Jessica Michibata vs Nabilla Benattia
(Girls Friday vs BBU Independent)
(5-2, 5 KO vs 1-2, 1 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: The rumours of Dua Lipa joining the Girls Friday crew simply won't go away and Jessica Michibata hopes to avoid a repeat of stablemate Monika Pietrasinska's failed attempt of brawling herself back into elite contention. The Japanese model has remained on the shelf following a defeat to Sophie Turner last September but she vows not to waste time on a mere "stay busy" fight and goes straight up against Nabilla Benattia who destroyed the aforementioned Pietrasinska on the season-ending Boxing Day PPV. That victory set up a JMDD title shot which proved too much for the French beauty but she's happy to make her bow in standard boxing rules tonight if only to put more pressure on the Girls Friday lightweight corps.

Jessica Michibata wears a black bikini set and red gloves. Long dark brown hair straight. Nabilla Benattia wears a navy blue bikini top, white hotpants and red gloves. Long raven-black hair straight. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the lightweight division.

Round 1:
All three of Nabilla's fights were held under JMDD rules and she quickly restores that order punching straight into Michibata's otherwise smaller rack. Ugh! Coach Lauren Berlingeri must have seen this coming but it's still too much for the Japanese model who gets rocked by the fellow brunette's ruthless attack and wobbles onto her heels which only fuels Nabilla's work rate. She easily outworks the older woman and when she begins to stack up punches into her face then it's panic alert in the Girls Friday corner. Jessica tries to escape the close range heat but fails to match the French girl's intensity and agility which leads into Benattia trapping her in the corner and landing more crisp punches through the leaky guard.

Round 2:
Ugh! It's like a Pietrasinska deja-vu here for coach Berlingeri as Nabilla simply enforces her presence in the ring and beats the Japanese model for both pace and precision. She rocks her head back with immediate leather storm that caves Michibata in however Nabilla quickly switches downstairs to punish her foe below the elbows. My oh my, that Sophie Turner loss must have wrecked Jessica's confidence since she allows the French brunette to bully her around the ring wholesale and she ends up trapped on the ropes again with Nabilla looking to punish her rack on the double albeit coming up short. BBU TV's Georgie Thompson reckons that if strict JMDD rules were enforced here then Michibata would be sucking the boards already!

Round 3:
There's little stopping Nabilla here again until she gets caught with a juicy uppercut that opens the door for more Japanese attack. Jessica barks in her efforts to finally make her presence count and she smacks the younger girl's ponytail around to drop her on the heels before a cracking hook finds the right temple and wobbles Benattia onto the ropes. She fails to avoid the incoming rush and eats a left/right combo on the lips that begin to swell down the stretch. Michibata works on speed dial to maintain the dominant position and even though some of her shots bounce off the guard, she keeps the Frenchwoman under control and signs off a stunning recovery with a belting shot on the navel that bends the fellow brunette in half with a loud whimper right at the bell.

Round 4:
Coach Berlingeri thinks Jessica's right back in the groove now and orders a full-scale attack however Nabilla goes on a recovery rampage herself so both women tangle in the center of the ring with ferocious intensity and actually clash heads before a meaningful punch can sink either of them. Nabilla finds her momentum first and WHACKS the lingerie model straight up to crush the jaw and make Michibata gurgle... a swift follow up catches her below the left elbow and sinks into more spasms as Benattia then riffles another nasty hook on the nose TO SEND THE JAPANESE WOMAN TUMBLING DOWN on the canvas!!! Whoa! The Cardiff Arena audience roars in delight in wake of such a fast-paced combo alas it's disaster for the Girls Friday as Michibata looks HURT even after getting up at eight. Nabilla is ready to unleash the Maghreb demons and pounces on the unstable opponent who fails to adjust her guard for another frantic run. And Benattia simply destroys Jessica's defense pounding away in fury and cutting her up above the left eye while the older brunette gets reeled onto the ropes and can't defend herself anymore. She reverts into more painful spasms and is threatened with a proper facial surgery until the ref finally feels like he needs to protect her from the French wrath. HE STEPS IN TO STOP THE FIGHT and the brunette free agent still isn't happy about it!!! TKO4 Nabilla Benattia!!!

AFTER: Jessica collapses in a heap in the corner and Eva Carneiro is required into immediate duty while coach Berlingeri tries to slap the French winner with a knotted towel. Ugh! She misses the target and has Nabilla twerking her mounds in joy instead. Security crew quickly separates the two women while Georgie Thompson believes Lauren should consider her coaching plan here rather than swing at a clearly superior woman. That's two ouf of two for Nabilla versus the Girls Friday crew as Jessica Michibata joins Monika Pietrasinska on the unofficial expendable list according to ever-increasing rumours. With Dua Lipa scheduled to make her next outing at the upcoming BBU PPV, the future truly looks bleak for both these models now.

Meanwhile Nabilla has emerged as a dangerous free agency floater following a tough debut against Chloe Khan last summer. She didn't really need to follow the JMDD tactics pillar-to-post here tonight and should be really proud of her performance that puts more pressure on the likes of Laury Thilleman or Berenice Marlohe when it comes to the national market. Her English remains a little raw so BBU TV declines an interview opportunity however watch out for Nabilla's Instragram account this week where plenty of action shots are guaranteed to be posted!

Final result: Nabilla Benattia def. Jessica Michibata TKO4.