The moment I stepped into the cage, I harnessed my confidence in my abilities. My opponent was no match for me. Trevor was right. I had to view Jay as nothing more than a rival because if I unleashed even an ounce of the fury I felt toward him, I’d negate my training and discipline.
I bounced on my feet, releasing one breath after another. This was it, the day I’d been working toward for many months. Not only was I going to defeat Jay, but it was also a big fuck you to Gabriel. The son who hated him was about to destroy his prized fighter.
My song died down and was replaced with another, one I’d never heard before. The crowd erupted as several men appeared, Jay taking the lead. He showed no emotion. The same pre-ring inspection took place for him, and when he finally stepped into the ring with me, he barely met my gaze before he moved to the opposite corner.
The tall, lanky, bald announcer entered the ring next, holding a microphone. He’d announced several of my fights in the past. We exchanged nods before he started his spiel.
“Ladies and gentlemen, UFC fans around the world, this is the fight you’ve been waiting for. Brother versus brother. Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner, a mixed martial artist holding a professional record of twenty-two wins, one loss, he stands six feet even, weighing in at one hundred eighty-five pounds, the reigning, undisputed, middleweight champion of the world, the notorious Jackson Crewwwwww,” he shouted, elongating my last name to hype up the crowd even more. The thunderous screams of the fans were borderline deafening, and before any other fight, I’d revel in their delight, but I focused more than I ever have before on what was to come.
Just an opponent.
Just an opponent.
I paced, glancing at Trevor and Elton, who stood on the other side of the octagon, before locking eyes with Sophie. She’d been toying with her bottom lip, leaning into her sister, but once she looked at me, she smiled, and I felt invincible.
“And now, introducing his opponent, fighting out of the red corner,” the announcer continued, “holding a professional record of fifteen wins, three loses, standing at five foot eleven, weighing in at one hundred eighty-four point three pounds, presenting the number-four-ranked middleweight contender in the world, Jay Monroooooe.”
The crowd erupted once more but slightly less so after Jay’s name was announced. A slight ego boost for me, one I would revel in.
Once the referee clapped his hands after emphasizing the rules and expectations and said, “Break,” we merged toward the center of the ring, tapping gloves as a sign to begin. For two rounds, we exchanged punches and kicks. I managed to get himon his back twice, but both times he’d slid out of my hold. He landed a harsh blow near my left eye, knocking me back several steps, and I almost maimed him when I landed a kick to his right knee. I wasn’t foolish enough to believe Jay wasn’t talented in the ring, but he wasn’t as skilled as I was. Some of his moves were sloppy, ill-timed.
When Sophie asked me what I knew about my upcoming opponent before she knew about Jay, I told her I didn’t follow his fights, that I left it up to my team to give me information on him. But that wasn’t entirely true. I’d watched a handful of his bouts, taking notes on his weaknesses, of which there were a few. His biggest one was that he focused too much on his opponent’s footwork, missing the swings that came afterward.
After the bell, we retreated to opposite sides of the ring. My left eye started to swell, and my muscles ached.
“Shut him down, Jax,” Trevor shouted next to me. “Stop fucking around.”
I didn’t want to admit I wasn’t fucking around, that Jay was giving as good as he got, but I nodded all the same.
Between rounds, the fighters got a full minute’s rest. Trevor and I discussed some moves for me to utilize, and while I absorbed that information, I couldn’t help but wonder how Sophie was doing. I peered over his shoulder to search for her and saw that her shoulders were hunched and that her beautiful face was contorted in a grimace. I’d warned her how brutal these fights could be, but she had no idea just how bad they could get. Elton followed my eyeline before turning back to me.
“Don’t worry about her. She’ll be fine. Focus,” he said, smacking my cheek and pointing at me. “Focus,” he repeated when I glared at him.
The bell rang once more, and I moved toward Jay, bouncing on my feet, ready to end this fight once and for all. He managed a successful kick to my ribs, and I knocked him back with a harshuppercut, the padding of my glove compressing my knuckles with the force.
I danced around him, planning my next move, when out of my periphery, I saw Sophie leave her seat and walk up the aisle. Lance and Abby hadn’t moved to follow her. I’d warned her to stay put, fearing her ex would find any occasion to come at her again, and what better opportunity than at a crowded fight.
I took my eyes off Jay for less than a second, but it was enough for him to gain the upper hand. I was flat on my back before I could register what happened. The weight of his body pinned me to the mat, and as I enacted the move to get away from him, a move that had always worked to my advantage in the past, he snatched my left arm and twisted.
My eyes widened in disbelief right before he dislocated my shoulder. The immense pain blacked out my vision momentarily, and I was immobile. From my shoulder, numbness traveled down my arm and to my hand. Jay hopped to his feet and the ref pushed him back. He saw I couldn’t continue the fight and declared Jay the winner.
Trevor and Elton rushed into the ring, the commotion of the crowd and the shouts of my team morphing together. I couldn’t make out what anyone said, too wrapped up in the pain holding me captive.
Time seemed to stand still while simultaneously speeding up as I was ushered toward the back room where a doctor waited to tend to my injury. Sophie’s back was to the door, but once she heard us, she turned around, the confusion on her face prevalent.
“What happened?” she shouted, moving toward me.
I yanked out my mouth guard and tossed it to the floor. “You fucking left your seat,” I yelled back. I growled through the pain. “I told you to stay put.” My anger loomed over everyone present. “You said you’d be fine.”
“I’m sorry, I… I just…. It wasn’t anything like the video. It… it was too much.”
Lance rushed into the room, glancing from me to Sophie and back again. His expression was a mix of anger, surprise, and regret. If my arm wasn’t hanging right now, I’d punch him in the face for not following simple orders. He had one job to do for me and he failed.
Every time the doctor touched me, I hollered, not looking forward to this next part. Popping the shoulder back in place hurt worse than having it dislocated. My lungs stuttered with the pain, and my entire body heated in preparation for the sharp pain awaiting me.
“Ready?” The doctor looked like a sweet old man with his soft white hair and kind eyes, but the thoughts running through my head while looking at him were anything but sweet. I wanted to punish him for touching me, an irrational reaction, I realized, as he was only trying to help me.
“Just do it,” I gritted, my teeth mashing together.
