Irish vs Blair, by Eastcoastcats, is a real grudge match that made a big impression on me when I watched it late last year.
Irish is one of the most experienced ECC ladies, Blair was a newcomer who had specifically asked for Irish as the opponent in her first fight.
Obviously, by calling Irish out like that Blair put pressure on both of them. You really would not want to chose your own opponent, boast in a pre-match interview that you had been watching her fight and could beat her easily, and then lose.
And how galling and irritating it must have been for Irish, with ten tough fights under her belt, to be singled out as an easy touch by a complete novice.
Irish is a big favourite of mine. I've watched all her fights many times and I could see how tense she was before this one even began. All she said in her pre-match interview was “She looks tough.” and “I'm ready.” and there was none of the sexy hip thrusting and hair tossing that you usually see from her during the warm ups.
I think she knew she was in for a rough ride, and that was exactly what she got. Blair was bigger, stronger, and, despite several warnings from the producer, broke the rules repeatedly. Irish complained bitterly about “cheap shots” and being clawed by Blair at close quarters, something I've never heard her do in any of her previous fights, some of which were very rough indeed.
According to the producer, the cameraman for this match said it reminded him of a real fight he once saw between a jealous girl and a pretty cheerleader over a boyfriend, and I could see exactly what he meant by that. Blair really did seem to hate Irish personally, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if the old “green-eyed monster” was involved there somewhere. Irish is a very pretty and charismatic lady, and I'm sure the much plainer Blair was well aware of that.
The climax to this fight is probably the most dramatic and, for the loser, traumatic that I have ever seen.
Irish gets very emotional when she fights, sometimes to the verge of tears. Either Blair picked up on that or had seen one of Irish's previous matches in which she did cry. At any rate, she derides Irish as a crybaby throughout the fight, telling her repeatedly that she is going to end up in tears before it's over, and gets an angry and defiant response each time she does so.
Given a situation like that, for either one of those women to end up crying in front of the other would be almost unbearable, but that's what happened, and I'm sure that anyone who has seen this very bitter and emotional battle will understand why.
As it draws to a close, both have scored submissions and are looking tired. When the producer calls out, “Thirty seconds to go.” they suddenly spring into life and tear into each other like wildcats. Then one lashes out and catches the other with a very hard slap flush on the ear that leaves her dazed, distressed, and with no alternative but submission to an opponent who, at that moment, she probably hated as much as anybody she ever met in her life.
