“And?”
“He’s got sloppy footwork.”
“And?”
“His mother wants to bounce up and down on my cock.”
“Shit, Luke. Will you be serious.”
I chuckled at the expression on Len’s face. “Chill out. I’ve got this shit under wraps.” I pressed my fist into his chest and pivoted, heading down the aisle toward the ring. As soon as the spotlight hit me, the crowd cheered.
That shit used to send my adrenaline pumping. It still did, though not as much.
I didn’t acknowledge the crowd to my left or right who called my name. On the outside, I took it all in stride as I undid the belt of the silk robe that hung around my body. Lenny stepped behind me to remove the robe. I nodded at the ref, known as Big John, because he was just as big as most of the fighters in my weight class.
All around me, I could hear the noise of the crowd, gathering to cheer on their favorite contender. The chants used to energize me, get me pumped up and ready to go to war. They would drown out the garbage in my own head and allow me to concentrate on the guy in front of me. Now, I found myself needing to drown out the audience as well. I shifted my gaze around the cage in front of me until it landed on my contender for the night.
Ronaldo Lee Caldwell.
What the hell kind of name was that? I didn’t know but whatever. To each their own, I guessed. I gave Caldwell a once over, letting my eyes move over his entire frame from head to toe, sizing him up. I went over everything I knew about him and his fighting style.
He’s quick off the jab but has sloppy footwork.
His right hook is deadly.
He loves a chokehold.
He’s a hell of a grappler.
Has had a total of three knockout wins over the last three years.
Don’t let him get you on the ground.I reminded myself.
I continued to stare at Caldwell as I entered the cage. The spotlight shined on the both of us, while the rest of the arena remained shrouded in darkness. Except for the cellphone lights. The cheers from the audience would’ve been deafening to an untrained fighter.
Angling my head from one side to the other, I cracked my neck and rotated my shoulders, making sure my muscles stayed loose and ready. I’d done plenty of warming up in my waiting room, but needed to stay that way. I began shadow boxing at my side of the cage while I watched Caldwell do the same. His eyes drilled into me as he swung at the air, apparently this was his attempt at intimidation.
Whatever, dumbass.
“And fighting tonight we have…” the announcer at the center of the ring began speaking into the microphone, while the camera guy and ref circled Caldwell and myself. The audience roared and applauded as our names and stats were read off. I glared at my opponent, drowning out the white noise.
“All right gentlemen, let’s have a clean fight. You know the rules,” Big John declared as we closed in on the center of the cage. “Ready?” he questioned looking at me.
I nodded.
“Ready?” he asked Caldwell who also nodded.
“Let’s fight.” He clapped and stepped back, moving out of our way.
Caldwell moved in closer, and we began circling the cage, fists up, bouncing on the balls of our feet. Caldwell made the first move with a front kick. I easily side-stepped it and made a move of my own, trying for a right hook. I missed, but he was a few steps slower than me. A grin crossed my lips as my confidence mounted. This win might be easier than I suspected.
I easily ducked the left hook he sent my way and landed a left jab of my own right to his ribs. He grunted and attempted a head lock maneuver since I was in so close. He was almost successful.
That was until I aggressively made contact with his right ribs with my left elbow, forcing him to release me. I moved in quickly with a left uppercut and then a right. Caldwell’s approach was slowed down by my punches. Yet, he continued to swing at me, I dodged it and landed another blow to his left ribs. My minor victory was short-lived however. He dipped low, somehow able to wrap his arms around my legs. We both went down with me on my back and him over me.
Fuck no.I wasn’t going down this easily. I began elbowing him in the head, and flipping both of us over, pushing away from him enough to break his hold on me. I leapt to my feet, keeping my eyes locked on his every move.
Breathing heavily, I continued to dance on the balls of my feet, staying out of his reach so he wouldn’t be able to get me to the ground again. I wasn’t an idiot. He was better at grappling than I was.
