Ari vs. Brad Kavanagh

[Dain Gavyns]

This time we're using a perennial favorite, you're all fighting in a refurbished gym owned by Dain himself for the sole purpose of this league, in a twist on the ol' Cage-Match idea.

Two domed steel cages, connected together by a path just seven feet high and three and a half feet wide, just big enough to allow the largest contest to pass comfortably. The crowd's all around the cage watching and cheering you on. The acoustics of the place are ridiculous, however, and it's going to get loud. Hope you can concentrate.

Have fun.

[Ari Karamzov]

OOC: Sorry I took so long, I've been very sick, got kind of messed up in rugby practice, spent most of last night throwing up and couldn't get anywhere near my computer. Then I slept most of today. Not exactly posting conditions. Please don't disqualify me. Brad wasn't able to get on either.

"Hey Paul, this Kavanagh guy, you know anything about him?"

"Yeah, kid just got out of jail relatively recently. He and I go back kinda far, but he was a big time nerd before he went to jail. I don't think you'll have any trouble."

"Just got out? What'd he do?"

"He was convicted for a murder. His DNA was all over the place."

"Holy shit! I'm going up against a murderer?!"

"Not really. He was released when the real killer turned himself in. I've heard people saying he's a lot tougher now, but as I said, Ari, I don't think he'll be anything to worry about."

"Oh. Heh, alright."

"Why'd you wanna know, anyway? You never asked about the last two dudes you fought."

"Yeah, I did. You didn't know much about either, remember? Really, I just like to have some idea of what I'm gonna be up against. You're right though, this'll probably be cake, even if he did spend time behind bars."

Ari allowed himself to relax after the exchange was done with, slowly exhaling to let out the air from the tall and muscular wall that was his torso. This Brad Kavanagh person Dain had put him in with was obviously a new contestant seeing as nobody by that name had been in either of the previous two rounds, and while the prospect of a new and unheard of opponent excited him it also made him curious. He had wanted to have at least a vague idea of what to expect, which would make what he was already sure wouldn't be a challenging match even easier. When he had asked Paul for directions to the gym where the matches were taking place, he had offered to drive Ari there, wanting to see Ari fight for himself, providing the perfect excuse for Ari to ask him what he knew. Still, he elected to wait a while into the drive before actually saying anything.

The rock song on the radio continued to play as the vehicle drifted through the streets of San Francisco, bringing the fighter and his roommate towards their destination block by block. Only outwardly listening as "Highway to Hell" progressed, he peered out from the hood on his head through the windshield of the car, watching it wind through the streets. His massive hands clenched into fists and unclenched in a slow rhythm on his lap, his mind narrowing steadily to the subject of the fight. He was currently undefeated in the League, having not lost a single fight since the match with Tiao in eighth grade. His first League opponent, Cale, had been a pushover, crushed with almost no effort, and while Vince had been a potentially skilled opponent it had only taken one good shot in the end.

To be perfectly honest, Ari really hoped this "Brad Kavanagh" person Dain had said Ari would be fighting was much tougher. Even with the huge (pun not intended) size advantage, the previous two matches had been too easy. There was no fun in a fight like that, no sense of really needing to try. He always fought to win, but those last two had barely been fights to begin with. He couldn't test his skills effectively on people who barely had any skill themselves. Just then, the car slid into the parking lot of the gym, coming to a stop at last. Opening the door, Ari carefully stepped out of the car while Paul locked the car doors, the black boxing style robe (with "The Blitz" written in gold lettering on the back) he had on blowing a bit in a gust of wind that passed through before he headed to the gym door. Pushing it open without a second thought, he walked in, ready for battle.

The first thing he noticed about the gym was just how loud it was. There were tremendously noisy acoustics playing, and the crowd went wild as soon as it saw him, the cheers and shouts of the collective mass at first throwing him off guard. After taking a second to adjust though, Ari was fine, and started to walk towards the steel cage he saw ahead. Now this was the kind of arena he was used to, the cage somewhat reminiscent of octagons he had fought and sparred in before. The top of the pathway leading to the cage was only an inch above his head, but there was plenty of room to the sides, and he wasn't too uncomfortable while fitting in, having already started to filter out the noise of the crowds. Once he entered the cage, he crossed to the other side from the door, turning to face where Brad would come in when he showed up.

It's time to get this party started.

Brushing the hood off of his head, Ari quickly moved the robe off of his shoulders, allowing it to slide off of his bulky frame and to the floor, leaving him clad in his sneakers, socks, and a pair of black boxing trunks with gold trim made to fit the robe. Nielsen had commissioned it to be made specifically for him, so Ari was repaying him by using this match to break it in, so to speak. Picking the robe up and using one of the poles that was part of the cage wall to hold it up, Ari again turned to face the cage entrance, bouncing quickly on his feet and then throwing a few jabs to warm himself up, still ignoring the cheers that had now gotten louder.

Come on, Kavanagh, don't make this boring!

[Brad Kavanagh]

Jesus christ... I'm really starting to have second thoughts about this.

No one could blame Brad Kavanagh for having any second thoughts about what he was doing. After all, entering a tournament where the object was to pound your opponent senseless was dangerous enough. It was certainly another thing when you're fighting in a steel cage with no way out other than to fight. He could see this from where he was standing, at the other side of the gymnasium. A cage match. A cage match as his first official fight. Brad had gotten into scuffles way before this day had come, but it wasn't like they happened in a huge dome of steel. Hell, most fights never took place in huge domes of steel. That was the problem. What if he couldn't handle this?

Okay Brad. Try to get ahold of yourself. Don't turn into a pussy before your first fight. I mean, you could fight as well as most people in that god-forsaken jail. A little match in a cage isn't going to hurt you at all... is it?

Then someone entered the cage. Or more likely, a muscle-bound giant entered. It took Brad an extremely long time to figure out that the tall man was supposed to be the guy he was fighting. The tall man sporting a boxer robe and looked just as eager to pound the shit out of a defenseless little boy as any of the lunatics back in state prison. Maybe even more so. One could say that Brad was feeling mighty intimidated, and that guess was more than correct. After all, who wouldn't feel the least bit intimidated by having to fight a tall, merciless man?

Brad raised an eye brow. Is... this the guy I'm supposed to rumble with? This is my first opponent? Maybe this is the wrong tournament... Yeah, maybe that's right. I just went to the wrong gym, or maybe the whole things starting at a different time. Yeah, that must be it. I mean... Fuck it... Brad sighed loudly. It really wasn't worth the trouble to deny it. This was the guy he was supposed to fight...what was his name? Arai? Ari? Damn did that really sound Russian. Ivan Drago must be his roommate or something. And Brad wasn't going to deny that, yes, he was feeling fairly intimidated by the brute. He would go so far as to say that Ari could KICK him in the head. Maybe that was too much of an exaggeration, but to Brad it was dead on.

"Well... I might as well not fuck around any more than I already have."

Brad pushed his weight off of the wall he had been leaning against for the past twenty minutes or so minutes. Walking up to the cage took what seemed like forever. All the sounds from the crowd was making his head go numb, but it wasn't as awful an experience than what he had gone through when he first entered the gymnasium. Those damn acoustics were really starting to irritate him because it felt like it was playing in a continuous loop every five minutes. It was a bother to actually get inside the cage,(since he had no experience in such arenas) but once he did the noise from the crowd had started to dim down. Or at least it felt that way.

Brad's attire wasn't as different as what he usually wore. He really didn't see the need in getting dressed up to fight. It just didn't make any sense. His eyes studied Ari's robe, a smirk forming across his lips.

"A robe?" Brad commented, trying to show absolutely no fear. "You bring a boxer's robe to a cage match? What do you do, wear a tux when you drive to Walmart?"

[Ari Karamzov]

Ari had once again arrived first, but it would turn out he didn't have to wait too long before his opponent arrived. Shortly after he had taken off the robe, preparing himself to fight, Brad showed up, walking through the path that connected Ari's cage to the one Brad had entered. When they were both in the same cage, the entrances closed behind them, leaving no way out until the battle was over. Ignoring the slight chill in the gym's air from the fact that he was only wearing shoes, socks, a cup, and some boxing trunks, Ari took a minute to size Brad up. He was definitely taller than either of Ari's previous League opponents, but while a bit bulky didn't seem much heavier than them. He had longish brown hair that Ari was sure would get in the way, perhaps a bit ironic due to the fact that Ari's own hair was long, and where Ari was dressed similarly to how he would in an official MMA match, "Brad" was simply in casual attire. Most notably, though, were the pair of glasses on his face. Ari hadn't fought someone with glasses on before, but he knew that'd be a disadvantage for his opponent. Ari wasn't the type who'd avoid trying to break his glasses, leaving him blind.

I was right, this kid's gonna be cake.

As usual, Ari currently had no reason to believe the current opponent would be any challenge at all, but he was in something of a good mood today, so at Brad's wisecrack Ari simply chuckled a bit while he walked forward. Cracking his huge knuckles as he started to cross the ring, Ari had a bit of a smirk on his face. Vince had a mouth on him too, but he'd see if Brad could take more than one shot. In all honesty, he was glad Brad had apparently chosen to fight in the cage instead of the tunnel; it'd be too easy for Ari in the tunnel, and take the skill out of it. It'd be little more than a slugfest, with no room to grapple or maneuver, with barely any room for Ari to stand upright. Ironically, it could be easier for Ari in the cages, as while Brad had more room to maneuver, so did Ari, and with more room to throw his weight around it'd be easier for him to get a good shot off or establish a tight grip, especially since in the cages he didn't have to worry about bashing his head on the ceiling.

"Very funny, shorty," Ari said, coming to a stop in the middle of the cage, giving him some control over the pace of the fight and the movement of the fighters, "but let's see if you're as good with your fists as you are with your mouth. Paul says you're pretty tough, but I can't say I believe him yet."

Chuckling again, Ari brought his hands up, but didn't take any immediately recognizable stance. This kid didn't look like much, but he wanted to see what "Brad Kavanagh" could do.

OOC: Sorry that the post is short, couldn't really think of how to make it super long. I'm not Liam or John, unfortunately.

[Brad Kavanagh]

The cage had a very strange look to it. If the fact that Brad never had to fight in a steel cage was enough, now there was a chance he was going to be pushed into a conflict in closed corners. Brad made a mental note to stay as far away from the pathway connecting both cages. He really didn't know how it was all going to end if he had to fight there. This 'Ari' already had an advantage with his enormous height.

"Hah." Brad laughed, trying his damned best not to look at all intimidated by the giant's arrogant attitude. "Shorty? Listen, I doubt I'm one to actually go and lie to you, but I've fought a lot of tall guys. Probably even bigger than you! While I'm not exactly the greatest fighter around, but I can say... well, I can't really say that I'll even impress you. Whatever. We don't exactly have much time, so why don't we just stop idling here and give these people a show!"

Brad wasn't entirely sure how to follow up from that, but he took the first idea that popped into his mind. He rushed Ari, not entirely fast but quick enough for him to get a good grasp on one of his opponent's arms. With as much power as he could conjure into his arms, Brad tried to twist the boy's arm around his back. Honestly the first attack was more of a spur-of-the-moment type of thing so there was a huge margin of error. Still, if his plan of action did succeed as he imagined it would, he would be in complete control of the fight (if only for a short moment).

[Ari Karamzov]

He didn't know if the boy was tough yet, but now Ari knew Brad would be somewhat predictable. Ari chose not to respond to Brad's reply to his own challenge with anything but a small smirk. Brad didn't seem very confident, and going into a fight without confidence was a bad idea. Ari would teach him that the hard way. Actually, come to think of it, he thought he could see a glimmer of potential in the 6'1 boy across the cage from him. There was something about him, vaguely, that reminded Ari of himself. No matter, it was something to be resolved after the fight.

Just as Ari had expected, Brad charged forward, at first getting no real reaction from Ari. His legs bent a bit and widened slightly, and his arms lowered a minute amount, but otherwise there wasn't much of a real action. Definitely unexpected from the giant, especially considering his usual style, but it was all according to plan. Test the kid's style for weaknesses, and then annihilate him. When Paul said a kid was tough, they usually were, but Ari was always skeptical about word-of-mouth.

Ten dollars the kid won't expect this!

Ari was huge. A giant, a colossus, a bruiser, a leviathan any number of words you wanted to use to describe a man of immense physical size. A single punch from him could knock many men unconscious instantly, and he could shrug off all but the most powerful shots--or attacks aimed at the most vulnerable areas--from most smaller fighters with ease. Because of this, people expected him to be a slow, lumbering monster who turned and punched at the speed of a slug climbing up the side of a particularly slippery jar. Ari knew this, and he trained specifically to defy those expectations. He was no Muhammad Ali, but he knew how to slip a punch if he really wanted to.

So when Brad's right arm outstretched in an attempt to grab Ari's left, logically requiring his arm to move slightly downward because of Ari lowering his arms just earlier, Ari acted by sharply stepping backwards and just a bit to his left, his left arm raising back up and shooting forwards at Brad's face, unprotected due to the fact that Ari would be punching over Brad's right arm. The punch, aimed at Brad's eye more than the surrounding face, was more intended to stun Brad and send him back a bit, causing him to be reeling a bit as Ari stepped forward after him, allowing him to bring the left back and down, bending deeply with his knees before surging upwards with a sharp pivot, firing a powerful shovel hook towards Brad's ribs.

Of course, that was what was intended to happen, not necessarily what would.

[Brad Kavanagh]

Wow... I didn't exactly think that through too well...

Brad should have been able to guess that a giant like Ari would be able to sidestep his move, not to mention the fact that even if Ari did somehow let the grapple actually occur, it wouldn't have done much damage to begin with. The boy was cursing inside of his head for making such poor judgment and that he really didn't think any of what he just did through enough. He was so focused on his lack of foresight that he almost overlooked the attack that Ari was sending his way. He was just able to dodge the punch... dodge really isn't the best word to use in this situation. The attack landed but it was planted across his left cheek, barely missing his eye. Even though that it was more of a brush than an actual hit, it still hurt like a bitch.

"Jesus Christ..." Brad growled, his cheek feeling the sensation that was equivalent to whiplash. He wanted to pause right and there to rub his hand against his cheek, but he had no time. If this kid is slick, he'd probably find his way out of this next attack. Still, I can't just sit there and wait for him to jump me. I've got to think fast.

As soon as he regained his composure from the sudden punch, Brad went back on the offense. Brad knew his own weaknesses, and speed was one of them... it just so happened that his opponent wasn't quick either, so that was working to his advantage. If Brad could overwhelm Ari just a bit, maybe he could do some nasty damage and win the fight in less than ten minutes... but that was Brad's mind wandering. Hell... it could never be that easy, especially with someone as big as the one he was fighting.

A leg sweep. It was a move that Brad really wasn't used to, but the strength in his legs more than made up for that. That was what he was going for. If he could somehow bring his leg against the other boys inner thighs and send him tumbling down, Brad could get in a few extra hits if he needed to. If it didn't knock him down, then at least Brad could do some heavy duty damage to one of his legs. That was the plan that he had in his mind when he swung his right leg around with his entire body, aimed right for the other boy's left leg.

Alright Brad... It's time to show this guy what you're made of.

[Ari Karamzov]

Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

Ari was decently quick considering his huge size and bulk, about as fast as an average-sized man who happened to be in very good shape. Despite this, he wasn't exactly "fast", definitely not as much as smaller and more speed oriented fighters were. However, the relatively close proximity between his fist and Brad's face would have lessened the time available to react. Brad was still able to dodge the punch by moving his head to the side, but Ari felt his attack impact Brad's cheek just before brushing off of it. The punch had an obvious effect though, as there was a slight delay in Brad's action after Ari snapped his hand back. Seeing an opening as Brad growled out the name of Christ, Ari crouched down and started to move forward quickly, his hands still positioned in front of him as to defend against incoming blows but ready to stretch out in order to ensnare Brad. His hope was that if he could take the match to the ground, he could end it more quickly; while he wanted to see what this kid had, he also wanted to win, and he had a feeling that if he could quickly secure a dominant ground position, the fight would be over soon after.

Of course, after Ari had taken only a couple of steps towards Brad, the boy appeared to regain his composure and launched his next attack, swinging his right leg around at Ari's left. Stopping his advance for a second and crouching a bit lower, he braced himself for the impact by bending his knee some. The leg hit slightly below Ari's knee, striking the upper part of his shin for a somewhat painful blow as the shin area never has as much muscle as the rest of the leg and is indeed mostly bone, along with the fact that there was a good bit of power in Brad's kick; he seemed pretty strong for such a lanky looking guy. However, a life spent going from one fight to another, and three mixed martial arts matches, meant that Ari was by now very used to the concept of getting kicked hard in the legs; this, coupled by Ari's quick attempt at bracing and the fact that the kick hit the outside of the leg meant that Ari would not lose much of his balance.

Right where I want him.

Reacting as quickly as possible, trying to act more or less immediately after the kick landed, Ari brought out his left arm and lowered it down to around Brad's knee, the closer proximity due to the fact that Ari was in a crouch and bending a bit forward making it easier to reach. At the same time as Ari's right leg slid forward and was placed behind Brad's left in a hooking motion, Ari's left arm would wrap around Brad's leg, not only holding it in place but keeping it pinned against Ari's body as he brought his right arm across, the forearm placed diagonally in front of his face while his bicep was near his sternum. Pushing up from the crouch slightly, Ari would try to pull Brad's leg up as his hand gripped the bicep of his other arm, locking the leg in place. Ari was open like this, but he knew that with his balance thus compromised Brad wouldn't be able to put any real power into any punches sent Ari's way from here.

Trying not to give Brad the chance to test that theory, Ari pushed forward with his upper body and left leg while sharply pulling his right leg back, the positioning of his arm intended to act both as a shield and a battering ram. With this move he was more or less trying to push through Brad, trying to use his bulk and manipulation of balance to force Brad to the ground, with Ari intending to land on top of him. Banking on the hope that the sudden smash and subsequent drop would temporarily knock the wind out of Brad, Ari would release Brad's leg and try to clamber up into a mount, spreading his legs in order to try to pin down Brad's arms at the shoulders with his knees. With a mount achieved, his left hand would move to wrap itself around Brad's throat, trying to cut off Brad's air supply while his right went straight down with a series of punches and elbows aimed at Brad's head.

[Brad Kavanagh]

The next minute felt like a complete blur for Brad. He finally realized that Ari was trying to wrap his left hand around his knee. In all honestly, Brad wasn't sure how to react to the grapple. If he simply jumped out of the grab, then that would have been five wasted moments he had put into trying to attack. If he just tackled Ari to the ground... that was impossible. Ari was just too big to tackle him down to the ground and expect to keep him down long enough to get in a couple of other hits in there. Then... what was he going to do? Brad's mind spun as fast as it could, trying to come up with the best course of action before Ari's hand actually clasped down. This has got to work. There's no other option. Nothing else.

Brad let Ari get a good grip on his leg to try to fake Ari out. As violently and as quickly as possible, Brad tried to wrap his other leg around his opponent's back, his hands wrapping themselves onto locks of his white blond hair. Trying his best to make his move before Ari could do anything else, Brad forced all of his weight on the leg that was on the ground. Suddenly, he lifted his leg up as high as he could, about only two inches above the ground. That might be enough. With as much strength as possible, Brad tried his hardest to push the both of them flat on the ground, with Brad on top of Ari. He was going to try his best to slam Ari's head into the ground, thinking that the ground itself was hard enough to give him a painful jolt in the head. It was coming down to the wire. Even if this wasn't going to work, Brad was going to try anyway.

What he really didn't realize that the painful jolt was going to shoot through Brad's leg as well. Maybe even a worse pain than what Ari was going to feel. Then again, that was the risk he was willing to take.

[Ari Karamzov]

Ari's leg grab worked perfectly, locking the leg in place and allowing Ari to lift the leg up, raising Brad partway off the ground. However, as Ari started to sweep the leg, Brad did something unexpected. His free leg wrapped around Ari's back, meaning that as Ari moved for the sweep there was no leg there, and he was holding Brad in midair. Ari had no idea what the smaller boy had in mind, but it was a reckless gesture. One that would prove advantageous for Ari. Instead of stopping his move, the giant pitched forward regardless, lowering his head a bit as Brad's hands shot out, causing them to go above him. While it would only temporarily avoid what had appeared to be an attempt to grab Ari's long hair, and Ari fully expected Brad to try the move again, it would hopefully provide a quick distraction as Ari's launch caused his forearm, supported by the forward momentum of the rest of his body, the mass adding to the power, slammed into the still-suspended Brad.

Still moving forward as the forearm hit, Ari would sharply lean downward/forward, almost into Brad, turning their formerly straight forward/back trajectory into one that sharply curved downward and then continued sharply in that direction. A crude way to describe the move would be Ari allowing himself to fall over on top of Brad, but it was more of a slam. By pushing into Brad and leaning over, Ari was taking advantage of Brad's own attempt at a counter by using the boy's lack of balance and what almost seemed to be an attempt at a flip in order to force him to the ground. Physics dictated that force equals mass times acceleration. By removing his leg from Ari's sweep attempt, Brad greatly added to the speed Ari was able to put in the takedown, as he didn't have to slow himself down by actively moving through the leg. The increased speed also meant that he would hit the ground faster, meaning a harder landing. The faster speed of Brad's fall, coupled with the speed at which he hit the ground and Ari's large amount of mass landing on him would result in a massive amount of force being exerted on Brad, hopefully damaging the leg, as it was held in a position where it would be sandwiched between the bodies of Ari and Brad, and possibly enough to end the fight or at least knock the wind out of Brad. The best part was, the whole move took maybe a second.

As soon as they hit the ground, Ari would release Brad's leg, hoping that Brad would be stunned enough by the impact to give Ari time to push his leg off of his back with his right arm and move up past any pretense of a guard Brad put up and into the mount, where he would aim a short left hook at Brad's right temple and then sharply drop his right elbow at the bridge of Brad's nose. Other attacks would come after this, but he would see how this went first.

[Nathan Branigan]

Ari won by using his advantages very well. Brad kinda had it rough being smaller and slower though.

By the way Ari, my new nickname for you is Leon Jr. You people and your short story posts in fight threads. It's just wrong to make me actually read.

::EDIT::

Scratch that, The Littlest Leon. Priceless.