Zara McDermott vs Nicola Roberts
(BBU Independent vs Lioness Club)
(5-2, 5 KO vs 16-19, 14 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Love Island's Zara McDermott thinks she's ready for prime time but some more accomplished peers told her to wait in line or take care of certain road blocks on her path to BBU stardom. Word is former champion Dorota Rabczewska could set up a benchmark fight with Zara IF the East Londoner can dispatch veteran Nicola Roberts first. One might argue the redhead singer is very much past her prime these days but she vows to stop the blonde's hot streak once and for all: "We thought Zara is done after Lottie Moss knocked her out but somehow she comes back for more! That's foolish but you can't expect a bimbo like her to use her brain!" (laughs).

Zara McDermott wears a red lingerie set & white gloves. Long dark blonde hair tied in a custom ponytail. Nicola Roberts wears a leopard print crop top, jeans shorts & red gloves. Long carrot read hair tied in a braid. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the bantamweight division.

Round 1:
Zara comes out swinging and makes an early connection with the singer's face forcing her to put as much slugging effort as possible but it's the blonde who stays on top and keeps landing heavy punches on target. Nicola tries to find a proper response but fails to match the blonde's intensity and gets wobbled out of her comfort zone half-way through the round. She manages to spin out of Zara's reach thereafter but gets taunted by the younger woman into a more aggressive approach which results in some quick striking from point blank range that earns Roberts a busted nose late in the round. Ugh! Zara really wants to slam dunk the redhead veteran into oblivion but becomes a little careless in the process and the Cheshire singer finally lands some meaningful head shots in the closing seconds of the round.

Round 2:
More heavy slugging from both women but it's Zara who controls the action and thumps the supreme leather which glues Nicola to the spot. The older woman fails to use her footwork to navigate danger this time and gets pounded up the middle with McDermott working on speed dial to prove she can deliver the elite performance despite the Lioness entourage still thinking otherwise after last year's stumble versus Lottie Moss. Zara uses the second opportunity to clobber the sluggish opponent and suddenly Nicola looks awfully hittable and checks out of the back & forth exchange to clinch the Love Island alumn into safety while still getting drilled to the body. Zara shakes her off late and drops a right hook on the nose which sinks the redhead into outright spasms but clock comes to the rescue soon afterwards and leaves the East Londoner hissing in anger.

Round 3:
Nicola thinks she can bide some time in mid-distance but Zara can steps up with her footwork as well so she forces the singer to slug it out again and this time a hard right hook cuts Roberts on the nose and wobbles her into loud whimper before the blonde NAILS her with a left hook on the ear that half-spins the veteran onto the ropes. Nicola tries to deke away from the incoming charge but she remains stuck on her heels when the first left hook catches her on the jaw and she doesn't even see the follow up that catches her on the ear... DOWN SHE GOES... Zara makes some gestures at Lioness coach Mel B. while Nicola just sits there on the canvas battling major vertigo and she's in no mood to continue this fight. One might argue all those hits over the years are simply too much for Nicola at this stage. She decides not to get up so the Lioness crew has to unleash the former champion Doda to stop Zara's revenge mission sooner rather than later. KO3 Zara McDermott.

AFTER: Nicola ignores some angry comments from Mel B. and storms out of the ring before the verdict is announced. That swift exit even caught Zara off guard and she's quick to seek out Doda among the KO Club crowd... but she can't find her. It turns out the Polish singer is busy training her glamour model team back home but she will make the trip to Barnet to extinguish the McDermott threat before too long. That's what Mel B. says anyway however BBU TV's Denise van Outen claims Doda's prime time has passed and we might see a proper change of guard now that Lottie Moss has moved over to compete in FCBA to let Zara back in the game again.

Official Result: Zara McDermott def. Nicola Roberts KO3.