Women's Combat League: Knock Outs and Submissions Volume 4 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 following selected matches are from the WCL pay per view video archives, please enjoy. WCL 13: March 1993 - Los Angeles, CA Heidi Hoffman vs. Adriana Cortez (WCL Lightweight Title) Tale of the Tape Heidi Hoffman Height: 5'5" Weight: 124 Age: 23 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: 23 Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Style: Karate Wearing a black gi jacket with a black sports bra and black biker shorts underneath. Round 1 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. Hoffman tries to back Cortez up against the cage wall, but it comes to nothing. Cortez steps in to throw a right hand, but doesn't get a chance to pull the trigger as Hoffman is already in with a takedown. Cortez hits the floor hard, and Hoffman winds up in her guard. Hoffman passes guard without too much trouble, and cracks Cortez with a hard punch to the cheek. Cortez tries to scramble into a better position without dropping her guard against another punch, but can't, and Hoffman maneuvers so that she has one knee planted on Cortez's chest, keeping her from rolling. Hoffman quickly secures the left arm and transitions into a tight arm bar. Cortez has no way out, she taps. Hoffman wins via 1st round armbar submission with the official time being 4:36. Heidi Hoffman successfully retains the WCL Lightweight title. WCL 14: June 1993 - Los Angeles, CA Anika Riley vs. Matilda Swain Tale of the Tape Anika Riley Height: 5'5" Weight: 124 Age: 23 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: 22 Hometown: Chicago, IL Style: Jiu Jitsu Wearing a yellow sports bra and blue biker shorts. Round 1 Slow start, both fighters are throwing tentative punches without threatening anything more powerful. Riley puts together the first exciting moment, stringing together four punches in quick succession, but Swain defended well. Straight right from Swain 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, Riley probably getting the slightly better punches in, and then fall into a clinch. That goes nowhere, and the referee separates them. Swain 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 Riley. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Riley. Round 2 Swain moves in close and hits a left hook to the body. Riley steps back, and suddenly fires off a roundhouse kick. Swain didn't see it coming, and it lands right behind her ear. Swain is down, knocked out cold, and the referee is quick to step in and stop Riley from inflicting any more damage. Riley wins via 2nd round knock out with the official time being 0:30. Verona Joseph vs. Katrina Thiel Tale of the Tape Verona Joseph Height: 5'7" Weight: 152 Age: 25 Hometown: Upola, Samoa Style: Submission Fighting Wearing a white tank top and black shorts. Katrina Thiel Height: 5'7" Weight: 140 Age: 27 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. Round 1 Thiel isn't hanging around, right from the start Joseph is forced onto the back foot by four hard shots, although none of them get through the gloves. Joseph circles, steps in, then unloads a combination of punches, but Thiel weaves out of the way and scores with a beauty of a right hand, glancing above the right eye. That was some lovely counter punching from Thiel, the timing had to be perfect and it was. Joseph is looking a bit frustrated, and uncorks a ragged-looking uppercut that missed by several inches. Thiel really should have taken advantage of that mistake, Joseph was wide open for a moment there. Thiel hits a high kick, catching Joseph on the shoulder. Jab from Joseph finds the mark, but it didn't have much power behind it as she was leaning backward too much. Thiel fires off a couple of straight punches in response, but only finds gloves. They clinch, and the fight enters a lull. Joseph scores with a knee from the clinch, it landed around the hip area of Thiel, who responds with a couple of shots to the ribs. The time runs out with them still clinched though. The first round is over. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Thiel. Round 2 The fighters touch gloves, then circle. Thiel throws a low kick, but it was without any conviction, it seemed designed more to keep Joseph from coming inside. Thiel works an angle, then comes in with a one-two combination, Joseph responds with a crisp uppercut that wasn't far off from connecting. Thiel backs off slightly, maybe a bit relieved not to have taken that one on the chin. Neither fighter appears to be looking for any sort of takedown or grapple, this is all about the striking. Joseph circles and throws a series of high jabs, but Thiel blocked them with ease, using the gloves. Thiel fakes a high kick, then storms in with a wild looking right hand and a series of body shots. Joseph covers up and rides out the storm, clinching to stop any further blows. It was a nice attack from Thiel though, best action of the round. They stay clinched for a while, exchanging occasional punches to the ribs, then are separated by the referee. It looks like this round is going to the judges though, as there's only a few seconds remaining. Thiel throws a leg kick that connects, albeit without too much force, and the round is done. End of round 2. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Thiel. Round 3 Joseph leads with the right hand to set up a low kick, Thiel 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. Thiel uses a knee to the ribs before backing Joseph up against the cage. Right hand from Joseph connects though, that was well timed. Thiel breaks the clinch and backs off. That was sloppy on her part, Joseph was basically gifted a free shot. Three quick jabs from Thiel sting the gloves, then a crashing hook to the body finds its mark. Good recovery. Joseph fires off a low kick again, but it's well wide. For a second it looked like Joseph was about to go for a takedown, but nothing came from it. Joseph tries to work an angle, then steps in...and gets creamed with a high head kick! Thiel landed it right to the ear of all places, and Joseph's legs give way, sending her crashing to the floor. The referee immediately covers her up, she is clearly out cold. Thiel gets the win via K.O. Official time of the knock out is 3:34 of the third. Heidi Hoffman vs. Yong Lee (WCL Lightweight Title) Tale of the Tape Heidi Hoffman Height: 5'5" Weight: 124 Age: 23 Hometown: Las Vegas, NV Style: Kick Boxing Wearing a black sports bra with light green biker shorts. Yong Lee Height: 5'5" Weight: 136 Age: 22 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 Lee hits a nice jab, then another. Hoffman is backing off, looking for an opportunity to strike, but Lee is not letting up. She steps in for another jab, but Hoffman steps back and fires off a high kick. Lee goes down! The kick caught her right on the side of the head, and she just crumpled to the ground. The referee leaps straight in before any more damage is done, because Lee is out cold. Great kick from Hoffman, that was about as perfect as you can get. The official time is 0:45. Heidi Hoffman retains the WCL Lightweight title. WCL 15: September 1993 - Los Angeles, CA Alicia Fothergill vs. Adriana Cortez Tale of the Tape Alicia Fothergill Height: 5'8" Weight: 130 Age: 26 Hometown: Wichita, KS Style: Submission Fighting Wearing a black sports bra in gold trim and a black biker shorts in gold trim. Adriana Cortez Height: 5'4" Weight: 115 Age: 23 Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Style: Karate Wearing a black gi jacket with a black sports bra and black biker shorts underneath. Round 1 Fothergill comes out fast, and looks like she is aiming for a quick takedown, but Cortez stops that plan with some looping punches. Solid right hand from Cortez connects, and that's the best moment of the opening minute of the round. Fothergill is mainly defending against punches, it looks like she is trying to work an angle to try for a takedown. Cortez seems to have noticed, as she is purposely positioning against that. Straight left from Cortez, then a low kick, then a wicked body shot. Fothergill felt that, and backs off. Fothergill tries to get in for a clinch, perhaps looking for a takedown from that position, but Cortez gets her to back off with some jabs. Cortez has really been able to stamp her gameplan on this round, Fothergill has been blocked at every turn. End of the round. Blurcat.com scores 10-9 Cortez. Round 2 Cortez clinches. They go down in an awkward moment, not sure what was going on then. Cortez is in the guard of Fothergill. She moves into a side mount, and Fothergill didn't do much to stop it. Cortez brings down a hard shot, but it deflects of the forearms of Fothergill. Cortez looks for a kimura, but Fothergill shifts her weight and sweeps Cortez. Fothergill now has a half mount. Cortez tries a sweep of her own, but Fothergill blocks it, and then gets into a full mount. Fothergill takes one arm, fights off a big effort by Cortez to block it, and cinches in a armbar. Cortez tries to get free, but is stuck, and is forced to tap out. Fothergill wins via armbar submission at 0:49 of the second round. Beth Swain vs. Britney Paul Tale of the Tape Beth Swain Height: 5'5" Weight: 138 Age: 24 Hometown: Chicago, IL Style: Jiu Jitsu Wearing a blue gi jacket with a blue sports bra and yellow biker shorts underneath. Britney Paul Height: 5'10" Weight: 150 Age: 20 Hometown: Los Angeles, CA Style: Kick Boxing Wearing a black sports bra and pink biker shorts. Round 1 The two fighters circle. A series of looping punches from Swain forces Paul back up against the cage, and she has to cover up to withstand the three strikes that follow. No real damage caused, but Swain is aggressively chasing this match. A hook finds the body and Paul clinches. They almost lose their balance as they jockey for position, Paul gets in a couple of knees when they regain their footing. Swain seems to be trying to break the clinch, it's Paul who is holding it tight, perhaps hoping to calm the energetic start that Swain had. The referee finally does break them up, after nearly a full minute of inactivity. Swain gets in close and clinches up with Paul. They jossle for position. Swain uses a trip to take them both down, and swiftly transitions into a side mount. Paul blocks an arm bar attempt, but is having trouble keeping the full mount from happening. Swain scores with a nice elbow, and there is the full mount. Paul is wide open, and takes two hard punches to the face. Swain takes the arm. Paul is fighting it, but it looks like it's only a matter of time. The kimura is applied, and Paul has no choice but to tap. Official time of the kimura submission is 4:18 of the first round. Yong Lee vs. Loni Lee Tale of the Tape Yong Lee Height: 5'5" Weight: 136 Age: 23 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. Loni Lee Height: 5'5" Weight: 124 Age: 23 Hometown: Honolulu, HI Style: Jiu Jitsu Wearing a black sports bra and black biker shorts. Round 1 Yong Lee comes out fast, but gets hit with a counter right hand strike when she throws a left hand which was too high. Loni Lee moves in and hits a nice body shot before they clinch. Yong Lee gets in a short, sharp jab to the side of the head, it looked to hit right on the ear. Loni Lee didn't like that, and scores with two knee strikes and a punch to the cheek. They break apart. Loni Lee swings and hits a nice right hand. Yong Lee fires off a series of sharp jabs, all hitting gloves. She throws out a looping left, but gets tagged with a punch to the jaw and stumbles to the ground! Loni Lee dives in to finish her off, but she scrambles back up quickly and they end up facing off on their feet again. Replays show that the punch barely connected, it was more of a stumble on Yong Lee's part than anything else. It might not look that way to the judges though. Loni Lee looks more confident after that, and puts together a nice chain of strikes, ending with a scathing low kick that catches Yong Lee on the outside of the calf. She definitely felt that. Time is running out; Loni Lee will probably take this round on the judges' score cards, primarily due to that one dubious knock down. The round ends. Blurcat.com has it down as 10-9 Lee. Round 2 The two fighters circle. A series of looping punches from Yong Lee forces Loni Lee back up against the cage, and she has to cover up to withstand the three strikes that follow. No real damage caused, but Yong Lee is aggressively chasing this match. A hook finds the body and Loni Lee clinches. They almost lose their balance as they jockey for position, Loni Lee gets in a couple of knees when they regain their footing. Yong Lee seems to be trying to break the clinch, it's Loni Lee who is holding it tight, perhaps hoping to calm the energetic start that Yong Lee had. The referee finally does break them up, after nearly a full minute of inactivity. Yong Lee gets Loni Lee backed up against the cage and throws a flurry of jabs, but doesn't do any real damage. Loni Lee tries to get back to the center, but almost invites the takedown attempt, which promptly comes. Yong Lee drives her down with a waist-high tackle...but gets caught! The takedown left her head exposed and Loni Lee applied a guillotine on the way down. Yong Lee is caught, that is on really tight. There's the tap out, Yong Lee was clearly unable to breathe with a forearm crushing her wind-pipe. Official time of the guillotine choke submission is 4:22 of the second. Heidi Hoffman vs. Matilda Swain (WCL Lightweight Title) Tale of the Tape Heidi Hoffman Height: 5'5" Weight: 124 Age: 23 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: 22 Hometown: Chicago, IL Style: Jiu Jitsu Wearing a yellow sports bra and blue biker shorts. Round 1 Hoffman starts brightly by throwing some looping punches. Defended well by Swain. They circle, throwing tentative jabs. Swain goes for a single leg and puts Hoffman on the floor, but she is up very quickly, preventing Swain from getting on top. Hoffman 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 Hoffman again. This time Hoffman 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 Hoffman defends. Swain tries to slip past to get side control, but Hoffman just about manages to keep guard. A second attempt works though, and Swain has the side. Two big elbows land, and Hoffman 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. End of round 1. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Swain. Round 2 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. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Hoffman. Round 3 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. The 3rd round ends. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Hoffman. Round 4 Slow start to the round, Swain is circling while Hoffman seems content to just throw the occasional looping punch to cause her to back up. Swain steps in and fires off two jabs, neither connecting, then has to almost throw herself to one side to avoid a devastating looking punch! Hoffman was clearly looking for the highlight reel K.O. punch, had that connected there is no way that Swain was getting back up. There's a warning to Swain, she must now know, if she didn't already, that Hoffman has knock out intentions tonight. Swain throws a right hand, then backs up sharply, clearly not loving the idea of getting too close. Hoffman still looks calm, throwing the occasional jab or two to keep Swain off balance. Hoffman is looking for an angle. Swain sends out a low kick, missing. Hoffman with a body shot. Hoffman throws a looping left, Swain steps back to avoid it with ease. Hoffman comes in, looking for an exchange of strikes, and gets it. Right hand from Hoffman. Nice counter punch from Swain. Hoffman tries to throw an uppercut, but Swain literally beats her to the punch, nailing a wicked right hand to the temple. Hoffman collapses, she is out like a light! Superb punch from Swain, it was fast, accurate and stunningly powerful. Official time of the knock out is 4:23 of the fourth round. Matilda Swain is the new WCL Lightweight champion. WCL 16: December 1993 - Las Vegas, NV Alicia Fothergill vs. Loni Lee Tale of the Tape Alicia Fothergill Height: 5'8" Weight: 130 Age: 26 Hometown: Wichita, KS Style: Submission Fighting Wearing a black sports bra in gold trim and a black biker shorts in gold trim. Loni Lee Height: 5'5" Weight: 124 Age: 23 Hometown: Honolulu, HI Style: Jiu Jitsu Wearing a black sports bra and black biker shorts. Round 1 Lee looks to be working an angle. Fothergill tries to work an angle, then steps in...and gets creamed with a high head kick! Lee landed it right to the ear of all places, and Fothergill's legs give way, sending her crashing to the floor. The referee immediately covers her up, she is clearly out cold. Lee gets the win via K.O. The official time is 0:22. Katrina Thiel vs. Mecedes Lopez Tale of the Tape Katrina Thiel Height: 5'7" Weight: 140 Age: 27 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. Mecedes Lopez Height: 5'7" Weight: 140 Age: 22 Hometown: Las Vegas, NV Style: Kick Boxing Wearing a black sports bra and red biker shorts. Round 1 The round begins, and it is Lopez who starts better, energetically bounding straight into action by throwing a three-punch combination and a scything leg kick. Thiel defended all four blows well, but is forced to be on the backfoot right from the word go. Lopez works for an angle, coming in from the left hand side with a high right hand. Thiel ducks under it and nestles a stiff jab in the solar plexus. It doesn't seem to slow Lopez 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 Thiel. Interesting first minute of action, Lopez is looking particularly sharp. Thiel tries to turn the momentum by advancing quickly and driving Lopez back against the cage with a series of jabs and hooks, and they end up clinched. Thiel tries a knee from that position, but it is blocked. Lopez scores with two sharp blows to the ribs, and then they break away from each other. Thiel with a body shot. They square up to each other in the center. Lopez throws a head fake and comes in from low down to hit a rising shot that catches Thiel on the side of the head. Thiel got a shot in too though, although it hit the shoulder rather than the head. Time is running down; Lopez 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. Thiel tries a late surge, coming in hard and fast with a leading left, but Lopez defends it well and scores the only meaningful shot of the exchange with a crisp left hand. End of round 1. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Lopez. Round 2 Lopez starts fast, coming out almost immediately with a three punch combination. None of them get through, and Thiel manages to squeeze a jab of her own through and score just above the left cheek. They exchange a flurry of blows right in the center, it's difficult to see who got the best of it, and both of them retreat a few steps to recover. Good start to the round, early indications are that this is going to be all about the striking, neither fighter has even hinted at going for a takedown. Thiel uses a low kick to set up a nice right hand, and Lopez is forced back against the cage. Thiel picks her shots and gets a big punch to the body in. Lopez uses a couple of looping punches to make Thiel keep back, but it doesn't last for long, as Thiel bursts forward and hits two big right hands, taking a counter punch to the body though, and they wind up in a clinch. They exchange weak-looking blows from that position, before the referee grows tired of the inactivity and breaks them apart. Lopez scores with a low kick. Lopez narrowly misses a right cross. Thiel unwinds a right hook that narrowly misses. That will be the last action of the round though. End of round 2. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Thiel. Round 3 Thiel hits some tentative punches, then comes in fast and forces Lopez to back up against the cage, where they clinch. Thiel hits a nice body shot, but takes two short punches to the side of the head in return. Lopez tries a trip, but it doesn't go anywhere. They separate, with Thiel having to stay sharp to avoid a scorching right hand from Lopez. Thiel throws a right hand, narrowly missing. Lopez almost seems to be inviting her on to throw punches, she could be trying to lure her into over-committing. Thiel throws a jab that connects, albeit without much power, but it causes Lopez to back up quickly, back toward the cage. Thiel comes in quickly, throwing looping punches, but gets reckless and Lopez grabs the opportunity by nailing a big right cross! Thiel collapses in a heap, her left leg buckling underneath her in at an awkward angle. Lopez has knocked her out cold with a killer punch. Lopez wins via knock out at 3:17 of the third round. Anika Riley vs. Heidi Hoffman Tale of the Tape Anika Riley Height: 5'5" Weight: 124 Age: 23 Hometown: New York, NY Style: Karate Wearing a white gi jacket with a white sports bra and black biker shorts underneath. Heidi Hoffman Height: 5'5" Weight: 124 Age: 23 Hometown: Las Vegas, NV Style: Kick Boxing Wearing a black sports bra with light green biker shorts. Round 1 An exchange of jabs doesn't go anywhere. Hoffman fakes a kick, then darts in to score with a straight left before backing out fast to avoid a left-right combination from Riley. They clinch, and Riley winds up backed against the cage. A couple of minor blows get exchanged, but it's turned into a bit of a stalemate. Hoffman tries to push Riley back, but can't. The referee waits a while, then separates them and gets them to resume. Hoffman misses with a low kick. Riley hits a nice right hand, then steps back and unloads a head kick. Hoffman didn't see it coming and takes it full to the side of the head! She is out cold. What a kick; power and accuracy in one perfect package, that was a beauty. Riley wins by knock out. Official time of the knock out is 3:52 of the first. Phoenix Strong vs. Matilda Swain (WCL Lightweight Title) Tale of the Tape Phoenix Strong Height: 5'10" Weight: 135 Age: 23 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. Matilda Swain Height: 5'4" Weight: 120 Age: 22 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. Strong got taken by surprise a little, but wrestles her way free of the grapple and pulls to safety. Strong 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. Strong goes for a vicious uppercut, but gets pulled into a clinch. Swain goes for a takedown via a trip, but Strong defends it. Another trip attempt, another failure. Swain pushes Strong up against the cage and tries to wrestle her to the ground, but Strong keeps her balance and sprawls to stop it. Strong gets in a hard right hand to the side of the face, taking advantage of the fact that Swain was leaning in too far. Strong 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. Strong 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. Strong 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 Strong 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. That's the end of the round. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Strong. Round 2 Slow start to this round, Strong 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 Strong'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. Strong 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 Strong manages to pull free and back off. Swain throws a high left handed jab then goes in for another takedown. Good sprawl from Strong, and she backs off. Swain doesn't get a chance to go for a third, because Strong takes the fight to her with a barrage of lefts and rights, forcing her back against the cage. Strong 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 Strong tied up too much to really throw any decent strikes. Eventually the time runs out and they head back to their corners. The second round is over. Blurcat.com sees it 10-9 to Strong. Round 3 Strong's straight right hand punch finds its mark early, tagging Swain below the right eye, leaving a mark. Swain throws a couple of strikes in return, but can't find a way past the gloves. Strong keeps Swain off balance by switching between looping punches, low kicks, and plenty of jabs. Swain can't work an angle under the barrage, and backs off. Strong tries to press the advantage, but Swain is quick to clinch up. Swain goes for a trip but Strong kicks it away. Swain drops down and tries for a single leg, but Strong bends down and blocks it. There's an awkward moment as neither can do a great deal. Swain eventually releases the leg and gets back into the clinch. Strong hits a knee, and they part. Swain throws a nice kick. Strong gets in close enough to hit a kick to the body, then darts back out of range. She repeats the trick, this time replacing the kick with a hard right hand. It appears that she is using 'hit and run' tactics, and Swain isn't coping with it yet. Strong goes for it again, and this time almost gets taken down as Swain times it well and shoots in. Strong sprawls to block the first attempt, then scrabbles free on the second push, getting out from the side. Swain was very close then. Strong keeps Swain back, throwing kicks. The action unfortunately peters out, with Swain unable to get in close enough to go for a takedown, Strong unwilling to risk the takedown by coming in and throwing strikes. The time eventually runs out on the round. End of round 3. Blurcat.com scores it 10-9 for Strong. Round 4 The two fighters circle. A series of looping punches from Strong forces Swain back up against the cage, and she has to cover up to withstand the three strikes that follow. No real damage caused, but Strong is aggressively chasing this match. A hook finds the body and Swain clinches. They almost lose their balance as they jockey for position, Swain gets in a couple of knees when they regain their footing. Strong seems to be trying to break the clinch, it's Swain who is holding it tight, perhaps hoping to calm the energetic start that Strong had. The referee finally does break them up, after nearly a full minute of inactivity. Strong scores with a jab, then another, then comes in fast with a takedown. Swain scrambles and after an extended period of struggling manages to get herself into north and south position, on top of Strong. Swain hits a hard right to the chest, then turns and gets a full mount. Strong is really struggling, and can barely get her arms up to cover up from the strikes that Swain is now raining down. A quick transition and Swain has an arm and applies an americana. Strong has no choice, there's the tap out. Official time of the americana submission is 4:28 of the fourth round. Matilda Swain retains the WCL Lightweight title.