It was easier just to take the punch than to block it and leave himself open for another attack, so Kimber hit him. Not hard enough to be really damaging, but it got his attention. He didn't stop, though, and kicked again.
Her footwork was fabulous, which was problematic. It's what most people usually forgot, and most of Ollie's barehanded combat relied on mistakes that people almost always made. And he had had a very complex plan that mostly involved a judo throw and then being on top of her and then stripping her--well, that tended to end up in all of his plans.