Brooklyn Decker vs. Chrissy Teigen

(Front Street Gym vs FCBA Independent, Debut)

BEFORE:

Not many fighters can enrage an opponent with their typical arrogance and dismissiveness like Brooklyn Decker can. The blonde engenders such bad feelings in her opponents that the woman in the other corner almost always wants to knock her silly not for professional but for personal reasons. One exception, however, is the lovely Chrissy Teigen, who's been friends with Decker for the better part of a decade. "Brooke is Brooke," says Chrissy with a beautiful smile. "All this stuff...it's persona. It's not who she really is. But, girls let her get in their heads, and I think it helps her in the ring. She can't get in mine, though. I know her too well."

"I'd rather not make my JMDD debut against Chrissy," says Brooke with a nod. " Because, we ARE friends and I won't take any pleasure in going in there and beating up her rack. But, she wanted an FCBA debut that would get her some attention, and, well. There's no way to get more attention than to get in the ring with 'The 21st Century Goddess'!"

ROUND ONE:

Things start slowly, especially for a JMDD bout. No way of knowing if this is about the fighters showing the caution you'd expect from two women making their debuts in the discipline, and, in the case of Teigen, in the FCBA or if this is about two women who know and like one another being reticent about actually letting things go. Whatever the reason, though, not much happens. Blonde and brunette get to a long range and begin jabbing. The reach is very even, so both are comfortable here and both can get their long left jabs on target without having to close. Nobody seems to want to be the first one to get physical, go rack, look for something big. So, nobody does. Instead, it's tactical fighting. It's anti-JMDD. And, it doesn't just last a minute or two. It lasts the entire first round. The crowd is confused and quiet. Apparently wondering when business is going to pick up. It will certainly do so eventually, but not in the first. At the bell, there's nothing in it. The round is a draw.

ROUND TWO:

Both women hear it in the corner. Get aggressive. Go after her. So, they do. It starts at the range again with the lefts to the head, but, now the fighters are targeting the rack with the follow-on rights. It's as if they've reached a silent agreement. "Look, here we are, so we've got to do this." And, said agreement entered, they load the big guns and the heavy shell begins being exchanged. Now, THIS is what the crowd wants to see, power shots landing to head, body, rack. Ladies letting the hands go, looking to land something big and THERE IT IS! A straight right hand from Teigen wobbles Decker! And, all of a sudden the brunette tyro has the former lightweight champion in trouble. Chrissy is going all in immediately. This is her chance to pull a big upset, and she's going to throw in every unit she has. Brooke backed to the ropes, soaking up punishment. Chrissy is mostly working upstairs, but she's not neglecting the jugs. Brooke is hanging on, figuratively and literally, clinching, holding the brunette's arms, doing everything she can to run the clock. But, Teigen getting physical, shoving off, stacking Decker up, banging away right to the bell. It's Chrissy wide in the second and Decker looking very much worse for the wear.

ROUND THREE:

Brooke wants to slow things down. Chrissy, however, may lack FCBA experience, but she's not dumb. She's got the advantage, and she's going to press it. She walks through Decker's jabs, closes, backs her up with a hard shot to the head, forces her to cover up, then goes body and rack. Teigen showing plenty of physicality and more than a little power. She's bullying the blonde around, beating her up. Decker is again trying to clinch to slow the brunette down, but Chrissy not having it. She shoves off, bangs body, then goes right back upstairs. Decker can't get out of reverse. Nothing she's doing is working, and pretty much everything Teigen's doing is. The brunette's having her way as she batters a retreating blonde around the ring. The one victory for Decker is staying off the ropes. This, at least, she manages to do. But, that's cold comfort at the bell, when Chrissy's grabbed her second straight wide to take a 30-28 lead.

ROUND FOUR:

Decker plants her feet and holds her ground. The blonde realizes she's not going to keep Chrissy off and there's nothing to be gained by continuing to give ground. So, she doesn't. She holds her position and engages. And the result is a tremendous firefight that lasts no less than 90 seconds. It's bomb after bomb. Back and forth. Shots to the head that send sweat flying. Hooks to the body that can be heard several rows back. Shots to the rack that bring grimaces of pain to the face of the girl on the receiving end. And, neither fighter will take a step back...until Teigen lands a three-punch combination to the head that forces Decker back a step. Chrissy steps forward...and EATS A RIGHT HAND! Decker a BLISTERING counter and the brunette staggers and nearly goes down! And now it's Brooke tossing in the reserves. She's firing everything she's got at her rival, backing her immediately to the ropes and then letting her have it to the jugs and body. Teigen is keeping the guard high despite the assault. Brooke not bothering to work upstairs as a result. Just going to hammer hooks and uppies into the cups of Chrissy's bikini top. Eventually, the guard comes down, and Decker goes upstairs, staggering Teigen again just before the bell. When it rings, Decker's claimed it wide, but, the brunette still leads 39-38.

ROUND FIVE:

Teigen is still wobbly as the fifth starts. And Decker now going for the kill. Anyone who's seen the blonde fight knows she has a mean streak a mile wide. But, that's not exactly evident here. There's no snarl. No looking to pile on hurt. This is only about trying to finish, to get the win. Decker starts with the heavy left jab. Uses it to set up rights. Where the right goes, nobody knows. Because she's going both upstairs and down with it, landing to the head at times, to the rack at others, and, at still others, to the ribs or midsection. Brunette is countering in spots, but mostly covering up, trying to play for time to clear her head and get her legs back. But, Decker's not trying to allow that. She keeps the pressure on, landing heavy shot looking for the finisher. And FINDING IT. Two minutes in, a BOOMING right hand to the chin falls cleanly. All power is immediately shut off, and Teigen pitches forward, nosing in past Decker's left shoulder. The brunette never moves as the count passes her by. It's over! And, your winner by KO5 is Brooklyn Decker!

AFTER:

JMDD does not ensue. Instead, Decker goes to the corner to check on Chrissy, who's being brought around in stages, and, only after getting a glove tap from the brunette, consents to the post-fight interview. "No," says Decker shaking her head at the first question. "No humiliation. First, Wiz has been very clear. Front Street doesn't do that. Second, I wouldn't do it to her anyway. And, third, she doesn't deserve it. She fought hard and clean in there. And, you haven't heard the last of her. She hits as hard as anybody I've been in with, and I've been in with welters. She's better than half the lights and welters in the FCBA right now, and she's only had one fight. Just wait until she gets some experience. And, speaking of experience, I kind of liked my first JMDD experience. I think maybe I'll be back on another Queendom card soon."