Martial Arts Livestreaming
Chapter 411 - 378: Champion Partners

Chapter 411: Chapter 378: Champion Partners

"Special competition format?" Cai Xiaoyan was somewhat confused.

However, her close friend next to her knew something. "I know, is it that each team gets one chance to request it during the group stage, and the opponent can’t refuse?"

The uncle from Northeast nodded, "Exactly, that’s the one."

"What are the rules of the special competition format?" asked Cai Xiaoyan.

At that moment, the stadium’s public address system was also explaining the detailed rules of the special competition format again, so the uncle from Northeast listened and translated. "The two teams send players to compete in the original sequence. When a player wins, they can choose to leave the field or continue competing. But if they choose to continue, they only have ten minutes left for their match. Whether the time runs out or they are defeated by the opponent, they lose."

"Both teams take turns sending players like this until all seven players of one side are defeated. That team loses and scores zero points, while the opponent scores seven points!"

Cai Xiaoyan nodded, "I remember now, I saw some analysis online suggesting that if the Hua Country Team wants to advance, they might go for the special competition format."

Uncle from Northeast, "Of course, it can create a 7-point gap with the opponent at once, but the risk is also high, losing gives you zero points. But it’s quite normal for the Hua Country Team to apply for the special format, especially since they’re 3 points behind the Island Country Team. In a normal match, if they want to qualify, they can afford to lose at most two matches and need over 5 points, which is too difficult, so they might as well try a swing with the special format."

Many people had similar thoughts, so there was some mental preparation regarding the Hua Country Team’s application for the special competition format.

Now the group stage had reached the point where the special competition format had been used three times. This was the fourth.

In the previous three instances, the competing teams were not considered strong, and there were no exceptionally powerful players on either team, but this time was different—Hua Country Team had Wu!

Everyone wanted to know, how many opponents could Wu defeat alone?

The application for the special competition format was quickly approved, and as usual, the first match was the Women’s Strawweight competition, with Zhang Weili representing the Hua Country Team.

"Zhang Weili!"

"Zhang Weili!"

"Zhang Weili!"

Upon seeing Zhang Weili heading towards the inspection area, the Hua Country fans at the venue immediately became excited, chanting her name in unison.

Being the first player from Hua Country to win a UFC championship, Zhang Weili had high popularity. Previously, she couldn’t compete due to physical reasons, which was a disappointment to Hua Country fans, but now, they finally got to see Zhang Weili in action!

Zhang Weili stepped onto the ring, waved to the audience around, and then exchanged fist bumps as a greeting with the player from Island Country Team.

The player from Island Country Team was named Inai Hureiko, a disciple of Kamino Kei, a Master level practitioner of Shinoyama Style Aikido, with an Overall Score of A—(7%).

While Zhang Weili’s Overall Score was A+(87%), she still had an advantage.

Of course, Inai Hureiko practiced Traditional Martial Arts from Japan, trained by a real combat Martial Artist like Kamino Kei. She might be at a disadvantage in a ring match, and her real capability could be higher than her Overall Score.

The referee waved his hand, signaling the start of the match!

Zhang Weili assumed a defensive stance and cautiously approached Inai Hureiko.

Inai Hureiko remained calm and composed, adopting the initial stance of Aikido, staying in place without moving.

Once Zhang Weili entered the effective striking distance, she tentatively kicked, aiming a low sweep at Inai Hureiko’s left knee.

Just as Zhang Weili’s leg extended, Inai Hureiko moved. She bent forward, her left arm bending inward, wrapping Zhang Weili’s incoming leg.

This move resembled the ’Knee Crook’ step in Tai Chi, but the essence was not in the move itself, but in the anticipation.

As Zhang Weili kicked, Inai Hureiko had anticipated her movement, allowing her to timely grasp Zhang Weili’s leg.

Mid-kick, Zhang Weili suddenly changed direction, kicking upwards towards Inai Hureiko’s chin!

"Inai Hureiko’s anticipation of the kicks is spot on, nearly every time her opponent kicks, she can accurately predict and is accustomed to using the leg-wrap technique to break their balance. Therefore, you can reserve strength in your kick and alter it midway."

This was a strategy designed by Li Tongyun for Zhang Weili based on Inai Hureiko’s characteristics before the match, and Zhang Weili employed it instantly upon entering the ring.

Faced with Zhang Weili’s sudden change of tactics, Inai Hureiko responded smoothly. Her right hand guarded her chest while her body moved backward slightly, creating distance and blocking the kick.

Zhang Weili’s kick was ineffective, but she wasted no time, quickly retracting her right leg, twisting her waist and hips, and her left fist fiercely thundered through!

Inai Hureiko sidestepped this punch, her right hand slapping down on Zhang Weili’s arm, diverting the force of the punch, then smoothly grabbing towards Zhang Weili’s elbow joint.

Aikido’s technique is similar to the ’Borrowing Force to Strike’ in Tai Chi, but the final aim is not to disrupt the opponent’s balance, but to seize the moment to grapple or throw them down.

Zhang Weili didn’t dodge. She let Inai Hureiko grab her elbow while her right leg lifted, driving her knee forward into Inai Hureiko’s abdomen.

Inai Hureiko reacted quickly, shielding her abdomen with her left hand, taking a half-step back with her left leg. After taking the knee strike, she smoothly turned to the side, simultaneously exerting force with her right hand, pulling Zhang Weili’s arm forward as Zhang’s momentum carried her.

The moment Zhang Weili’s body leaned too far forward, Inai Hureiko was ready to counter with a reverse hold on Zhang’s left arm, pinning it to the ground.

This series of maneuvers was a technique from the Shinoyama Style Aikido, the reverse arm thrust.

Zhang Weili leaned forward, but instead of stopping herself, she stomped hard with her right leg on the ground and actually accelerated forward!

"The opponent likes to evade and drag forward while grasping the opponent’s arm during an attack, trying to disrupt their balance. You need to prepare in advance and might choose to charge forward fully, thus leading their body instead."

This was also a tactic Li Tongyun had arranged for Zhang Weili, and now, she was leveraging it to manipulate Inai Hureiko’s body.

As Zhang Weili charged, Inai Hureiko tried to let go, but Zhang caught her wrist and pulled, forcing Inai to run forward a few steps.

Before Inai Hureiko settled her stance, a whooshing sound resonated near her ear—it was Zhang Weili, turning around for a spin kick aimed at her temple.

Inai Hureiko dodged backward, avoiding the kick. Her balance wasn’t adjusted in time, giving Zhang Weili the chance to continue her assault.

Punches and kicks roared towards Inai Hureiko, pushing her steadily back.

Several times Inai Hureiko tried to neutralize Zhang Weili’s strength and counterattack, but Zhang anticipated her every move.

It felt like Zhang Weili was very familiar with her style, always able to interrupt her crucial moves.

"Why? Previously, I have only competed against my master or fellow disciples at our dojo; I’ve never fought publicly. This World Cup is only my second match, so why does she seem to know me so well?"

Inai Hureiko couldn’t understand that just those two matches had ’exposed’ so much to Li Tongyun.

Those weren’t necessarily weaknesses, since she was a master-level martial artist with no obvious flaws. However, these analyzed tidbits helped Zhang Weili quickly gain the upper hand.

Zhang Weili and Li Tongyun had collaborated for a long time and had tactically coordinated to win the UFC championship. Their synergy and coordination were unmatched within the Hua Country Team—they were a championship pair.

Now, Zhang Weili’s execution on the ring showed that she flawlessly implemented Li Tongyun’s tactics without any errors.

Zhang Weili’s strength surpassed Inai Hureiko, and with the tactical advantage, she was almost completely dominating the fight.

In under two minutes, Inai Hureiko’s face bore the impact of five punches, her eye corners split open, blood streaming, marking an unprecedented disarray.

Gritting her teeth, she suddenly roared and bent her legs, kneeling abruptly.

This move caught Zhang Weili off guard; she swung a hook that missed and instinctively stepped back to defend.

But Inai Hureiko moved faster. While kneeling, she reached out, grabbed Zhang Weili’s right leg, and was about to use her core and upper body strength to roll, aiming to topple Zhang Weili and twist her knee!

This was a secret killing move from the Shinoyama Style Aikido, the kneeling strangle!

The release was stealthy and abrupt, with the final twist to the opponent’s knee being extremely swift and explosive.

Zhang Weili sensed the danger instantly, almost reflexively squatting down, her body coiling.

Monkey Squat!

This was a move she practiced most when learning Wu Li’s tactics for turning the tide at the edge of the ring after joining the Hua Country Team.

The Monkey Squat was all about the sudden contraction of all muscles, coiling into a ball—not just a simple squat, which wouldn’t generate enough quick force and might cause muscle strain.

Having trained for a while, Zhang Weili perfected it, catching Inai Hureiko off guard in that moment.

Just when Inai Hureiko exerted force to twist her opponent’s knee, she felt as if Zhang had coiled into a ball, causing her to misapply her strength, her body stiffening.

Both competitors fell to the ground, but Zhang Weili reacted swiftly. Positioned above Inai Hureiko’s head, she swiftly drew her legs back and kicked down heavily on Inai’s face.

Bang!

The powerful kick left Inai Hureiko dazed, her eyes unfocused. Seeing this, the referee hurriedly intervened to halt Zhang Weili.

Round one, Zhang Weili wins!