Women's Combat League: Knock Outs and Submissions Volume 1 by Playerville, Playerville@gmail.com Disclaimer: The following story is intended for mature adults only, and contains physical violence. If you're either underage or are offended, do not read any further. The Women's Combat League or WCL for short was established in January of 1990 in order to provide female fighters with the opportunity to display their skills against each other in an organized setting. The following selected matches are from the WCL pay per view video archives, please enjoy. WCL 1: March 1990 - Las Vegas, NV Adriana Cortez vs. Matilda Swain (WCL Lightweight Title) Tale of the Tape Adriana Cortez Height: 5'4" Weight: 115 Age: 19 Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Style: Karate Wearing a black gi jacket with a black sports bra and black biker shorts underneath. Matilda Swain Height: 5'4" Weight: 120 Age: 19 Hometown: Chicago, IL Style: Jiu Jitsu Wearing a yellow sports bra and blue biker shorts. Round 1 Swain is forced onto the backfoot almost immediately, having to retreat to avoid a series of sharp jabs. She ends up with her back to the cage, with Cortez advancing. A sharp right misses, and Swain takes the opportunity to pull Cortez in to a tight clinch against the cage. Cortez tries to break free, but cannot. It looks like we know the strategies for this round already; Cortez wants to stand and bang, Swain wants to keep things at close quarters. Cortez tries for an elbow, but only succeeds in getting turned around so that she is now the one against the cage. Trip from Swain, and we're down to the ground. Swain has side control, but Cortez has landed with her left hand side against the cage, so that side of the body is basically safe for now. Swain will have to try to work the right-hand side, and starts by ramming a knee into the ribs. Cortez tries to squirm into a better position, but Swain puts a stop to that with a stiff elbow to the stomach. Swain tries to work a kimura on the right arm, but Cortez defends it. Cortez manages to bring a knee up and catch Swain in the side, something of a cheeky move given her position. Swain responds with five or six rapid-fire right hands to the face, but Cortez covers up and doesn't take any serious damage at all. Time is ticking away though, and so far Swain may be easily winning the round, but she is not taking full advantage of this great position. Swain tries to float over into a mount, but Cortez uses the cage to push away and manages to unbalance Swain enough to get to a kneeling position, then standing, albeit back into a clinch. A knee from Swain is the last action of the round. The round ends. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Swain. Round 2 Good start from Swain, taking Cortez down almost immediately! Cortez scrambles though, and gets back to her feet without taking any damage at all. Swain will be disappointed with that. Cortez comes in and throws two big right hands, but neither connects, and they put her off balance, allowing Swain to score with a nice right hook to the side of the head, crunching into the top of the ear. Cortez felt that one for sure. She stalks Swain, trying to back her up against the cage. It doesn't work though, Swain keeps out of the way. Cortez tries a kick, but Swain catches the foot and uses it for a trip. Swain gets Cortez down for the second time, and this time is right on top of her in guard position. Swain throws some punches, then tries to pass. Cortez doesn't allow it, and tries to grab an armbar in response. Swain easily stops that, and throws some more punches. That becomes the pattern, as the fight falls into a predictable pattern; punches from Swain followed by a pass attempt, with Cortez blocking the pass and throwing the occasional punch in response. The round ends like that, just as the referee was about to stand them back up. The round is over. Blurcat.com gives that one to Swain by 10-9. Round 3 Jab from Cortez, then another, and a third. Swain weaved out of the way of all three, although the second glanced off the shoulder slightly. Cortez moves back to avoid the counter uppercut. Swain comes from the left with a high punch, then goes for the body. Cortez blocks, ducks a straight right, then unleashes an enormous kick. Swain ducks at the last possible moment, avoiding it by a split-second! That was an evil-looking kick, if that had hit it was good night for Swain, that had 'knock out' written all over it. Swain will be on the look out for a repeat of that, there is no way she can afford to take a head kick with that much power without taking a defeat. Swain stalks Cortez, backing her up against the cage. Cortez ducks a left hand and clinches up. Knee from Swain. Cortez hits an elbow to the ribs. They separate...and Swain nearly takes Cortez's head off with a sensational uppercut! Cortez went down like a ton of bricks, she has been knocked out cold. Awesome punch from Swain, that was close to the perfect punch. Swain wins via knock out at 3:21 of the third round. Matilda Swain wins the WCL Lightweight title. Mecedes Lopez vs. Beth Swain Tale of the Tape Mecedes Lopez Height: 5'7" Weight: 140 Age: 19 Hometown: Las Vegas, NV Style: Kick Boxing Wearing a black sports bra and red biker shorts. Beth Swain Height: 5'5" Weight: 138 Age: 21 Hometown: Chicago, IL Style: Jiu Jitsu Wearing a blue gi jacket with a blue sports bra and yellow biker shorts underneath. Round 1 Swain starts strongly, immediately rushing in for a takedown. Lopez got taken by surprise a little, but wrestles her way free of the grapple and pulls to safety. Lopez doesn't hang around for a second attempt, she uses a looping left to set herself up to come in close and score with a series of strikes, two or three nice body shots included. Swain covers up, throwing the occasional jab as a counter. Lopez goes for a vicious uppercut, but gets pulled into a clinch. Swain goes for a takedown via a trip, but Lopez defends it. Another trip attempt, another failure. Swain pushes Lopez up against the cage and tries to wrestle her to the ground, but Lopez keeps her balance and sprawls to stop it. Lopez gets in a hard right hand to the side of the face, taking advantage of the fact that Swain was leaning in too far. Lopez reverses so that Swain is against the cage. They remain clinched, with nothing more than minor strikes being thrown, for a long time. The referee finally breaks them apart and gets them back to the center. Lopez throws a kick, waist-high, but Swain avoids it. That could have been used for a takedown attempt if Swain had been quicker and caught it. Lopez hits two or three punches in a row, stinging the gloves of Swain. The round draws to a close. It'll be interesting to see where the judges go with this, as Lopez clearly got the better strikes in throughout the round, but Swain did probably show more aggression by virtue of her almost constant attempts to get the takedown. The first round is over. Blurcat.com gives that one to Lopez by 10-9. Round 2 Lopez starts brightly by throwing some looping punches. Defended well by Swain. They circle, throwing tentative jabs. Swain goes for a single leg and puts Lopez on the floor, but she is up very quickly, preventing Swain from getting on top. Lopez definitely seems to want to keep this standing. Swain hits a nice jab, avoids a counter left hook, then comes in low and takes down Lopez again. This time Lopez isn't able to get up, and has to pull guard. Times ticking away though, Swain will have to hurry to finish. She goes for an armbar, but Lopez defends. Swain tries to slip past to get side control, but Lopez just about manages to keep guard. A second attempt works though, and Swain has the side. Two big elbows land, and Lopez seems in trouble. Swain goes for the kimura, but can't quite get it. The time expires before she can try again, and the referee separates them. The 2nd round ends. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Swain. Round 3 Lopez works an angle and comes in from the side of Swain, getting two good jabs in before a ragged left misses by quite a margin. Swain hits a low kick to back Lopez against the cage, then works the body with a series of short punches. Lopez fights out and the action returns to the center. Lopez moves in close and hits a left hook to the body. Swain steps back, and suddenly fires off a roundhouse kick. Lopez didn't see it coming, and it lands right behind her ear. Lopez is down, knocked out cold, and the referee is quick to step in and stop Swain from inflicting any more damage. The official time is 2:55. Debbie Clayton vs. Phoenix Strong (WCL Heavyweight Title) Tale of the Tape Debbie Clayton Height: 5'7" Weight: 140 Age: 23 Hometown: Chicago, IL Style: Jiu Jitsu Wearing a white gi with a white sports bra and blue biker shorts underneath. Phoenix Strong Height: 5'10" Weight: 135 Age: 20 Hometown: Las Vegas, NV Style: Tae Kwon Do Wearing a light blue gi in blue trim with a light blue sports bra and black biker shorts underneath. Round 1 Clayton starts the round by throwing some low kicks. Strong checks them, then comes in and clearly wants to trade punches. Clayton doesn't seem too bothered by that, and they enter into the first exchange of punches of the round. Difficult to say who came out on top, neither of them did a great deal of damage, most of the shots hit the opponent's gloves. Clayton cleverly head-fakes, allowing her the time and angle that she needed to catch Strong with a beauty of a right hook. Strong stumbles backward, but doesn't go down. Clayton presses the advantage by following in with a kick, then a right hand. Strong clinches. They remain clinched for a while. Strong scores with a nice knee, it appeared to catch Clayton in the gut. Clayton uses a single leg trip and takes the fight to the ground. Clayton gets to side control upon impact, and immediately goes for an armbar. Strong reacts quickly, but is in real danger. Clayton has her left arm straightened out, fortunately Strong has managed to roll and get a good position that is stopping Clayton from getting the leverage needed to apply an armlock. Clayton tries to step over and fully apply it, but Strong breaks free and gets her to back off with a couple of up-kicks. Clayton steps back and motions for her to stand up. They go back to circling in the center. Strong hits a nice right hand, but takes one back too. The time runs down; Clayton will probably get that round on points, she hit the best punch of the round, and got the only takedown, plus was the one who was working toward a submission. End of the round. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Clayton. Round 2 The two fighters meet in the center with an exchange of jabs, but neither gets anything but gloves or air. They go right into a clinch, with only a few seconds of the match gone. Clayton gets a knee to the ribs in, but it wasn't particularly hard. They break. Clayton leans forward and throws a looping right hand. Strong throws a wild head kick at the same moment, and it smashes into her jaw; Clayton goes down, slumped to the canvas. The referee covers her up, signalling that the match is over by knock out. Strong wins via 2nd round knock out with the official time being 1:46. Phoenix Strong is the new WCL Heavyweight champion. WCL 2: June 1990 - Las Vegas, NV Amanda Daniels vs. Beth Swain Tale of the Tape Amanda Daniels Height: 6'0" Weight: 155 Age: 20 Hometown: New York, NY Style: Wrestling Wearing an orange sports bra with dark blue biker shorts. Beth Swain Height: 5'5" Weight: 138 Age: 22 Hometown: Chicago, IL Style: Jiu Jitsu Wearing a blue gi jacket with a blue sports bra and yellow biker shorts underneath. Round 1 Daniels leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Swain deals with it well. They clinch, but only for a few seconds before it gets broken. Both throw stiff jabs at the same time, neither connects properly. Back to the clinch. It has been a disjointed start to the round, the flow hasn't quite developed properly. Swain uses a knee to the ribs before backing Daniels up against the cage. Right hand from Daniels connects though, that was well timed. Swain breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on her part, Daniels was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Swain sting the gloves, then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Daniels fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. Swain narrowly misses a right cross. Daniels tries to work an angle, then steps in...and gets creamed with a high head kick! Swain landed it right to the ear of all places, and Daniels's legs give way, sending her crashing to the floor. The referee immediately covers her up, she is clearly out cold. Swain gets the win via K.O. The official time of the knock out is 3:36 of round 1. Heidi Hoffman vs. Matilda Swain (WCL Lightweight Title) Tale of the Tape Heidi Hoffman Height: 5'5" Weight: 124 Age: 20 Hometown: Las Vegas, NV Style: Kick Boxing Wearing a black sports bra with light green biker shorts. Matilda Swain Height: 5'4" Weight: 120 Age: 20 Hometown: Chicago, IL Style: Jiu Jitsu Wearing a yellow sports bra and blue biker shorts. Round 1 Swain starts strongly, immediately rushing in for a takedown. Hoffman got taken by surprise a little, but wrestles her way free of the grapple and pulls to safety. Hoffman doesn't hang around for a second attempt, she uses a looping left to set herself up to come in close and score with a series of strikes, two or three nice body shots included. Swain covers up, throwing the occasional jab as a counter. Hoffman goes for a vicious uppercut, but gets pulled into a clinch. Swain goes for a takedown via a trip, but Hoffman defends it. Another trip attempt, another failure. Swain pushes Hoffman up against the cage and tries to wrestle her to the ground, but Hoffman keeps her balance and sprawls to stop it. Hoffman gets in a hard right hand to the side of the face, taking advantage of the fact that Swain was leaning in too far. Hoffman reverses so that Swain is against the cage. They remain clinched, with nothing more than minor strikes being thrown, for a long time. The referee finally breaks them apart and gets them back to the center. Hoffman throws a kick, waist-high, but Swain avoids it. That could have been used for a takedown attempt if Swain had been quicker and caught it. Hoffman hits two or three punches in a row, stinging the gloves of Swain. The round draws to a close. It'll be interesting to see where the judges go with this, as Hoffman clearly got the better strikes in throughout the round, but Swain did probably show more aggression by virtue of her almost constant attempts to get the takedown. The round is over. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Hoffman. Round 2 Slow start to this round, Hoffman is being tentative and Swain looks like she is waiting for an angle to appear. The first exchange of strikes doesn't really go anywhere. A second set falls in Hoffman's favour, as she gets a nice jab in, hitting right above the nose, and a solid shot to the body. Swain goes in for a takedown but only manages to secure one leg. Hoffman hammers down two shots to the back, but can't really do a lot else. Swain tries to push her over onto her back, but Hoffman manages to pull free and back off. Swain throws a high left handed jab then goes in for another takedown. Good sprawl from Hoffman, and she backs off. Swain doesn't get a chance to go for a third, because Hoffman takes the fight to her with a barrage of lefts and rights, forcing her back against the cage. Hoffman clinches up, only after hitting a hard shot to the stomach though. The clinch seems to go on forever, with Swain unable to get a good enough position to try a takedown, and Hoffman tied up too much to really throw any decent strikes. Eventually the time runs out and they head back to their corners. End of round 2. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Hoffman. Round 3 Hoffman starts strong, hitting a nice low kick and following in with a shot to the body. Swain backs off, but just gets pushed up against the cage. Hoffman presses the advantage and works a nice hook to the body. Swain responds with an attempted sweep, and when that doesn't work, a punch that lands behind the ear. Hoffman gets in a low kick as she backs off, and the fight returns towards the center. Swain misses a right hand and is off balance, allowing Hoffman to come in for a takedown. Swain pulls guard, and it's a particulary high one, Hoffman has to be careful that she doesn't get careless and end up in a triangle choke. Swain bats away a couple of punches with her hands. Hoffman tries to pass guard, but leaves an arm in for just a fraction of a second too long, and Swain is able to clamp her legs around it and pull. That's a tight arm bar, and Hoffman is going to have really trouble getting free. She tries to pull free, but it's no use. Hoffman taps out to the armlock. Swain wins via 3rd round armbar submission with the official time being 2:17. Matilda Swain successfully retains the WCL Lightweight title. WCL 3: September 1990 - Las Vegas, NV Helena Ruthledge vs. Maria Bermundes Tale of the Tape Helena Ruthledge Height: 6'0" Weight: 155 Age: 23 Hometown: New York, NY Style: Muay Thai Wearing a black sports bra and black biker shorts. Maria Bermundes Height: 5'9" Weight: 150 Age: 20 Hometown: Chicago, IL Style: Jiu Jitsu Wearing a green sports bra and red biker shorts. Round 1 A fizzing right hand from Ruthledge opens the round; it didn't find its intended target of Bermundes's chin, but it did land hard on the left shoulder instead. Bermundes fights back with a jab, but takes a hard shot to the body after leaning in too far. Ruthledge pins her to the cage with a quick burst, and unloads with lefts and rights. Bermundes looks for a moment like she may be about to get overwhelmed, especially after a right hand appears to hit flush on the chin, but she recovers well and works her way back to the center. Ruthledge is looking the more confident of the two by far. She smells blood, and comes in looking for a big right hand, only to walk right into a takedown. Bermundes had to time that perfectly, and did. Ruthledge doesn't pull guard, instead scrambling, ending up onto her knees, with Bermundes taking her back! Bermundes tries to go for a choke, but Ruthledge bucks and twists, scrambling back to her feet and backing off. A big right hand and a high kick prevent Bermundes from following too closely. After that frenetic minute of action, things die down, with the fighters circling. Ruthledge scores with two leg kicks, Bermundes hits a tasty right hand to the body, but otherwise nothing much happens for the next couple of exchanges. Indeed, the clock runs down and the round ends without further noteworthy events. The round ends. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Ruthledge. Round 2 Bermundes leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Ruthledge deals with it well. They clinch, but only for a few seconds before it gets broken. Both throw stiff jabs at the same time, neither connects properly. Back to the clinch. It has been a disjointed start to the round, the flow hasn't quite developed properly. Ruthledge uses a knee to the ribs before backing Bermundes up against the cage. Right hand from Bermundes connects though, that was well timed. Ruthledge breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on her part, Bermundes was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Ruthledge sting the gloves, then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Bermundes fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. Bermundes moves in close and hits a left hook to the body. Ruthledge steps back, and suddenly fires off a roundhouse kick. Bermundes didn't see it coming, and it lands right behind her ear. Bermundes is down, knocked out cold, and the referee is quick to step in and stop Ruthledge from inflicting any more damage. Official time of the knock out is 3:33 of the second round. Loni Lee vs. Yong Lee Tale of the Tape Loni Lee Height: 5'5" Weight: 124 Age: 20 Hometown: Honolulu, HI Style: Jiu Jitsu Wearing a black sports bra and black biker shorts. Yong Lee Height: 5'5" Weight: 136 Age: 20 Hometown: Honolulu, HI Style: Tae Kwon Do Wearing a white gi jacket in black trim with a white sports bra and black biker shorts underneath. Round 1 Slow start; nearly a full minute of circling, occasional fakes, and long-range jabs. Neither fighter is creating much. Yong Lee works an angle, but takes a low kick to the shin when she advances. They clinch, and end up with Loni Lee backed up against the cage. Yong Lee gets a couple of right hands to the body, but her attempts at knee strikes are deflected by Loni Lee, who uses her legs well to defend. Yong Lee pulls free and takes a step back, then powers in a right hand. Loni Lee gets out the way, ducks under a second right hand, and backs up to the center. Yong Lee follows, and we're back to circling. Uninspiring action so far, they've both been fairly devoid of inspiration. Yong Lee hits a couple of right hands, both hitting gloves, then a left hand to the body that connected. That was the best shot of the round so far. Loni Lee tags her with a flicked jab to the cheek, but it had virtually no power on it. Loni Lee leans in to a looping left, but it puts her off balance and it's only at the last second that she gets her chin out of the way of a vicious right cross that comes back. If that had hit, we may have had a knock out. Time runs out with them standing, circling again. The round is over. Blurcat.com gives that one to Lee by 10-9. Round 2 Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Yong Lee puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Loni Lee defended well. Straight right from Loni Lee in response, but it caught nothing but gloves. They start circling. The referee tells them to fight, the lack of action so far is worrying. They get in close and exchange body shots, Yong Lee probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Loni Lee gets a nice kick in just before the time expires, but it's unlikely that is going to stop the judges giving that round to Yong Lee. The round ends. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Lee. Round 3 Yong Lee throws a right hand, narrowly missing. Loni Lee almost seems to be inviting her on to throw punches, she could be trying to lure her into over-committing. Yong Lee throws a jab that connects, albeit without much power, but it causes Loni Lee to back up quickly, back toward the cage. Yong Lee comes in quickly, throwing looping punches, but gets reckless and Loni Lee grabs the opportunity by nailing a big right cross! Yong Lee collapses in a heap, her left leg buckling underneath her in at an awkward angle. Loni Lee has knocked her out cold with a killer punch. The official time is 1:29. Heidi Hoffman vs. Adriana Cortez Tale of the Tape Heidi Hoffman Height: 5'5" Weight: 124 Age: 20 Hometown: Las Vegas, NV Style: Kick Boxing Wearing a black sports bra with light green biker shorts. Adriana Cortez Height: 5'4" Weight: 115 Age: 20 Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Style: Karate Wearing a black gi jacket with a black sports bra and black biker shorts underneath. Round 1 The round begins, and it is Cortez who starts better, energetically bounding straight into action by throwing a three-punch combination and a scything leg kick. Hoffman defended all four blows well, but is forced to be on the backfoot right from the word go. Cortez works for an angle, coming in from the left hand side with a high right hand. Hoffman ducks under it and nestles a stiff jab in the solar plexus. It doesn't seem to slow Cortez down much though, as she swiftly turns and hits a crisp left to the side of the head, followed almost instantly by a mid-level kick that smacks above the hip of Hoffman. Interesting first minute of action, Cortez is looking particularly sharp. Hoffman tries to turn the momentum by advancing quickly and driving Cortez back against the cage with a series of jabs and hooks, and they end up clinched. Hoffman tries a knee from that position, but it is blocked. Cortez scores with two sharp blows to the ribs, and then they break away from each other. For a second it looked like Hoffman was about to go for a takedown, but nothing came from it. They square up to each other in the center. Cortez throws a head fake and comes in from low down to hit a rising shot that catches Hoffman on the side of the head. Hoffman got a shot in too though, although it hit the shoulder rather than the head. Time is running down; Cortez has probably done enough to win the round, but it has turned quite scrappy since the clinch against the cage, both will probably be slightly unhappy with that. Hoffman tries a late surge, coming in hard and fast with a leading left, but Cortez defends it well and scores the only meaningful shot of the exchange with a crisp left hand. The round ends. Blurcat.com scores 10-9 Cortez. Round 2 The two competitors start slowly, circling and looking for an opening. Hoffman fakes shooting in for a takedown, but Cortez didn't buy it for a second. In comes Hoffman from an angle to the right, but Cortez had it covered all the way, and not only easily steps out of the way of the attempted right hand, but manages to score with a solid right hand to the side of the head. Hoffman felt that, and is forced to cover up quickly as Cortez steps in quickly and unloads with a flurry of powerful blows, looking to capitalise on the earlier strike. Hoffman is forced back against the cage, but to her credit, she did a good job defending those strikes and didn't seem to take any significant damage. Cortez doesn't get in too close, realising that it would likely mean getting caught in a clinch, so she stands slightly back instead and throws some low kicks and looping punches. Hoffman responds by throwing out some straight jabs, but neither fighter is really doing any damage to their opponent. Cortez clearly grows tired of the wait, and moves in to hit a body blow. It connects, but Hoffman is quick to tie her up in a clinch. That lasts quite a while, until the referee gets in there and breaks them up, telling them to fight. Cortez looks to be working an angle. Cortez scores with a stiff jab, and bobs and weaves to avoid all three of the rapid-fire punches that come back from Hoffman. Nicely done. Hoffman, realising that she is losing this round, comes forward with a sense of urgency, throwing right hands to put Cortez on the back foot. Cortez handles it well though, refusing to let Hoffman get an angle, and using some nice counter punches to the body to further cement the fact that this round is going to her on points. Time expires with Hoffman throwing increasingly desperate punches. The round ends. Blurcat.com scores 10-9 Cortez. Round 3 Hoffman hits some tentative punches, then comes in fast and forces Cortez to back up against the cage, where they clinch. Hoffman hits a nice body shot, but takes two short punches to the side of the head in return. Cortez tries a trip, but it doesn't go anywhere. They separate, with Hoffman having to stay sharp to avoid a scorching right hand from Cortez. Cortez throws a right hand, narrowly missing. Hoffman almost seems to be inviting her on to throw punches, she could be trying to lure her into over-committing. Cortez throws a jab that connects, albeit without much power, but it causes Hoffman to back up quickly, back toward the cage. Cortez comes in quickly, throwing looping punches, but gets reckless and Hoffman grabs the opportunity by nailing a big right cross! Cortez collapses in a heap, her left leg buckling underneath her in at an awkward angle. Hoffman has knocked her out cold with a killer punch. Hoffman wins via 3rd round knock out with the official time being 4:45. Anika Riley vs. Matilda Swain (WCL Lightweight Title) Tape of the Tape Anika Riley Height: 5'5" Weight: 124 Age: 20 Hometown: New York, NY Style: Karate Wearing a white gi jacket with a white sports bra and black biker shorts underneath. Matilda Swain Height: 5'4" Weight: 120 Age: 20 Hometown: Chicago, IL Style: Jiu Jitsu Wearing a yellow sports bra and blue biker shorts. Round 1 Swain starts the round by throwing some low kicks. Riley checks them, then comes in and clearly wants to trade punches. Swain doesn't seem too bothered by that, and they enter into the first exchange of punches of the round. Difficult to say who came out on top, neither of them did a great deal of damage, most of the shots hit the opponent's gloves. Swain cleverly head-fakes, allowing her the time and angle that she needed to catch Riley with a beauty of a right hook. Riley stumbles backward, but doesn't go down. Swain presses the advantage by following in with a kick, then a right hand. Riley clinches. They remain clinched for a while. Riley scores with a nice knee, it appeared to catch Swain in the gut. Swain uses a single leg trip and takes the fight to the ground. Swain gets to side control upon impact, and immediately goes for an armbar. Riley reacts quickly, but is in real danger. Swain has her left arm straightened out, fortunately Riley has managed to roll and get a good position that is stopping Swain from getting the leverage needed to apply an armlock. Swain tries to step over and fully apply it, but Riley breaks free and gets her to back off with a couple of up-kicks. Swain steps back and motions for her to stand up. They go back to circling in the center. Riley hits a nice right hand, but takes one back too. The time runs down; Swain will probably get that round on points, she hit the best punch of the round, and got the only takedown, plus was the one who was working toward a submission. End of round 1. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Swain. Round 2 Swain is forced onto the backfoot almost immediately, having to retreat to avoid a series of sharp jabs. She ends up with her back to the cage, with Riley advancing. A sharp right misses, and Swain takes the opportunity to pull Riley in to a tight clinch against the cage. Riley tries to break free, but cannot. It looks like we know the strategies for this round already; Riley wants to stand and bang, Swain wants to keep things at close quarters. Riley tries for an elbow, but only succeeds in getting turned around so that she is now the one against the cage. Trip from Swain, and we're down to the ground. Swain has side control, but Riley has landed with her left hand side against the cage, so that side of the body is basically safe for now. Swain will have to try to work the right-hand side, and starts by ramming a knee into the ribs. Riley tries to squirm into a better position, but Swain puts a stop to that with a stiff elbow to the stomach. Swain tries to work a kimura on the right arm, but Riley defends it. Riley manages to bring a knee up and catch Swain in the side, something of a cheeky move given her position. Swain responds with five or six rapid-fire right hands to the face, but Riley covers up and doesn't take any serious damage at all. Time is ticking away though, and so far Swain may be easily winning the round, but she is not taking full advantage of this great position. Swain tries to float over into a mount, but Riley uses the cage to push away and manages to unbalance Swain enough to get to a kneeling position, then standing, albeit back into a clinch. A knee from Swain is the last action of the round. End of round 2. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Swain. Round 3 Riley starts fast, unleashing a bomb of a right hand, but Swain avoids it without too much trouble. Riley isn't disheartened though, swinging two more huge punches, with Swain getting out the way each time, but being forced all over the place. Riley finally backs off a little, breathing hard. That was quite a frantic start. Swain opts to use that, and comes in to throw some jabs. Riley is backed up against the cage, covering up. Swain clinches. They struggle, and the fight enters a lull. Riley hits a knee strike to the hip. Swain slips one leg behind Riley and uses that as leverage for a big trip. Riley landed hard, with Swain on top. They're in half guard. It's to Riley's advantage that they're right next to the cage, that is blocking Swain from attacking the left hand side of the body. Riley is forced into action to defend a kimura attempt. Swain tries to step over to mount, but Riley keeps her legs in position and ends up almost rolled into a ball. Swain fires some stiff punches to the back, then one to the face. She reaches through and tries to secure an armbar, but has to be careful as she is in danger of getting picked off with a counter armbar too. Riley doesn't appear to be trying that though, instead trying to shift her weight so that she can get back up. Swain isn't allowing it though, and gets a couple more punches in before settling back into half guard. Riley ties her up in a snug clinch. The action halts, and time expires before Swain can get free. End of round 3. Blurcat.com gives that one to Swain by 10-9. Round 4 Riley comes out fast and quickly backs Swain up, all the way up against the cage. Riley throws a series of rights and lefts; none of the strikes to the head got through, but two nice body shots did. She doesn't follow up though, instead keeping a few steps back, clearly not wanting to get tied up in a clinch. Swain throws a low kick, then advances with some jabs, forcing Riley to back off a little. They meet in the center and exchange strikes, with Riley looking the crisper striker of the two, although without doing any real damage. Swain shoots in for the takedown, but Riley sprawls and eventually pushes free. Right hand from Riley, then two jabs which both find their mark. Swain bats away a third, then comes in hard and fast for a second takedown attempt. Riley sprawls again, but gets pushed all the way up against the cage. Swain has a leg, but is low down to the ground and doesn't have the leverage to complete the takedown. She works to a better standing position, but has to lose the leg and grab a clinch instead. They both fire off some small punches from there. Swain tries for a trip, but Riley avoids it and works free from the clinch. She returns to the center, clearly wanting a striking battle rather than a grappling match. Swain follows, hands held high, and throws a couple of jabs. Riley connects with one instead though, and then with a looping right hand that catches Swain above the eye. She felt that, but doesn't go down. Best strike of the round so far. Swain throws a low kick. Riley comes in to strike again, but this time cannot sprawl quickly enough and gets taken down. Riley pulls guard. Unfortunately for Swain, now that she has finally gotten the takedown, there's less than thirty seconds left. She tries to pass guard to get to side control, but Riley comfortably defends it until the round is over. End of round 4. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Riley. Round 5 Tentative start to the round, the fighters are circling. Riley throws out a couple of range-finding jabs, but they aren't anything that will trouble Swain. Kick to the thigh from Swain, but it lacked power. Swain looks to be working an angle. Riley with a low kick, but without much power. She comes in close and hits a nice body shot, then a left hook to the cheek. The impact staggers Swain back, taking her out of range of an uppercut, leaving Riley slightly off balance. Swain hits a kick as she staggers and it lands dead on the jaw. Riley drops like a ton of bricks, she is out cold. That single moment of lost balance was all the opportunity Swain needed. Official time of the knock out is 1:59 of the fifth round. Matilda Swain successfully retains the WCL Lightweight title. WCL 4: December 1990 - Las Vegas, NV Karen Curtis vs. Admanda Daniels Tale of the Tape Karen Curtis Height: 5'4" Weight: 136 Age: 21 Hometown: Milwaukee, WI Style: Sambo Wearing a red tank top and black shorts in orange trim. Amanda Daniels Height: 6'0" Weight: 155 Age: 20 Hometown: New York, NY Style: Wrestling Wearing an orange sports bra with dark blue biker shorts. Round 1 Good start from Daniels, taking Curtis down almost immediately! Curtis scrambles though, and gets back to her feet without taking any damage at all. Daniels will be disappointed with that. Curtis comes in and throws two big right hands, but neither connects, and they put her off balance, allowing Daniels to score with a nice right hook to the side of the head, crunching into the top of the ear. Curtis felt that one for sure. She stalks Daniels, trying to back her up against the cage. It doesn't work though, Daniels keeps out of the way. Curtis tries a kick, but Daniels catches the foot and uses it for a trip. Daniels gets Curtis down for the second time, and this time is right on top of her in guard position. Daniels throws some punches, then tries to pass. Curtis doesn't allow it, and tries to grab an armbar in response. Daniels easily stops that, and throws some more punches. That becomes the pattern, as the fight falls into a predictable pattern; punches from Daniels followed by a pass attempt, with Curtis blocking the pass and throwing the occasional punch in response. The round ends like that, just as the referee was about to stand them back up. End of round 1. Blurcat.com gives that one to Daniels by 10-9. Round 2 Curtis throws a right hand, narrowly missing. Daniels almost seems to be inviting her on to throw punches, she could be trying to lure her into over-committing. Curtis throws a jab that connects, albeit without much power, but it causes Daniels to back up quickly, back toward the cage. Curtis comes in quickly, throwing looping punches, but gets reckless and Daniels grabs the opportunity by nailing a big right cross! Curtis collapses in a heap, her left leg buckling underneath her in at an awkward angle. Daniels has knocked her out cold with a killer punch. Daniels wins via second round knock out at 1:21. Anika Riley vs. Adriana Cortez Tale of the Tape Anika Riley Height: 5'5" Weight: 124 Age: 20 Hometown: New York, NY Style: Karate Wearing a white gi jacket with a white sports bra and black biker shorts underneath. Adriana Cortez Height: 5'4" Weight: 115 Age: 20 Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Style: Karate Wearing a black gi jacket with a black sports bra and black biker shorts underneath. Round 1 They circle to start, both throwing a few tentative jabs. An uppercut misses its mark from Riley, providing the first moment of real action. Cortez hits a nice combination of body shots to set up a big right hook, but Riley side-stepped to safety. A few punches get thrown, but there's a lack of real action to talk about. Cortez is being slightly the more aggressive, but neither fighter is really going for it. They come together again and exchange punches, but no big shots get through, and they end up clinched for a while. The referee separates them, but the time is ticking away and this round looks like it's going to the judges. End of round 1. Blurcat.com gives that one to Cortez by 10-9. Round 2 Tentative start to the round, the fighters are circling. Riley throws out a couple of range-finding jabs, but they aren't anything that will trouble Cortez. Kick to the thigh from Cortez, but it lacked power. Riley tries to back Cortez up against the cage wall, but it comes to nothing. Riley suddenly seizes on a wayward uppercut from Cortez and thunders in with a takedown. Cortez landed hard, but had the presence of mind to pull guard before Riley could get a better position. Riley gets past the guard, but only just, one leg is trapped by Cortez. A couple of right hands by Riley leave ugly red marks where they hit the unprotected stomach of Cortez. Riley gets both legs free and transitions higher up the body, putting Cortez in huge trouble. Riley manages to get a forearm firmly across the throat of Cortez and she pushes down. Cortez, with no way of getting out, has no alternative but to tap out. Riley wins via 2nd round choke submission with the official time being 1:50. Katrina Thiel vs. Beth Swain Tale of the Tape Katrina Thiel Height: 5'7" Weight: 140 Age: 24 Hometown: Chicago, IL Style: Tae Kwon Do Wearing a white gi jacket in black trim with a white sports bra and white biker shorts underneath. Beth Swain Height: 5'5" Weight: 138 Age: 22 Hometown: Chicago, IL Style: Jiu Jitsu Wearing a blue gi jacket with a blue sports bra and yellow biker shorts underneath. Round 1 Thiel starts fast, unleashing a bomb of a right hand, but Swain avoids it without too much trouble. Thiel isn't disheartened though, swinging two more huge punches, with Swain getting out the way each time, but being forced all over the place. Thiel finally backs off a little, breathing hard. That was quite a frantic start. Swain opts to use that, and comes in to throw some jabs. Thiel is backed up against the cage, covering up. Swain clinches. They struggle, and the fight enters a lull. Thiel hits a knee strike to the hip. Swain slips one leg behind Thiel and uses that as leverage for a big trip. Thiel landed hard, with Swain on top. They're in half guard. It's to Thiel's advantage that they're right next to the cage, that is blocking Swain from attacking the left hand side of the body. Thiel is forced into action to defend a kimura attempt. Swain tries to step over to mount, but Thiel keeps her legs in position and ends up almost rolled into a ball. Swain fires some stiff punches to the back, then one to the face. She reaches through and tries to secure an armbar, but has to be careful as she is in danger of getting picked off with a counter armbar too. Thiel doesn't appear to be trying that though, instead trying to shift her weight so that she can get back up. Swain isn't allowing it though, and gets a couple more punches in before settling back into half guard. Thiel ties her up in a snug clinch. The action halts, and time expires before Swain can get free. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Swain. Round 2 Good start from Swain, taking Thiel down almost immediately! Thiel scrambles though, and gets back to her feet without taking any damage at all. Swain will be disappointed with that. Thiel comes in and throws two big right hands, but neither connects, and they put her off balance, allowing Swain to score with a nice right hook to the side of the head, crunching into the top of the ear. Thiel felt that one for sure. She stalks Swain, trying to back her up against the cage. It doesn't work though, Swain keeps out of the way. Thiel tries a kick, but Swain catches the foot and uses it for a trip. Swain gets Thiel down for the second time, and this time is right on top of her in guard position. Swain throws some punches, then tries to pass. Thiel doesn't allow it, and tries to grab an armbar in response. Swain easily stops that, and throws some more punches. That becomes the pattern, as the fight falls into a predictable pattern; punches from Swain followed by a pass attempt, with Thiel blocking the pass and throwing the occasional punch in response. The round ends like that, just as the referee was about to stand them back up. The second round is over. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Swain. Round 3 Thiel kicks Swain in the ribs, but Swain was ready, catches the foot, and uses it to trip Thiel down. Into a guard. Swain throws a couple of shots, but Thiel defends it well. Swain gets through the guard and has side control. That was well executed, but Thiel could have done better, she gave up her side too easily. It goes from bad to worse for Thiel, a wild punch is easily blocked by Swain, who uses it to take her back. Thiel is in real trouble now. Swain fires of a series of punches, and Thiel has no answer. Swain stretches Thiel out, and secures the rear naked choke. She doesn't get it fully at first, but then does. Thiel taps. Swain wins via 3rd round rear naked choke submission with the official time being 0:47.