Ice Dancer Challenge Results (01/24/03)

[DoF Archive]

Date: 1/25/2003 1:26 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From: HOST Game Court


January 24th, 2003
The Outback
by Courtnall Chambers

Grayson MacLeod versus Alexandria Graziano
Fight for possession of the Blue Opal, Ice Dancer

OUTBACK -- Another Friday Night Fight in the Outback and another Opal exchanged for a shiny green gem. 

Back On Top
Styx was home to the first match of a challenge once again.  With a crowd of two looking on, Graziano and MacLeod started off with a balancing act before finally deciding to attack one another.  MacLeod's low sweep took the roundhouse kicking Graziano off her feet, but before you could blink Graziano was back on her feet and counterstriking inside of MacLeod's follow-up jab. 

Quickly Graziano pressed the attack, building a lead by pulling out a devasting high/low combo which first set MacLeod reeling, and she soon had him down for the count after a positional combination followed by a sweep.  Five straight points for Graziano and the match was at an end. 

As Above, Not So Below
Fight number two went down into the depths of the Pit.  Three rounds of see-saw battle saw neither fighter capable of opening a lead; however, MacLeod would begin a two round combination defense-offense, ducking inside of Graziano's straight left and retaliating with a right of his own in the following round, that would give him a two point, 4-2 lead after five rounds.

Unfortunately for MacLeod, Graziano would then begin to claw her way back into the fight.  Down, but never out, Graziano would counterstrike MacLeod's low sweep, posture, and then immediately beat back MacLeod and his low sweep again with a mid-level kick to tie the score at 4 going into round 9.  But the comeback was not to be as MacLeod would move into an advantageous position and then bring the hammer down with a well executed defensive counterstrike in round 10 to end it.

Put it on Ice
The deciding fight of the match would take place on the slippery surfaces of the Ice Rink.  A quick jab would put MacLeod out into the lead early, but Graziano take the point back and then some in the next two round, first blocking down and counterstriking once again on MacLeod's sweep and then ducking and counterstriking inside of an ill-advised flip set.

After a short bit of posturing by both fighters, the challenger would tie things up again by landing a straight right over a mid-level kick, but he would immediately hand the lead back to Graziano in the following round as he attempted to evade her leg sweep.  Not to be outdone, MacLeod then took advantage of his low position and swept Graziano down, rising before she could and landing a punch while she remained prone - the lead had swung back in favor of the challenger, 4-3 after 8 rounds.

Although the fighters would vie for position in round 9, by the end of round 10 it was over, MacLeod would bring a fist down on the sweeping Graziano to finish the fight and the match.  Once again, after a challenge a new Opal would be left standing.

Match notes: Grayson MacLeod defeats Alexandria Graziano 2-1 [1-5, 5-4, 5-3].