[We open to a room absolutely plastered with UGP 70 posters, advertising each of the title fights this weekend–and as the camera pans back, it reveals three people in the room: everyone’s favorite ball of energy and caffeine, Kayla Chapman, alongside the former Featherweight Champion, Isabel Azevedo, and her translator. Both Kayla and Izzi are chatting, as much as they can, with smiles on their faces, but once Kayla becomes aware of the blinking red light on the camera, she straightens up and turns to face it.]
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between, welcome welcome welcome! To another edition of Union Grand Prix’s One-on-One series. Joining me for this edition, former Bantamweight title challenger, the first ever Featherweight Champion, looking to move back into contention for that title; one of the greats of Union GP, ‘A Maravilha,’ Isabel Azevedo everybody!
[Izzi looks…flustered, by that introduction, still not used to associating herself as “one of the greats.” She smiles and waves at the camera, though.]
ISABEL AZEVEDO: “(Thank you so much for having me!)”
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “Izzi, unfortunately, we gotta start with kind of a downer topic–UGP 67, in Mexico City.”
[Izzi sighs a little; she clearly knew it was coming, but it’s not a memory she enjoys. She licks at her bottom lip and settles back in her seat, nodding a little.]
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “Obviously, that fight ended crazy late in the going, and there were…more than a few fans that called the official’s decision to stop a title fight, that close to the bell, maybe…a little controversial. You’ve had a few months to watch that fight back, have you done so? And if so, what’s your take on that stoppage?”
ISABEL AZEVEDO: “(I…)”
[Izzi lets out another sigh, mulling over her thoughts.]
ISABEL AZEVEDO: “(I don’t blame the ref for stopping the fight. It was a bad look, it probably looks even worse than it felt, and it didn’t feel good. I think anyone calling it controversial either wanted to see the hometown girl lose, or had a better ticket in hand with my name on it. Selfishly, obviously, I wish those extra…whatever it was, ten seconds would’ve been allowed to run, even if I was going to get punched in the head for all ten of them, I would’ve preferred the opportunity to see if I could get away from it. But I dunno how likely that would’ve been, if I’m completely honest, so…I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it–and as much as I wish it played out differently, it didn’t. Verona did what she had to do in the moment, she got the job done, well done to her.)”
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “It was a…rough looking end of the fight…”
ISABEL AZEVEDO: “(Yeah, it doesn’t look good. She got that one big punch, and sometimes that’s all it takes–I’ve been on the other end of that sometimes, I’ve been the one that lands that one big punch and surprises everybody. I’m not mad at the result, I’m not mad at the stoppage, I’m just…disappointed. I feel like I let myself and anyone that supports me down in that fight.)”
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “I…don’t know if I agree with that, but I get what you mean. Shifting gears a little bit, considering how close that fight was until the very end and since you were the first champion, did you feel any kind of…I dunno, aggrieved, maybe, that you weren’t given a rematch?”
ISABEL AZEVEDO: “(I’m supposed to say no, right?)”
[Izzi laughs a little bit, tucking one foot under the opposite knee, almost unconsciously into a triangle frame.]
ISABEL AZEVEDO: “I’m supposed to say I understand why it didn’t happen or whatever else, but if I’m completely honest about it? Yeah, I was a little bit upset about that. To go thru the Grand Prix, to win the tournament, to be the first champion, and to lose it in a close, competitive fight, that…yanno, that punch is off by an inch, we have a very different conversation, like…yes, ultimately, it was a finish, but anybody who says they were confident with the result if that punch doesn’t land is convincing themselves, I think. It all kinda seemed to point to, yeah, we should probably do that again, but…)”
[Izzi shrugs her shoulders.]
ISABEL AZEVEDO: “(It’s not the way Dante decided to go, and I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about what ifs and maybes and all that. It’s not what happened, so I moved on to what comes next.)”
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “Speaking of what comes next…”
[Kayla grins, seamlessly flowing into her next question.]
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “There’s a lot of conversation about what your fight this weekend could mean for the Featherweight rankings; Verona obviously defended against Lucija Dragicevic last month in Canada, this fight between yourself and Danielle Fontaine could be a title eliminator, and there’s the variable of Victoria Marshall’s eventual 145 debut. There’s a lot going on at the top of 145 right now, what does a win this weekend mean in terms of your outlook on the division?”
ISABEL AZEVEDO: “(I have no control over who gets the opportunities, what the rankings look like, who has what number by their name, so…I dunno, I’ve never put just a whole lot of stock into it. People move up and down in weight, rankings change, opponents are constantly swapping, none of that’s anything I have any control over, and I try to focus on the things I can change–and that’s, mostly, what happens in the fight. My focus is on doing what I have to do to get my hand raised this weekend, and force my way back into the title picture. I don’t want there to be any doubt, coming out of this weekend, who’s next in line–no matter what else changes at the top of 145 pounds in the next few months.)”
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “Well, then, let’s get to this weekend: Danielle Fontaine, one of the faces of Canada’s Top Team, and one of the fastest rising stars at 145 pounds. She’s a heavy-handed striker that’s shown power in her kicks as well, clearly someone on the hunt for a finish every time she steps into the cage. What’s your take on her, thus far in her career?”
ISABEL AZEVEDO: “(Yeah, she’s obviously really talented, especially on the feet; you don’t get to an 18-2 record by luck. She’s got good boxing, she adapts well, and she’s a pressure fighter kind of like Redd Lennox was, she doesn’t really give that option to settle into your own gameplan. Which is great, if and when it works. But I feel like, saying that, I could be describing…most of the roster, honestly. Aggressive strikers definitely seem to make up most of 135 and 145, anyway; she’s not so different from Katya or Eugenie or Dallas or so many others. I won’t pretend she’s not talented, by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve prepared for fighters like her…a lot, in the past. It’s kind of what I expect to be getting into, these days; the difference is, though, those elite strikers that I’m preparing for every fight, don’t usually have that same preparation for someone who fights on the ground. And I think that’s gonna be the difference maker in this fight, what’s her takedown defense look like against someone who actually can get the fight there? What’s her defense look like, when the fight hits the mat?)”
[Izzi shrugs a shoulder a little bit, moving on to another thought just as easily as she came to that one.]
ISABEL AZEVEDO: “(The other thing about this fight is I don’t know how much we really know about her as a fighter, at the highest level. I think she’s…hm, how do I say this? I think she’s been given favorable matchups, up to this point. I have nothing against either Ronnie Banks or Ryo Mitsunari for stepping up and taking fights, but combined I think they have 1 win under the Union banner, and to be completely honest? It’s a small miracle they’re still employed, when the company’s let more successful fighters go recently. So I don’t want to disrespect either of those two, but those aren’t exactly risky fights for Danielle; she got a couple of favorable matchups that she got to show what she could do, and then she was put against a potential contender…and you could see the change early on in the fight with Jalen Briggs, that aggression was still there but the discipline wasn’t. She had trouble getting going, and…I mean, you could make a real case that she lost that fight. And, I like Jalen as a fighter, he’s not an easy fight by any stretch of the imagination, but I think that might be more telling than any of the highlights from her first two fights–how does she adapt, when things aren’t easy?)”
[Kayla looks…a little surprised, by Izzi’s reaction to her opponent, but shakes her head and follows up.]
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “To that point, this is obviously a major step up in competition for Danielle, do you think maybe she bit off more than she could chew, so quick in her Union career?”
ISABEL AZEVEDO: “(I don’t know, I can’t really say what she can and can’t handle. What I can say is that she’s extraordinarily confident for someone so new to the company, that hasn’t really been tested to this point. She’s already talking about the title fight, like this weekend’s just going to be an easy fight for her, I think she even said I was just someone for her to push aside, which…that mentality’s served people really well with me in the past, yanno?)”
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “I can’t fault her for her confidence, given her performance since signing with Union, though.”
ISABEL AZEVEDO: “(No, for sure. She should be confident. Ultimately, she’s done what she had to do to win, whether that’s the early knockouts or grinding out the decision against Jalen. But there’s a difference between being confident and being dismissive, and I think she’s kinda dancing on that line. I think she’s already looking at Verona, it seems like she’s already thinking about the fight she wants, not the one she has, and a win over me isn’t something she can just manifest and hope it comes true. Especially considering she’s never fought anyone with my skillset, looking toward the future isn’t something she can afford to do. I totally understand her wanting the title fight, I even understand if she thinks she’s already proven she deserves it–whether or not I agree is a totally different point. But, that…dismissive, walk in the park kinda nonsense did kind of…rub me the wrong way, if I’m honest. Which, I have to admit, gives me a little more incentive to make a statement this weekend. Not only do I want my title back, but nobody in this division should be foolish enough to look past me.)”
[Kayla just lets her head nod up and down a little.]
KAYLA CHAPMAN: “I don’t…know if that’s how I understood that comment of hers, but maybe there’s a reason I just hold the microphones and don’t step into a cage. Regardless, this weekend’s fight is clearly a big occasion for you, a chance to get back into contention for the Featherweight Championship–Izzi, thank you so much for taking time out of your week for me. Good luck this weekend, I can’t wait to see the fight!”
ISABEL AZEVEDO: “(Thank you so much!)”
[Izzi turns to leave, waving with both hands as the scene fades to black.]