Victoria's Secret "War In Heaven" II Semi-Finals
Adriana Lima (Seed: #10) vs Romee Strijd (Seed: #14)
(Odds & Ends Fight Studio vs Lioness Club)
(46-34, 43 KO vs 16-10, 16 KO)
Results: Lookout!; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Former Queen of the Ice Hotel & unified lightweight champion Adriana Lima is the oldest woman left in the draw but she vows to overcome this fact and give the official Victoria's Secret Angel Romee Strijd a hard elite check tonight:

"So, everyone tells me I'm too old to win this tournament? Well, I got this far beating some of these younger gals that have all the tools to make it happen BUT they are not determined enough to beat the legends. Spare me the humble pie talk. Alessandra Ambrosio is retired so I'm back as the real benchmark for everybody out there!"

Meanwhile Romee believes she's the outright favorite to win the whole thing: "No offense to Adriana or the two girls in the other semi-final but I'm the only one left who tasted welterweight action over the years so even the legend value doesn't impress me much. I have the best power supply here and I hope Adriana doesn't feel offended when I knock her lights out tonight!" (giggles).

Adriana Lima wears a black lingerie set & silver gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a sleek ponytail. Romee Strijd wears a white lingerie set & orange gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a curled ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds.

Round 1:
Adriana probably knows she can't let the blonde secure the early edge and she neutralizes Romee's original jabbing effort before blasting her over the top with a drilling combo. Quality takes over from there on as Romee sends more punches but Adriana dominates the precision value and outworks the Dutch contender with relative ease. Lioness coach Claudia Schiffer doesn't seem too upset over the half-hearted start and most pundits believe it's Lima who has to cash in on the early rounds but she doesn't punish Strijd enough here and the first round fails to answer the fireworks demand. Romee is fine with that and the wiley fox Adriana shrugs her shoulders when coach Kelly Carlson tries to crank up the heat during the break.

Rounds 2 & 3:
Romee gets more aggressive during the next six minutes as if she plans to drain Lima's energy tank to send out a clear message and the Brazilian legend just yields real estate upon impact which only makes the Dutch Angel more committed to the slugging effort. Adriana steps away from a couple of aerial bombs but still gets tagged on each temple and struggles to strike back at the taller opponent. Strijd powers ahead to trap the brunette on the ropes before drilling her breadbasket and leaving her to seek a clinching respite. More of the same in the third, the younger model stretches her elbows much quicker and has Lima reeling with her arms crowding out the breasts, no genuine slugging effort to speak of and it looks like she wants to lure the Dutchwoman into a counter-punching haymaker but that's an outdated plan since Romee has gone places since her boxing debut alright. A wild hook finally tears a small gash under Lima's left eye late in the third so she fumes at coach Carlson during the interval.

Round 4:
Adriana lays up a jabbing drive that beats Romee's delivery for pace and allows the veteran to dominate the early action while the blonde tries to establish her range. Romee keeps missing on the haymaker option and gets pounded into a halt in the center of the ring when Adriana's stubborn assault up the middle tags the breasts and leaves the Dutch model facing too much punishment. Romee lands a wild hook over the top but this only fuels the Brazilian's high-octane production and drops Strijd into coverage. Mobility isn't exactly the blonde's forte but she does enough to avoid more trouble as Adriana taunts her verbally during a speedy pursuit in the closing stages.

Rounds 5 & 6:
An early clash of heads in the fifth slows the action down and both models settle for a back & forth head-hunting dispute that carries little meaningful impact. Adriana stacks up more jug shots to force Romee off her comfort zone but the looping response over the top still makes her think better off it. Strijd forges ahead with another hooking connection but Lima weathers the single-hand assault and works into the blonde's body until a late clinch ends an otherwise cagey round. More body assault opens the sixth where Adriana settles down to punish Romee's liver area and leaves her slumped amid a wild scramble for genuine supremacy. The wiley old fox refuses to look worn out here and cripples the blonde with a brutal harpoon on the weak spot before blowing another big shot into the chest as well. Romee strumbles to her heels and gets pummelled onto the ropes where Lima adds more leather to run away with the numbers. Huh! Claudia Schiffer finally looks worried in the Lioness corner and urges a slugging reboot that...

Round 7:
...allows Romee to dish out the head-hunting wrath early in the seventh. Adriana slips by some of the biggest shots but then gets caught under the wounded eye and has to apply the breaks only for Strijd to whack her from the inside. Uh-oh! The Brazilian legend almost goes down after one of these powerful bombs and Romee sounds off in her native tongue after she missed a one-punch KO drill. She continues to hammer away at the reeling cougar alas fails to make the effort count with Lima dancing around in avoidance. A couple of shots eventually keep the older model trapped on the ropes but Romee just can't truly hurt the Brazilian foe who stays sharp in the lane and gives the best impression that age is only a number!

Round 8:
Romee chases another head-hunting approach but gets stuffed with an uppercut double and fails to break out of the phone booth stance where Adriana pummels her to the body in emphatic fashion during the opening minute. Ugh! Dutchwoman slumps into quiet squeals which get louder as Lima works on the harpoon drive and chops the abs into visible pink patches before a booming uppercut tags Strijd on the chin. Woof! The younger model rolls down the curtains but avoids going down on the spot only for Adriana to slam a left hook on the eye and tear a visible gash around the area. Romee yelps in pain and applies the earmuff cover while the brunette brutalizes her to the body and finally drills the solar plexus beyond the blonde's limit. Add one more and Romee goes all sideways before one last shot tags her on the liver and SENDS CRASHING DOWN ON HER KNEES!!! The Brazilian legend rises above the odds and leaves the young upstart slumped on all fours during the count as Romee simply can't find anything in the tank to change the outcome of this bout. NINE.. TEN.. YER OUT!!! KO8 Adriana Lima!!!

AFTER: The old guard still takes one for the books and Adriana vows to give the legends brigade a proper run in the final: "Miranda (Kerr) won the whole thing last time out and who says I can't win the second edition? They shut me out of the Ice Hotel lately but I can vouch for Courtney Tailor's skillset. I hope Nina or Rosie are ready for a rough day at the office in the final? Romee is basically a better boxer than any of them and I whupped her blonde ass! What can possibly go wrong then?" (laughs).

Let's spare a thought for the Dutch loser who concludes the 2021 season with a 7-4 record but the two big prizes deserted her in the end. She finished third in the Diamond Boxing Tournament and now bows out at the semi-final stage of the VS "War In Heaven" glamour event. So close each time but no cigar.

Official Result: Adriana Lima def. Romee Strijd KO8.