Lili Reinhart versus Priyanka Chopra (Bantamweight Title)

BEFORE:


Not much mystery about the whys and wherefores in this one. It's the number one contender against the champion for the straps...and even more than that. It's brunette vs. blonde. It's two girls who've won a combined 15 straight. It's a rematch of an absolutely brutal fight from 2020. And, it's the Princess of the Ice Hotel vs. the Unified Bantamweight Champion, though the former title is not on the line. Yeah. This is a big fight. And, both brunette and blonde are confident of victory. "Everyone knows what happened the last time," says Priyanka. "I was better and proved it and she landed a lucky punch and the ref stopped it. Why do you think she ducked me for her first title defense? She knows she's not getting lucky TWICE."

"Know what happened the last time," asks Lili. "I left 'Big Choppy' looking like 'Big Sloppy' all babified on the ropes. But, apparently, that lesson didn't stick. So. This time, she sucks canvas. It's that simple."

ROUND ONE:

Cue the video of the first fight. Big Choppy, as usual, wants to get physical, and, while Lili HAD to be prepared for this, it's still a problem. Brunette is, for the second fight in a row, all OVER the blonde in the first. She's in Reinhart's grill, working head, body, head, forcing the champion to the defensive, backing her up, piling up the points and the punishment. For her part, the champ is able to score in spots, but, mostly, she's on the back foot as Chopra gets off lusty, getting much the better of things, so much so that, by the final minute, Reinhart finds herself backed to the ropes and covering up as the challenger wings away with both hands to the bell. When it rings, there's no doubt about the results. It's Priyanka wide to take a 10-9 lead.

ROUND TWO:

Chopra continuing with the aggression, but, after HEARING it for a full minute from Neve Campbell in the corner, the champion is NOT backing up this time. She's holding canvas, firing back, giving as good as she gets as we have a FIREFIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING! Both fighters throwing BOMBS and both LANDING bombs and BOOM...PRIYANKA IS HURT! Chopra staggered by a short right hook and then DROPPED BY A RIGHT HAND! Ice Hotel Princess on her back as the blonde heads to a neutral corner. Priyanka SLAMMING her fist off the canvas in frustration, shakes the head, gets to her feet at eight to take the mandatory. Ref then waves on Lili, and Reinhart goes to work driving the challenger to the cables and THUMPING her for the final minute of the round. It's a 10-8 stanza for the blonde, who moves into the lead 19-18.

ROUND THREE:

Reinhart rampant early, as she steps to the still-wobbly Ice Hotel Princess and forces her backward with flurry after flurry of hard shot. Blonde definitely looking for the finisher here, much like she did in the previous round, but, she's also effecting a very nice cleanup as Priyanka plays defense and waits for those sturdy legs to solidify underneath her. In the last minute or so of the round, that begins to happen, and Big Choppy becomes Big Choppy again, holding canvas, firing back, holding her own in the violent exchanges with the champion. It's too little, too late, of course, as far as the round is concerned, but, the bigger picture is that Chopra has survived, shaken off the damage, and gotten back into the fight, even if she's lost the third wide and now trails 29-27.

ROUND FOUR:

Now, here's the part where you'd think one or both of the fighters might want to, you know, take stock of the situation and back off the throttle a little. Yeah. That's not going to happen. Instead, they're right back at one another, trading heavy shots in the middle of the ring and BOOM! Right hand, PRIYANKA and DOWN GOES LILI! Reinhart sent to her back by a BRILLIANT shot from the brunette. Now it's Chopra to a neutral corner to watch and wait, but, like Lili before her, she's disappointed, as the blonde gets to her feet at seven and takes the mandatory. And, when the ref waves her forward, Big Choppy CHARGES her rival, battering her back into the ropes and BATTERING her as the ref looks in closely. Champ hangs on to the bell, but Chopra's claimed the round 10-8 and evened things at 37.

ROUND FIVE:

Big Choppy now the one rampant, as she takes the fight to the champion in a big way. Nothing sloppy from the Princess, though. She's sitting down on punches, but setting everything up and playing good defense, limiting Reinhart's opportunities for the counter. Result is some great stuff from Priyanka, who dominates the proceedings through the first two minutes, cleaning up very effectively if she's unable to finish things. Final minute is a replay of the third in reverse. Lili shakes the worst of the damage, begins to hold canvas and fire back. Chopra keeps the pressure on, but backs off the throttle just a bit as she can see she's not going to get the stoppage. Instead, she continues working effectively to the bell, taking the round wide and pulling into a 47-46 lead.

ROUND SIX:

Ladies back to work as we start the second half, neither anywhere near chastened by what's already happened, but both showing a little less aggression and a little more movement of head, hands, feet. Oh, we're not exactly getting our box on. This is still plenty physical stuff, some at middle distances, some in close. There's body work, hard shots to the head, all in all, a lot of punishment given and taken. And, not too terribly much in it, as both fighters give, pretty much, as good as they get. Points definitely still in the balance late in the round when both blonde and brunette turn up the heat, letting the hands go in several SHARP exchanges that send heads snapping back and sweat flying. At the bell, it's excruciatingly close, but it's Lili and we're even again, this time at 56.

ROUND SEVEN:

Seventh begins the way the sixth ended, with the ladies back at one another aggressively. Heavy leather being traded as challenger and champion are both determined to impose will here. BOOM! Right hook, Chopra and DOWN GOES LILI! Reinhart dumped to her rump by a perfectly-placed hook! Chopra to a neutral corner. Reinhart now the one pounding the canvas in frustration. She's watching the count, takes the full nine before rising, then the mandatory. And. Here. Comes. Big. Choppy! Priyanka determined to make no mistake this time. She's unloading everything she has at the champion...BOOM! Right hand, LILI! Chopra staggered...and DROPPED BY A THREE-PUNCH COMBINATION! Crowd going NUTS as it's Lili headed to a neutral corner and the challenger flat on her back. Chopra rolls to her belly at six, pushes to hands and knees at seven, begins to rise at eight...and CRUMPLES, FACE FIRST BACK TO THE CANVAS! It's OVER! Big Choppy can't beat the count and it's OVER and your winner and STILL Unified Bantamweight Champion is Lili Reinhart!'

AFTER:

Lili looking a mess, because she's taken a beating, but, she's still got an "I told you so" mindset. "Just like I said," the blonde proclaims. "I left her sucking canvas. If that's luck, I must be the luckiest fighter in the history of the FCBA. Either that, or, I'm just BETTER than she is. And, after tonight, we both know which one of those things is true."