TROIAN BELLISARIO VS CLAIRE HOLT
Results: Lookout   Writing: Archer
Troian:  30 YO, 5’7 (1.70 m), 15-14-0 since 2011, Pretty Little Punchers Inc.
Claire: 28 YO, 5’6 ½ (1.69m), 17-5-0 since 2012, Odds and Ends Fight Studio

Before: PLP seeking to build on Shay Mitchells second defeat of Claire Holt by sending out Troian Bellisario to take on the seldom-defeated Aussie. Troian quite frank about it in the prefight: “It’s no secret that Claire has enjoyed great success over a lot of fighters, but especially the Foxfires. We have been working hard to prove we’re not just a ‘farm club’ for Foxfire. Shay’s  second win over Claire has given me the chance to help our cause along. Claire is going to be a real challenge, but I believe I can beat her ,too”

Claire not accustomed to losing looks irritated throughout Troian’s remarks and it’s in her voice when she has her turn at the podium: “I have never claimed to be unbeatable and Olivia Munn, Anna Silk and Elisha Cuthbert can also say they’ve beaten me. Shay Mitchell somehow has beaten me twice. I would like to remind everyone I have beaten her once.  So being down 1-2 against her is not something that is not going to stand for long. Now Troian comes along and acts like the PLP has found the ‘secret’ to beating me. There is no secret. Shay got the better of twice, but it’s not going to turn me into a PLP Punching Bag! I’m going to shut that idea—and Troian—down HARD!”
Troian just gives the blonde a defiant sneer of a smile. Claire looks back with daggers in her eyes.

Come fight night Troian is in a black bikini with gold trim, gold gloves and boots with black laces, Hair pulled back in a fighting ponytail. Claire in aquamarine bikini with matching gloves and boots. Hair in a blonde battle braid down her back. Cold stares during ring instructions. Then to their corners with cursory glove touch. The bell rings.

R1: Troian and Claire both away from their corners quickly and at each other with a vigorous punch exchange as they circle around each. Claire hunching down behind her guard is firing at Troian’s head to make her duck and disrupt her counters. Troian struggles to keep her focus and then scores with some solid hooks to Claire’s belly. Claire stepping back and Troian smooth in her follow up, striking at Claire’s forehead  and keeping Claire on the defensive, Claire using her feet to circle and find some better attack points, but Troian able to stay with her and block. Another brisk exchange late allows Claire to strike at Troian’s midsection, but her own belly get pounded right back. Troian comes away with the win a closely contested round.

R2: Claire moving quickly out of her corner this round strikes first with a right cross that whips Troi’s head around and staggers her. Claire then doubles the brunette up with a left deep into Troian’s tummy. Troian covering up, floundering, trying to recover. Claire not about to let up as she muscles Troian against the ropes. Troian going face in gloves as Claire bangs away at her flanks and tries to turn the brunette so her back is to the ropes. Troian desperately clinching, but she is still cornered. Finally, Troian able to get her jab going and swatting Claire’s head back enough to allow her to slip away. Claire right back at the brunette and keeps up steady pressure to the bell. Claire scores a wide victory on the cards as Troian looks pretty roughed up as she makes her way to her stool.

R3:  Troian challenges Claire in the third stanza of the night. She has her jab up and ready to blunt the blonde’s offensive. Claire keeps coming, trying to bash her way in, but Troi is not backing down and punches are flying as the excited crowd cheers them on. Most punching is going to the straining bodies of the two fighters. It takes nearly the whole round but bit by bit Troian is forcing Claire back. Claire snarling with defiance, but getting a fierce snarl right back from Troian. Bell finally sounds and the two break off, sweat streaming down their panting bodies as they eye each other with determination. Finally they turn away and march to their corners.

R4:  Claire again gets the jump on Troian from the start of the round and goes after her banged up body with fresh fury. Troian better prepared this time, but fights defensively, just trying to stay off the ropes and not getting much offense of her own. Troian does make Claire chase her and all the movement around the ring is great to watch. Claire looking annoyed at the end of the round because she never was able to corner Troian into another beatdown, but she does win the round by a comfortable margin.

R5: Claire seems determined not to let Troian get away from this round. She blocks the brunette’s every attempt to move passed her. Nice footwork on the blonde’s part, but then Troian gives up the running and shifts to toe to toe pressure action. Claire puts on her own pressure trying to force Troian to back off. Torsos are getting pounded from breast to waistband as they again struggle for control. Claire getting some uppercuts into Troian’s chin late in the action causing the brunette to falter and step back. It’s not much but it gives Claire a narrow win on the cards. Again both fighters are left breathing hard, sweat dripping from their bruised bodies, but still with that determination in their eyes.

R6: Troian startles Claire with  a blitz attack that catches the blonde just as she comes out of her corner. First shots bang blonde head from right to left and back again. Claire thrown back into her own turnbuckle, Troian uppercutting Claire chin and then firing crushing shots into blonde’s breasts as she writhes against the turnbuckle. Claire instinctively clinching but she’s swaying on her feet as the action resumes. Claire still largely fighting in her own corner and it is all she can do to keep from being hung up on the turnbuckle again. Troian bouncing on her feet really working Claire over. Claire buries her face in her hands, but she takes a fearful body pounding that must have her body humming even after the bell rings. Troian steps back and we realize this whole round has been fought in Claire’s corner. Claire hardly has a take a step before sitting down dazedly on her stool. Troian marching to her own corner having swept the round from her opponent.

R7:  Claire sluggish coming out of her corner. Troian comes roaring back in with a fierce, fast-moving attack. Brunette moving clock-wise and then counter clock-wise as she strikes at Claire’s head and body alternately. Claire growing increasingly confused in her responses. Then Troian puts her head down and pounds her leather into Claire’s body driving her into the turnbuckle, then bringing up crashing left and right uppercuts to Claire’s chin. Claire’s legs buckle and Troian skips back to let the blonde sprawl forward onto her face. Troian retreating to neutral corner as referee starts to count. Claire raising her head with a desperate look on her face, she’s trying to will her arms and legs to help her, but they aren’t react. Finally she just lets her head drop, cheek against the canvas, as the count passes her by.

THE WINNER: TROIAN BELLISARIO KO7!

After: Shay Mitchell, Ashley Benson, Sasha Pieterse, Lucy Hale, Danielle Campbell and Leah Pipes all flood the ring. Newcomer Hayley Atwell even appears to give Troian a congratulatory hug. Meanwhile Claire is helped from the canvas and led to her chair to be revived. Shocked look on blonde’s face when she realizes she’s lost.
At the urging on her teammates, Troian has gloves removed and saunters over to stand over Claire Holt. She motions and Claire resignedly stands up. Troian gets a firm around the blonde and escorts her on a Walk of Shame as the PLPers applaud and cheer her on, Crowd is cheering too and it is a grand night for Troian and the whole of the PLP.

“I see this as a win for us all! Claire’s former bantam champ and I beat her. I will give credit to Lucy Hale, she led the way for us, showing by hard work you could overcome a losing record. I have struggled, but now I am winning, I cannot tell you how great that feels. I am so glad I could be a part of this team!” Troian says and follows with a big group hug.

“Let them gloat now,” Claire Holt says later, “I said I was not going to let being down 1-2 against Shay Mitchell to stand. Well, this loss and that Walk if Shame will not go unanswered. ‘The Fall of Troi’ is coming and I’ll be the one who causes it. The PLP is going to finish this year in ruins and it will be thanks to me!”

Very good contest with Troian Bellisario able to overcome the favored Claire Holt. Goes to show you can’t necessarily expect fighter records to tell you who wins a fight. Troian has bright prospects at the moment, particularly if she can successfully follow up this fight. Claire Holt finds herself in the unpleasant position of having lost two bouts in a row. This happened to her back in 2013 and she responded with a 5-fight winning streak. It will be interesting to see if something like that happens this time.