DANIELA RUAH VS NADIA BJORLIN

Front Street Gym vs Floydian
(Words: Bonzo / Results: Lookout!)

Before: To say that three-time-champion Nadia Bjorlin had a rough time in the last few years would certainly be an understatement. Analysts mark out her overtime loss to Mandy Moore in the first round of the 2010 welterweight tournament as the point where Nadia lost the plot: coming off one of the most comprehensive beatdowns of Amanda Righetti ever put together, she couldn’t make it past her long-running nemesis Mandy. Even though she’s beaten both head-to-head, Katrina Law and Milena Govich then slowly took over the main “contender” role in the Bonzo gym, pushing Bjorlin further to the sidelines. Nadia also has a disastrous record against the new welter first-guard: she’s 0-1 vs freeman and 0-2 vs Regan. Now she hasn’t had an official bout since March 2013 (she’s been active in underground circles, of course, and did a lot of wrestling during that time) – can she reverse the trend and stage a comeback? Critics doubt the choice of Daniela Ruah as a wise one for that plan – a lot of folks saying that Bjorlin should have chosen someone a little less dangerous, and point out that the comeback attempt could end tonight, early and harsh, before it actually got off to a start. Then again, the super-consistent Ruah (with remarkable 17-6 stats), is coming off a loss in the title fight with Bridget Regan that should have been the crowning moment of four years of hard work on the road to the top.
 
Ruah loves squaring off with wild-hot Bjorlin: ain’t thinking much of those comeback plans, though. “Look, I know Bjorlin’s been a champ, but that was in 2008. The division has changed: the athleticism level is even higher now, the best fighters at the weight aren’t just big hitters like they were in the past – the technical talent, the skill level at the weight is immense, and essentially, what you need is consistency – a ten-round-plan and the stamina to pull it off – and if there’s one thing that’s eluded Nadia Bjorlin in her whole career, it’s exactly that.” – Bjorlin sour obviously, hits back with an expected jibe at the allegedly low level of competition Ruah has faced. “Ellison? Deeley? Britton? I don’t know these people. I’ve spent my career developing rivalries with welter legends like Loken, Keibler, Landry, Henstridge and Moore. No comparison, baby.” Okay, pundits openly wonder at the creation of Stacy Keibler as a supposed welterweight legend – but the interchanging KO1s between Stacy and Nadia are commonly regarded as some of the biggest one-punch battles in the last years, so the hopes for tonight are high: a wild-tempered ride it is going to be, for sure. Ruah a bit taller, slender but rock-hard athletic; Bjorlin heavier/more muscular than we’ve seen her during the last few years, looking like a 2007 Nadia Bjorlin, not a 2012 one.
 
R1:   No holding back: Bjorlin aggressive early, she’s trying to weave through close to the body, searching Daniela with wide, wild swinging hands. Ruah artful in response: leggy Portuguese using height, lankiness and loooong arms to master the attack, cooly picking up Nadia with an uppercut when Nads gets too close. Bjorlin punched on her mouth, awkwardly stepping sideways, but tilts back up to keep punching. Ruah controlled – not counter-attacking, merely looking to manage the ring and her girl. Nadia less reckless after that, no longer searching for Ruah’s chin with those swinging wild punches – she settles into a fierce jab, showing her power. Daniela never in danger, but giving ground all round long: able to keep the distance, but clearly getting socked a few times when Nadia connects; comebacker taking the first round close, on activity and visual dominance.
 
R2: Action subdued throughout the next round – less swinging haymaker attempts, more stalking. Bjorlin more erratic, though, not really finding her jab rhythm: that allows Ruah to take over a bit, slowly punching back Nads, easily avoiding the brunette’s counters, using legs to step-and-jab ever closer to foe. All work by Daniela follows a plan: leading up to a late surge – surprising Nadia right there at the end, when Daniela eases out of her wide-ranging jabs to face into thick, heaving left-and-rights that bounce off Nadia’s paunch. Nadia really hurting here, she’s taking unexpected body damage, wincing and retreating; watchers naturally start talking about Nadia’s conditioning in the break.
 
R3: Bjorlin knows she has to step up the voltage now, silence the doubters. It shows. Bjorlin developing a somewhat awkward jab machine: not textbook but effective - messes up Ruah’s competing jabs at least. Daniela not really anticipating Nads’ rhythm here, she’s never sure when Bjorlin’s just calmly jabbing, when she’s preparing to mix it up. Bjorlin using strength well: holding mid-ring with force – not budging an inch even when Ruah connects with counters – then using thick jabs to take ground back from opponent. Ruah takes some chin-testers by Nadia’s swinging rights late, but stumbles into a sweaty clinch, head on shoulders, while driving her fist into Nadia’s side to punish her for those rights. Big girls grinding on contact: wrestling for supremacy even when not punching.
 
R4: Nadia finds that jab again: girls circling each other, too far apart to hurt each other – this is not a knockout hunt, but a fight for technical supremacy, and surprisingly, Nadia’s ain’t shabby in that game. Not a lot going on throughout the fourth – Bjorlin punching a bit more, Ruah perhaps a bit more precise – but nothing for the highlight reel.
 
R5: Brawny action ensues in the fifth. Vicious, whacking stuff, usually targeting either’s ribs/waistlines, as welter girls twist and dip forehead to forehead: this is all about getting leverage with pure weight-of-shot, all about seeing hurt in the other girl’s eyes from too much body. Girls fall into close contact, muscling each other around, but the bashing eventually goes Daniela’s way, her punches a lot more accurate as Nadia just swings and swings in all-too-familiar fashion, allowing Ruah to elegantly duck, avoid those haymakers. Ruah putting together tidy, precise punches: poor Nadia's face really busting up – Bjorlin a bit shocked by the power of Ruah’s hands. Bjorlin’s trying to rely on clobbering blows to temple/jawline countering to stagger her foe into compliance, but not getting the necessary rigour into those counters. Ruah shaking Nads up with thudding hooks into waist, crowning a great round with a doubled-up left uppercut to chin that has Bjorlin stunned, stumbling away on her heels, really hurt in her pride.
 
R6: Daniela separates herself now: she’s got Bjorlin at the end of her wits. Tall beauty a ravishing sight, fighting like prime Tricia Helfer – all about leggy control, stinging punches that always find their target. Those biting jabs just knock and knock at Nadia’s face, eyes swollen. No way about it: Nadia’s getting her butt kicked, and she can’t find an answer. Ruah using legs brilliantly throughout, fading all of Nadia's diminishing aggression, gradually reeling Bjorlin in via jabs, stepping into the brunette beauty with force. Ruah’s confident enough to really sock it to Bjorlin now, body to body, fighting through feeble counters off ropes. Dani in her rhythm – not really finding that one punch that could get proud Nadia to wilt, but bit by bit she’s hauling out Bjorlin’s energy and power reserves. Nadia swinging haymakers late in the round, but she’s a desperate sight: hair all disheveled – Ruah careful but she’s got the agility to avoid those swingers. Nads lurking back to ropes at bell, looking understandably ass-kicked, not really grasping where her precision has went to hide.
 
R7: Ruah looking set to continue her domination, yet encounters a different Nadia Bjorlin early in the seventh. Dani still the long slender-athletic artist we saw last round, but Nadia’s coming on strong: ferocious look in her eyes, pumping out the muscular jab from rotating shoulders – and she’s got Ruah in retreat! For the first time tonight, Bjorlin succeeds in combining her wild power with methodical precision – always a problem with Nadia’s I’m a street-brawler-at-heart attitude. Ruah impressed, carefully circling backwards-sideways to avoid, using long arms to hold Bjorlin at bay, but brunette slowly closes the distance without having to resort to those silly and wild air-punishing haymakers. Bjorlin’s bopping forward, fast and agile: moving her hands like a bantamweight, too– switching it up but never settling down. Jabs show signs of blight on Dani’s face, also a first tonight – little bruises near her eyes, as control of the fight glides out of Ruah’s hands. Daniela in defense mode, but getting out-punched: Naddy lands a crashing right on the jaw, jerking Ruah to the side, sends her baby-stepping to ropes. Ruah with out-stretched arms, jabbing to face but not connecting with enough force to stop the onslaught. Whew – another shot with a right unhinges Dani's knees – those rights are coming now! Ruah clearly ailing, hands all tight together, back to ropes, giving her all against a very sharp KO attack by her foe.
 
Bjorlin locks up her girl at ropes, engulfing her, being big and bad – peppering Daniela’s face with stinging lefts and violent rights, as counters go nowhere. A bit later: Nadia switches things up, going body with violent rights into Dani’s stomach – making her wince. Ruah put wobblier by every punch, eyes dimming, legs fading. Dani still defends – a clean counter juuuust grazes Nadia’s hairline but most of the punch didn’t connect right: almost simultaneously – hands exchanging – Bjorlin’s right plucks up Ruah’s chin – Ruah’s torso jerking, jiggling, legs no holder it up for her – and DANIELA IS DOWN! Her knee tumbles, then Dani’s weight topples her over – proud brunette now on her knees, face touching the floor, but Ruah’s still propping herself up with her arms, moaning in pain. She’s trying to get up – dazed look notwithstanding – and does it: Ruah battered, but finally standing, hands up. Girls fall into each other, Ruah’s using the clinch for break, but Nadia’s relentless – stacking her girl to, then up at, ropes! Bjorlin’s power unleashed – she’s hitting right through Ruah’s defenses. Dizzy-dizzy Ruah: not punching back, brutally embedded at ropes by Nadia’s right hands, body loosening – the ref has no choice but to get her out of the firing line. That’s it: despite mumbled protest by Ruah this brutal welter battle ends in a TKO7 Nadia Bjorlin!
 
After: Bjorlin triumphant like a bubbly teenager, bellowing in joyful victory, while Ruah’s all held up in the ref’s arms, face bruised, shaky on weakened legs. Lessons from this fight? Bjorlin’s still an exciting name at welter, her brawling persona a necessary companion to the method fighters that have made all the headlines recently. With the exposure other girls got at the welter tourney, great match-making should lie in the future: and with comeback form like this Bjorlin wants to be a part of it. Ruah shows her welterweight power and accurate lightweight technique – outpunched at the end, but devastatingly good when she had Nadia at the end of her punches in rounds five and six.