Elodie Frege vs. Kat Dennings
(Words: Front Street / Results: Lookout!)

BEFORE:

Rematch of a fight from 2014, when Dennings, coming off a pair of losses, turned things around with a sixth-round KO of the lovely Elodie. The Frenchwoman, however, believes she's learned some things from that fight. "I made some mistakes the first time, it is true," says Frege with a shake of the head. "However. I will correct those, and, this time, we'll get the correct result."

"See," says Kat with a smile. "The first fight wasn't about tactics or any of that. It was about me being too good for her. And, that hasn't changed."

ROUND ONE:

Frege moving early as Kat stalks, looking to close and bang. Elodie still has great legs and a snappy jab to go with them, and she's able to use that movement to maintain distance and pick off Dennings as she tries to move forward. Kat patient, working the feet, moving the head, willing to work to bring the Frenchwoman to battle. But, work as she might, she's unable to get it done. Elodie just a bit too elusive, too slick. Kat's always close to tracking her down, but can never quite do it. Instead, Frege stays in open canvas, and, when she's there, she scores. Not in bunches, mind. Here and there. Some jabs, a nice, quick combination. But. It all adds up and adds up to more than what Dennings is able to get on the board. Not by a ton, mind, but by enough. At the bell, it's Elodie close and Frege with the 10-9 lead.

ROUND TWO:

Dennings more aggressive. She's turning up the heat in an effort to create the kinds of exchanges she wants. Frege's response is to go to the pocket, and, while that would seem to be a plus for Kat, it doesn't turn out that way, because, with Britney Spears retired, Elodie Frege may now be as good a pocket fighter as the FCBA has. She's slick, and quick, and all movement. Head. Shoulders. Hands. You think you can hit her, but you can't. Not cleanly, anyway. A glove gets in the way. Or a shoulder. Or you just miss. And, every time that happens, you get opened up for a counter. And Frege lands those counters. Again and again. She doesn't hurt Kat, but she gets her attention. Over and over again for almost three solid minutes. This time, when the bell rings, there's no question about who's grabbed the points. It's Frege wide, and the French beauty leads 20-18.

ROUND THREE:

Dennings slows everything down. She's been here before, dealing with the Frege pocket. It doesn't pay to be overly aggressive, but, for a pressure fighter like Kat, aggression is the currency she deals in, so, it's not easy to dial that back. In the third, however. she does. For her part, Frege's more than willing to play under these terms. She's back to the ropes, slippin' and dippin', countering with solid accurate shot when there are openings. But, Dennings is limiting the openings. She's working more deliberately, concentrating on the body, thumping the ribs and midsection, coming upstairs only off the body work. It's good, technical, tactical stuff throughout the round, and, while neither fighter is able to really gain control, it's Kat who gets more done. At the bell, it's close, but it's Dennings, who's claimed her first round and cut Elodie's lead to 29-28.

ROUND FOUR:

Elodie back to the pocket and Kat back to the controlled aggression. Dennings all about the body early. She's going upstairs only enough to keep Frege honest, to keep the guard up, where she wants it, allowing access to the belly, the ribs, the areas Kat wants to thump with heavy leather. French beauty taking the shell pretty well, and she's countering well as always, scoring with both hands. It's good, two way stuff into the second minute. And, then it becomes one way all at once. It's that vicious shovel hook to the liver by Dennings and DOWN GOES FREGE! Elodie doubles up and collapses forward, nosing in past Kat's shoulder. Dennings quickly to a neutral corner, but she needn't have rushed. French beauty curled up on the canvas, arms wrapped around her midsection, not looking anything like getting up, and that's exactly where she stays while the count passes her by. It's OVER! And your winner by KO4 is Kat Dennings!

AFTER:

"She's a very slick fighter," says Kat in the post-fight. "You just have to be so solid against her, because, she'll take advantage of any opening you leave her. It helped that I'd been here with her before. I was just able to slow myself down and get to work, and, once I did that, well. You saw what happened."