Posted 9/30/16  4:18 pm

DAKOTA JOHNSON VS ODETTE YUSTMAN

Live from Staples Center, Los Angeles, California.

Dakota Johnson (0-5) vs Odette Yustman (31-18-1, 24 KO)
FCBA Free Agent vs Lioness Club Of America
Results: Lookout / Story: Vassago

BEFORE: It's not exactly time for Odette Yustman to go back to the drawing board yet - despite back-to-back losses to Kelly Brook and Gemma Arterton - but Dakota Johnson vows to keep the ex-lightweight champion in a tough spot and boldly predicts Odette's days among the elite are officially over. The only doubt regarding that statement? Johnson's winless in the FCBA to date and has been accused of making her life difficult with some high-profile opposition (Lawrence, Daddario & Arterton) that usually don't appear on an upstarts' schedule so quickly.

Dakota Johnson wears a yellow tank top, navy blue knickers and matching blue gloves. Long brown hair tied in a sleek ponytail. Odette Yustman wears a crimson bikini top, black hotpants and white gloves. Long black hair tied in a similar sleek ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the lightweight division.

Round 1:
Dakota's desire to finally break her lousy streak dominates the early stages of the fight and aids her aggressive cause but Odette's too experienced to fall for the slugging trick and responds with her trademark bendy attire to shut out the younger brunette in mid distance. Johnson swings plenty but plenty wide too and looks annoyed with Yustman's defensive stanza before a left cross signalls the start of the older girl's proper attack. Dakota can soak up a lot of heat and isn't written off as a complete tomato can just yet but she struggles to adapt to the left-handed opponent and Yustman goes southpaw thereafter filling out the scoreline with a wickedly accurate jabbing galore that leaves Johnson in quick retreat come the final minute.

Round 2:
Apparently Odette was advised to quickly drop the teasing game, when you ride a two fight cold streak, a monster KO performance is the only suitable answer to silence the critics and Yustman accepts LCA coach Claudia Schiffer's call to give Johnson a torrid time in the second. She remains the faster of the two in simple execution and beats the younger girl for a quick left hook before sticking more leather to the body. Dakota gets staggered in the center of the ring and has no answers to Odette's offensive stride that follows suit. Methodical jabs keeps slicing Johnson's high guard and reel her back to the ropes but there's no way the winless brunette escapes the heat as Odette covers her well with her ultra-dominant agility rush before cleaning out shop in the final minute with Dakota in pure survival mode already. Just too much raw class from the ex-champion who indicates she's not giving up her elite spot without a fight here!

Round 3:
A small change in the script after a big hook catches Odette in somewhat fortunate fashion; Dakota was going all desperate just to stick her foot in the door but the lucky punch does the tricks and briefly shuts down the older brunette's offense. Johnson does the best she can to stay relevant; she jabs in close range and connects with a lot of Yustman midriff but just can't land that huge blow to really hurt the raven-haired opponent. Down the stretch, Yustman's suprerior footwork allows her to drag the fight into mid distance again and for once Dakota covers up for the southpaw left-handed tease. Odette remains stubbornly glued to her plan yet the lack of a higher gear probably enables the '50 Shades' lead heroine to steal the round close.

Round 4:
Odette lags behind early on again - possibly trying to avoid Dakota's wild swinging approach. It's a throwback to the opener with the younger girl doing most of the work but the execution isn't there to reel the ex-champ into any sorts of trouble. The Staples Center becomes a little annoyed with Yustman's tweener game plan but coach Schiffer doesn't look bemused at all and once Johnson gasses out in a fruitless jabbing pursuit, the LA-born brunette rocks the Texan with a right/left combo upstairs that spins Dakota's head back on the spot. Another gut-busting switch wobbles the younger actress against Odette's torso and only a desperate clinching effort allows Johnson to avoid more imminient damage.

Round 5:
ESPN's Erin Andrews is disappointed with Dakota's lukewarm offense and it's clear the free agent upstart doesn't even threaten to remove the ex-champ from the lightweight elite tonight. In fact, Odette actually gets physical now with her opponent after a long-sought leather rush shatters the high guard and knocks Johnson's head about repeatedly in the opening round. The clinching escape route is blocked off by Yustman's spirited drive to the liver area which sends the Texas brunette into a tailspin and allows the Lioness girl to thump her butt-in-ropes come the final minute. Dakota groans and aches behind the leaking guard but fails to mount any significant response herself as she crashes off Yustman's forearms before eating a sinking left hook on the mouth right at the death with another clubbing hook on the temple rattling her cage for good at the bell. Ugh! Dakota's out of ideas at half-distance and Erin Andrews has it four rounds to one for the Staples Center sweetheart.

Round 6:
It looks like Johnson's given up the hope to slam dunk Yustman out of the elite, that's a common sin among the free agents who simply can't find that breakthrough scalp and Odette's the first one to notice that her foe is mentally done here so of course she ignites the leather rush to dump the cumbersome Dakota into more misery. The head hunting assault becomes easy pickings as the first hook sunk Johnson on her heels in the middle of the ring but only after a switch to the guts, the Texan's demise begins to take shape. Johnson leans forward and thumps her chin against the older brunette's shoulder but the floodgates are opened for good when Yustman spikes an unanswered drive to the belly button that has Johnson screaming in pain and just hanging on for dear life. Odette shows the aching rival little sympathy though and powers ahead with the midriff-busting attack that soon renders Dakota into a sobbing mess on top of her subpar mentality. The relentless gut-check pounding continues until the two minute mark when the Texas brunette has finally seen enough AND SLIDES DOWN ON HER KNEES in the corner. Odette keeps it strictly business and struts back to the neutral corner but Johnson's in no mental shape to sustain more beating tonight; she lets the ref count her out in a very disappointing fashion. KO6 Odette Yustman!!!

AFTER: This might be the straw that breaks the camel's back but Erin Andrews is the first one to suggest that Dakota's elite schedule was simply a terrible call by whoever oversees her FCBA campaign. Melanie Griffiths becomes the most obvious suspect and it's just a shame to witness a promising upstart getting beat up by opponents whom she should have never challenged so early in her career. She drops to 0-6 lifetime and chances are it only gets worse when she meets Kaley Cuoco in JMDD rules next month!

However what about Odette? The L.A. girl celebrates tonight's victory in a low-key fashion despite having the Staples Center fully behind her recovery plan all night. Both she and coach Schiffer realize this match-up would have never happened if not for the double British disaster over the summer months. Expect the former lightweight champion to target the elite members of the division soon now that her cold streak has officially ended!

Final result: Odette Yustman def. Dakota Johnson KO6.