For most of the first round, Marcos made a lot of noise. He yelled and charged a lot, wasting his energy. Hollis was focused and much quicker. Marcos spent a fair amount of time getting knocked on his ass and then pouted by yelling and pounding on the mat. Hollis hit him in the face and then kicked and swiped Marcos’ feet out from under him. He repeated this move each time he blocked Marcos’ strikes.
At the end of the first round, I was feeling pretty good about Hollis’ endurance. Even in between the first and second round, Marcos yelled at his coaches. It was evident he expected the fight to be over by now. He clearly didn’t expect Hollis to give him a square match.
The second round came and went in a flash, and Marcos continued getting knocked on his ass. He was pissed. Hollis was wearing him down, and Marcos made desperate moves by randomly taking swings that Hollis could move away from. He managed to hit Hollis a few times in the side and face, but nothing crushing yet.
Between the second and third round, Marcos continued to yell at the coaches, as if they could do anything. He yelled at his fans and tried to encourage them to make noise over Hollis’ fans. He even pointed to Vin Hasselbeck in the first row and then flipped him off.
The third round started, and they exchange some kicks and jabs. Then Hollis delivered a punch that sent Marcos to the mat in a heap. A motionless heap.
There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that everyone in the arena wasn’t sure if they were really seeing what was happening.
Marcos Silva on the ground… knocked the fuck out.
The ref called the fight.
Then it sank in.
The ref called the fight!
“Yeah!” I yelled. I turned and high-fived Morgan and Chase and then hugged Corey.
Fuck, was this really happening?
Oh my fucking God!
Hollis won the light heavyweight title!
Marcos came around fast, and despite having some blood on his face, I could tell he was pale and sick over losing. He was helped to his feet by his trainers, and he ended up shoving them. He brushed off trainers and medical staff as he was quick to leave the cage. Marcos wanted to not be around when a new king was crowned with the light heavyweight title. He spit on the floor as he exited the cage with the rest of Team Silva following.
Team Dragon fans cheered and yelled at volumes that drowned out Silva’s fans. Even well after the fight and press conference, I thought all of Hollis’ coaches and trainers were still in a little shock. It wasn’t that we didn’t think Hollis was capable. He was. Very much so. But he was still so young to be in that position with all the stress the title fight brought.
Clearly, he was more than up for the challenge. I was so proud of him.
To no surprise, Marcos Silva refused to do the post-fight press conference. Hollis was beyond excited, a shock of pride evident in his show-stopping smile. Cameras flashed, capturing the moment of Hollis’ glory. The press loved him, and there was just a different vibe of excitement not only for him but other fighters and the front suits of TCF. Many fighters who didn’t even have fights lined up for tonight stood along the walls of the banquet hall yelling and cheering for Hollis. Vin smiled ear to ear, breathing a breath of relief. He’d wanted Hollis to help clean up the shitty image TCF had because of Marcos Silva.
I hung back in the lounge of Hollis’ dressing room with his family while Hollis spent a little time out in the arena. He loved this quiet time after fights, and I knew tonight was extra special for him. His family all understood he loved the time immediately following fights for reflection, but we were all having a hard time containing our excitement for him. He’d been out there for about a half hour when I decided to go out to check on him.
The lights in the arena were dim above the seats, but the bright lights were still on the empty cage. He sat in his usual seat with his feet propped up. I stood at the end of the row and looked at him for a few moments before I walked down the row of seats toward him.
Watching him look at the cage as he mentally critiqued his work made me feel like I was spying on an artist when I shouldn’t be. He took it all very seriously, and he was dedicated to it. Hollis loved fighting with all of his heart… and I wanted so badly for him to love me. Even if it was just with a sliver of his heart.
“Hey,” I said as I approached him.
“Hey.” Hollis turned to look at me. His broad smile revealed some of his teeth. “So, can you believe it?” he asked as I sat down.
“I absolutely can believe it. It’s just so—”
“Crazy, huh?”
We both laughed. He turned his head to look at the cage, and my gaze followed.
“I saw him after the fight,” Hollis said. He was referring to what he called his older self. Hollis said after each fight, he mentally visualized his older self, proudly looking at him.
“I’m not surprised. It was an incredible fight, Hollis. You should be very proud. I know I am.”
“I’m proud of our team.” Hollis was the most humble, selfless guy I knew. “Do you think my older self will be there when I lose?”
“Let’s not think about losing tonight. You’re on top of the world tonight, man.” He nodded and then laughed. “Come on, Patrick. Let’s go have dinner and celebrate.”
