Before: Jeri's in another superfight - media and promoters taking notice as big blonde makes big events. "It's nice to finally get some recognition," says Jeri in prefight, "but I'm not just showing up for this fight. Cat Bell's the last obstacle for me - I think this division boils down to her and me and I just have to take those belts. We've got a strategy, I've trained my ass off, but it's all about desire at this point. All I know is, I want to see Cat humbled, I want to see the recognition in her eyes that there is a new queen at lightweight and I want her to personally hand over those belts after I beat her. Cat's defeat means more to me than my own victory, and that's my edge against her." Bell courteous as always, but not fawning in her comments. "Jeri's the best out there, the best combination of toughness and power and skill, but mentally, I think I've separated myself from her. I know that if it's close, she'll start to doubt herself, especially in a big event like this. She folded against Landry, she's lost big fights to me before and it's not because I was physically superior, it's because deep down, Jeri doesn't truly believe she belongs in there with me. That's why she's such a devastating KO artist: because she lacks the confidence to be consistent and win the minutes; she actually PUTS herself in a position where she needs the whack." Ryan GLARING across the dais as Cat goes on - either because the rhetoric is so blatantly false...or a little too true for comfort. Time to find out. Jeri in red bikini, Cat in electric blue, hair wet, short.

During R1: Bell strong across the ring, attacking Jeri in her corner, throwing hard right hands over Ryan's jab and JERI'S HURT! Jeri stunned as Cat throws caution to the wind - Ryan staggering to her right, left hand extended - Cat POURING over top it with rights to the jaw and RYAN'S DOWN! Jeri clubbed to her knees, eyes wide, body trembling - she takes a woozy 8 with a hungry Cat stalking the neutral corner. Bell thumbs her nose, walks back in, jabs face, HURLS right hand to gut and sets down inside to work Jeri over. Ryan's legs not back - left hand extended half way around Cat's back - Bell hustling lefts and rights inside and outside Jeri's extended limb to overhaul that gut, those ribs. Groggy Ryan swaying, issuing clumsy clinches - ref's break, frequent warnings to Cat as she's heeling Ryan's ribcage in her haste to break the blonde down. Bell keeps pushing her way in, bodying Ryan against the ropes, separating her hips and pulsing in the punishment downstairs. Bell to bell, Cat - Ryan all a quiver, vibrating with the beating as Bell storms back to her corner, PUMPED!

R2: Cat a non-believer in Ryan's body, goes there every chance she gets this round. Little bit of jab-fencing as the the two jockey for position, but Cat's getting her cheek on Jeri's shoulder, rotating her shoulders and fitting mitt to rib in thumping bursts. Jeri's not meekly accepting her fate - she's digging in, holding her ground, slugging back - both girls soaking it up amidships as ribs and bellies get a shellacking. Girls taking turns, they're punching, laying in, walking each other back, but neither wants to step out - long limbed beauties tightening up the strokes, gnashing their teeth and pumping away at close quarters. Bell the stronger down the stretch, once again has Jeri's back to the ropes, working inside and out that left arm to take in tummy, left flank.

R3: Jeri up on her toes, showing Cat a little lateral movement - role reversal as Bell's the stalker/puncher, Jeri the boxer. Ryan looking good, feinting Cat back, jabbing her while stepping lively. When Cat muscles inside - Jeri accepts her onto her chest and wraps her up tight - allowing Bell to walk her into the ropes for breaks. Ryan on the board with a crafty round of punch n' clutch, giving the ol' mongoose a taste of her own medicine.

R4: Cat doing a better job of cutting off the ring - girls adjusting, counter-adjusting like pros as they negotiate with each other, outfox each other. Bell putting a stiff jab between Jeri's breasts - Ryan doesn't like it, starts raking her hook across Cat's hulking jugs - crowd roars as girls go flat footed, lean towards one another and POUND AWAY TO RACK! Girls keeping it compact, following through with plenty of forearm/elbow on scraping hooks - both know exactly how to hurt the other the most in borderline cheap trade. Down the stretch, Cat backs out behind her jab, luring Jeri forward and lights her up a GORGEOUS right uppercut, walking Ryan's chin onto the clout. Ryan stepping in fence post holes, reaching forlorn to tie up - Cat pushing the arms away and slugging hard to that gut - lashing rights across Ryan's ribs just below the breast line as Jeri tumbles forward. Ryan shook up, hanging on at the bell - Cat's getting to her through 4.

R5: Jeri with a first minute of don't-hurt-me boxing - she's been caught hard tonight, looking a little hinky - Cat doesn't spare the lash. Bell walking her girl down, jabbing her upperchest, steering her to the ropes, then systematically attacking in waves with the ref looking on. Bell throwing that sidearm, clubbing right against the ribs, gets her close, then she's snuggle-punching Jeri to death, resting left cheek on Ryan's left shoulder, hustling punches up into pale breadbasket as Jeri wraps up to slow the beating. Ryan open mouthed, watery-eyed - Cat taking it TO her in relentless fashion: body, body, body after every scorching power shot to the chin.

R6: Cat sticking with the plan - walking Jeri down, taking away blonde jab outside, sliding in, then outworking Ryan in the trenches. Jeri bodied strong to the ropes - she's ashen-faced, tieing up around Cat's head, reaching around her waist, getting ref's breaks. Bell pushing her way back in after the separation, wrestling for position, then digging a satisfying right to the body, fitting the left in, chugging both hands for a moment until Ryan can wrap her up. Cat just applying patient, consistent punishment - bell sounds - brunette forces eye contact, trying to see what's left.

R7: Ryan's had enough - girls body up brawny midring, legs dig in, backsides straining and it's Jeri walking CAT back to the ropes for the first time tonight. Jeri rough with her head, rubbing either Bell jawline, palming the arms back, going to the waistline with robust pumping action. Bell's butt in the ropes - she's getting bullied, worked over and can't back Jeri off. Down the stretch - JUG MUGGING! Ryan drawing a line in the canvas and crossing it, going to Cat's bulging rack with glorious, rising lefts and rights - Bell shocked into momentary stupor as blonde tears it up to the bell. Seething, hurt glares all around - ref takes a hand - Jeri's not collapsing after all.

R8: Now CAT wants to box, jabbing, stepping to her left - Ryan trading stick, but following up with humming rights over Cat's left shoulder - brunette forced to backtrack to the ropes once again. Ryan breaking out the baseball bat, taking her turn at Cat's glossy flanks with shivering, straight-arm rights and lefts - concussive blasts have Bell stooping forward, dukes at her temples, taking. Ryan applies a cold-hearted beat down - palming Cat's shoulders, opening her up, digging combos to belly meat, using her left shoulder to stack Cat up. Ryan PANCAKING Cat's kegs, turning into tight punches, smearing 'em side to side. Bell open mouthed, looking shabby - she'll ship a right across her melons, groggily drape her left across Ryan's shoulders as she turns with the punch, then she'll ship a left as Jeri keeps her hands free. Bell to bell, tremendous punishment meted out, Jeri taking a moment at the break to drink in the sight of aching Cat. Bell badly wobbly-butt en route to her corner, blinking back tears.

R9: HAMMER AND TONGS! Cat sees her lead slipping away, sees an opponent who's supposed to be faltering down the stretch actually firming up. They jab just to measure, then it's crosses and hooks, girls throwing hard, extending on punches midring. Ryan dipping in and down with her right, then straightening and pulling the hook into Cat's body - blonde's head movement giving her the edge as she gets the extra connect in any sequence. Raw slugging seems to have Cat weary - she's missing the mark more often, not recovering quick enough to defend herself, getting caught clean, chin and ribs.

R10: HAMMER AND TONGS - THE SEQUEL! Jeri's got Cat fighting the Ryan fight: midring, long right hands, short, crunching hooks, basically toe to toe. Ryan getting tagged, but she's shaking off Cat's right on the chin, nailing brunette back in kind, getting a little leg shimmy from Bell as Cat starts to give ground. Second half the round all Jeri - she's REAMING Cat right hands over the left shoulder, raking body the hook, belting Bell ropeside then HAVING AT HER! Jeri hard-eyed as she palms up and welts Cat's throbbing midsection and flanks - strong lefts and rights roping away - Bell just sitting in the strands and soaking it up to the bell. Jeri still mauling - ref tackles her back - this thing's going to the cards. After a long delay, comes back UD10 for the winner, by a single point...and STILL LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMP: CATHERINE 'CAT' BELL!

After: Cat taking a rare moment to indulge and crush a defeated opponent's spirit: she takes the belts over to Ryan's corner, shaking her head in a sombre 'no' as Ryan seethes - officials intercede before tempers can really flare. Jeri full of defiance in post fight, "look, Cat squeaked by me tonight - that's what TE fighters do and I'll give her credit. But I beat her butt during the so-called Cat Bell rounds - ripped her for 4 straight down the stretch, and if any one was giving in late, it was her. My body stood up to her pounding - she thought she could bully me and I just pushed it back on her. I was the stronger, fresher woman at the end - she's the one who was struggling at the finish line." Bell's been aggressive with dangerous punching blondes all year long - coming out strong, trying to be the boss early - and she did that tonight. "I wanted to dictate to her, shake her confidence and knocking her down early was definitely in the playbook," says the champ. "I went to the body as much as I could and it really drained her - by the time she got her right hand on track, she didn't really have KO snap in her fists anymore and that's 'cause I pounded it out of her. She can say her body held up, but I think the two of us know better - she did NOT like what I was doing to her down there." Ryan unable to land the A right hand until the 8th - Cat taking the blonde's best attribute off the table, dominating the power punch stats - brunette just executing brilliantly to once again turn back a determined, rugged opponent.