverage and use weight to her advantage. She's usually able to shove off or slip free and keep on banging. When Kloss manages to force breaks and get back to range, it's not long before Rousey's in her face again. All in all, a rough round for the younger woman and a great one for the Rowdy One, who continues thumping body right to the bell. When it rings, there's no doubt about it. It's Rousey and wide to pull into her first lead of the night, 29-28.

ROUND FOUR:

Kloss making some adjustments now. She's moving the feet more, giving ground, becoming even more active with the jab, doing everything she can to make it difficult for Rousey to get past her defenses. And, more importantly, Karlie's scoring when she has Ronda on the outside. She's following on those jabs, building combinations, piling up points. And, she needs them. Because, Rousey IS still getting inside, and she she does, plenty of work follows. She's banging body with gusto, going up, back down, back up again until Kloss is either able to slip away or grab hold and force a break. Add it all up, and you've got a good two-way round without a lot in it. And, when the bell finally rings, it's a near-run thing, but Karlie's taken the points and evened things at 38.

ROUND FIVE:

Fifth starts the way the fourth ended, with both fighters looking to get favorable terms and neither able to do that consistently. Instead, it's Kloss scoring from range, looking very comfortable extending on her punches, and then Rousey making her uncomfortable on the inside, banging more body, all while paying plenty of attention to the head. About a minute and a half in, everything changes. BOOM! Kloss catches Rousey with a one-two on the way in and RONDA IS HURT! Rousey stumbles forward, tries to clinch, but Karlie takes a step back and NEARLY DECAPITATES HER WITH A RIGHT HOOK! Ronda crashes, face first to the mat, not moving at all as Karlie heads for a neutral corner. Ref counts over the downed older blonde, it's it's all a formality. Rousey is both down and OUT and it's OVER and your winner by KO5 is Karlie Kloss!

AFTER:

Kloss beaming. She may have righted the ship after some very rough going, having followed a win over Gemma Atkinson with this one. "It's tough up here," the model says with a nod. "It's not like some of the lower divisions. Here, EVERYBODY has a punch that can take you out. EVERYBODY can beat you. But. When I'm right, I'm as good as anyone in the division. I've proven it before. And, I'm going to prove it again.