Johanna Vogel vs. Felina Rodriguez - Like A Glove

Good. Clean. Crisp. Felina’s cross landed flush on her foe’s face, striking Johanna with the sort of resonating impact that would’ve done her father proud. While she had taken a different path from her boxing brothers and gone about the family tradition her own way, you didn’t get to be a Rodriguez without having an at least decent punch. While hers weren’t the best in the business by any means, they weren’t anything to shrug off, either.

It worked. It did its job, knocking Johanna away. It wasn’t without some consequences, she wound up taking the kick on the shoulder, but it was much better than what would’ve happened otherwise. She was hurting, but in a good enough position to make another move, to close in and capitalize. So, she did.

She took a big step in and whipped her leg out, shooting a short but sweet snapping roundhouse at her opponent’s thick thighs. Instead of pulling back after, though, she brought her leg up and opened fired against, targeting Johanna’s head right after, trying to keep her off balance with the rapid succession.

Okay, that one hurt.

Johanna should know better. Just like hers, Felina’s punches can still stun someone. Sure, she’s probably well known for the kicks, a lot of women in AFW are, but she is still a kickboxer. Part of the name is that she can…well, box. If only that reminder didn’t come in the form of a hard right cross to the face.

Sure, she did get a hit out of that kick, but with the impact landing on her shoulder, it really wasn’t worth the trade. Still, the German can’t buckle after just one punch. That would be absolutely pitiful, and Johanna hasn’t even eaten a kick from Felina’s yet.

Aaaaaaaannnd right on cue, the kicks came aplenty.

The German Influencer knew that she was going to get hounded on after the cross landed. And it indeed came at the right moment Johanna gotten her guard up. The roundhouse to the thigh first, and although Jo raised the leg to catch it on her shin instead, the partial impact still stung. Felina’s kicks were no joke, and Johanna can’t keep eating those strikes at her legs. Luckily, an opening came her way.

Felina didn’t pull back the leg but swung it even higher towards the German, aiming at her head. With her already raised guard, Johanna sought to capture that leg underneath her armpit, keeping that leg held up there nice and steady before she would fire out a right cross of her own. Straight towards the face with a bit of payback sprinkled on it.

It had been a while since Felina had her last official kickboxing match, and she’d been worried that the time in the wrestling ring would dull her skills, leaving her too open to ringrust. She tried to keep up her training in all areas, but wrestling ultimately made her come in with a different mindset, one that wasn’t always compatible. She had to adapt, and that meant she had to alter her training style, change what she focused on.

This moment was putting those fears to bed. Her kicks still had the same bite as they did in her best kickboxing matches, slicing into Johanna’s thick thighs in rapid succession, hammering her with repeated blows and landing on all of her targets. It was a great sight to see, she loved the impact, but Johanna was, understandably, less than thrilled about her advance. To her credit, she took the blow better than most would, managing a decent shin block, but that wasn’t going to protect her from Felina too long. The German knew it, too.

Felina’s higher attack wasn’t quite as successful. Johanna caught that one and, sure enough, returned fire in the next moment, launching a heavy blow at her face, no doubt looking for some payback. She was able to get her guard up in time to block, but that would only go so far at this range, with no way to move back - the blow forced its way through her guard and smacked her clean on the nose.

Even with the blow dulled, it was more than she wanted to take in repeated fashion. But trapped like this, she had precious few options. The enziguiri came to mind, but it was too risky, too much leeway to give away. She needed something more secure.

So, instead of pulling away, Felina pulled in, reached out to grab the back of Johanna’s head and keep her trapped. At the same time, she brought her other arm up and threw it forward, launching an elbow aimed athe side of the woman’s temple.