"It started out as me vs Kiana," Hough explains in a recent BLONDE! Magazine up-and-comers feature, "but my manager felt I had the potential to be a real Asian-slayer. There hasn't been a great Asian-assassin blonde since Jaime Pressly, and I'm perfect for the role. Most successful blondes tend to be stay-at-home sluggers with heavy hands - but I'm speedy enough to overtake the Asians and beat them at their own game."

And so was born the promotional concept behind moving Julianne Hough from the cozy confines of DWTS fights, to the more lucrative and broader-appeal of the full fledged FCBA sanctioned fighter. Audiences had been thrilled with the way Hough had been able to expose Cheryl Burke on and off the dance floor, but the women lined up for Julianne's debut were all experienced, hardnosed Asian veterans with good reputations. It promised to be tough, but the look of Julianne: her long, toned legs; her fairy-princess good looks; her saccarine-sweet demeanor - coupled with her sleek, hard sport-chassis made her the ideal candidate to attempt what maybe only Pressly had achieved with any success in the past.

Here are the results:

JULIANNE HOUGH VS KIANA TOM
Julianne in green high neck sport top; yellow nylon jogging shorts; white aerobics shoes/socks; small black gloves; puncher's ponytail with frisky bangs framing face.
Kiki in black sports bra, black jogging shorts; white aerobics shoes/socks; small black gloves; puncher's ponytail with bangs.
UD10 Hough (7 rounds to 3)

The first fight on Hough's itinerary was intended to ease Julianne into action. The aging fitness queen Kiana still maintained the whippet physique that made her a wonderful complement to Julianne in the ring, but the speed and springy-legged precision of the dancer would prove easily decisive.

We saw Julianne's sensational footwork reduce Kiana to plodding victim as poor Tom turned, faced into punches and took punishment. We also saw the raw speed of Julianne enable her to negotiate distance at will. Balanced on her front (left) foot - Julianne would partially extend both hands, palms down. From this forward-posture, she would stitch either a quick-strike jab or lead right into Kiana's face, then bound away to either side - easily evading the slow, cranky receipts. In this way, Julianne would gradually circle-in on Kiana, get range, and unleash withering combinations to head and chest. Kiki was beaten puffy in this fight, sadly unable to prevent the blonde from imposing her will via handspeed.

On the negative side, although Hough could hit Tom with either hand, and stun Kiana at times, Tom's wiry legs stood up to everything Julianne could offer, and in a couple of rounds, Kiki was able to catch Hough with that still oily-quick right hand to chin, unsettling blonde legs. Julianne never stuck around for a second helping, so we'll never know if Kiana could have turned these successes into full blown routs. And Julianne didn't follow the usual Tom-beating recipe of going to Kiana's rigid, slender torso: perhaps a greater investment in Tom's midsection might have sapped some of her slinging power late in the fight.

It has also been reported that Kiana has agreed to a kicking fight with Julianne. One can only hope that Tom's counsellors will pull her back from that decision. Just the thought of Julianne kicking Kiana's legs into submission, then finishing the Asian at her leisure is enough to send chills down any Tom-fan's spine. Don't do it, Kiana.