Chapter 39 #2
The announcer comes on, naming the two fighters and their training clubs as they enter the cage.
Nick looks determined, while his opponent looks cocky.
He’s only an inch or two shorter than Nick, with a narrower frame, but solid.
We stand to cheer for Nick as Markus takes up a place outside the cage.
The match starts, and Nick’s aggressiveness is immediately apparent; he’s on the attack.
Both fighters are on the offensive, throwing heavy punches and kicks with no regard for defense.
Nick forces him down to the floor, but can’t keep him pinned.
The bell clangs, signaling the end of the first round, and his opponent unleashes a wild swing at Nick’s face, a blur of motion that Nick narrowly dodges.
“The swing was after the bell!” Markus shouts at the judges, his voice echoing in the arena.
Nick ignores it all and rests while watching the other fighter.
Rounds two and three are similar. This is a nasty fight compared to what I’m used to watching. It’s usually fluid and mesmerizing like a dance, but this is more like a street fight.
When the bell rings, starting round four, Nick quickly flips the guy over his shoulder onto the floor.
Then they’re back to being ferocious. Nick gets flipped to the floor as the round ends, but his opponent doesn’t stop swinging.
Markus explodes on the judges as Nick fights his way out from underneath. “What the hell?” I yell, standing up.
“The guy fights dirty,” Bay comments. “He’ll lose points for that.”
“I hope so,” I mutter, not liking this match at all.
Nick is bleeding from his eyebrow, so he gets cleaned and patched before the final round begins. I’m getting nervous now. At this stage, Nick avoiding injury is far more important to me than the outcome of the match.
With the final round underway, Nick’s fighting style transforms into something more strategic, a contrast to his previous aggressive approach, and the air crackles with tension.
It appears to both confuse and enrage his opponent, causing him to lose the little composure he has.
This opening allows Nick to get several clean hits in, the satisfying thud of skin on flesh audible.
His opponent let out a ferocious roar, his muscles bulging as he launches himself at Nick.
The last 30 seconds sees Nick’s defense transform into a whirlwind of motion, a ballet of controlled chaos, each movement precise and powerful compared to the untamed wildness of his swearing opponent.
When the bell rings, his opponent refuses to stop again. Officials open the cage door and rush in quickly to subdue the fighter.
After walking out, Nick approaches Markus, his face serious, causing Markus to immediately go to the judge’s table.
The scene escalates as additional officials arrive, and a medical team rushes to the other fighter’s bench.
Whatever is being said over there has the fighter refusing to cooperate.
The announcer says there will be a short intermission before a winner is declared.
I see Markus follow Nick out of the area with an official.
He doesn’t look hurt, but what the hell?
“I bet the other guy is on something,” Seb says to us.
“Could be,” Bay agrees. “He seemed pretty aggressive.”
A low thrum of anticipation, like a hive of bees, vibrates through the crowd, a stark contrast to the frantic, drum-like beat of my heart as I sit and wait anxiously for Nick.
With the other coach engaged in a visible verbal fight with an official, additional security personnel move into view.
Two station themselves by the other fighter.
Two guards stand by the cage, their eyes scanning the crowd, while several more take positions near the arena exits, ready to assist.
Ten minutes later, Markus and Nick reappear with Nick’s hair damp from a shower. He stands near his bench but looks back towards us. He gives me an eyebrow raise, then faces the judges again. I guess he’s fine.
A judge walks over to Nick and exchanges a few words, and then Nick nods and heads for the front doors with Markus.
Finally, the overhead speaker crackles. Because of unforeseen circumstances, the winner won’t be announced until later, but thanks for attending.
We get up and leave quickly to avoid the crowds.
I see Nick and Markus waiting outside when the front doors come into view, so I walk straight towards them.
Nick motions for us to follow, so we proceed to our vehicles. “Are you okay?” I ask.
“Fine, Shortie,” he replies.
“Nick is pretty sure the fighter was on something,” Markus tells us. “Following the fight, the medical staff attempted an examination, but he refused to cooperate. We have to wait for an investigation now.” Markus waves goodbye before getting into his own vehicle, a few cars down from us.
“So, are we headed home now?” I ask.
“Yeah. This could take days,” Nick nods.
I was planning on driving back with Bay, but I’d rather sit with Nick now.
The guys easily solve that problem for me.
Alex is driving with E, and Seb offers to go with Bay, giving me a wink.
I smile at him as we grab our bags and put them in the right vehicles.
Nick gets in the driver’s seat of his Jeep as I get in the passenger seat. “Are you sure you’re not hurt?” I ask.
“Just the eyebrow cut, Shortie.”
“That was like street fighting, not MMA,” I tell him. “Did he get any cuts?”
“Don’t think so.”
“So, what happens with an investigation?”
“He’ll submit to drug testing before he leaves, or he’ll be banned from fighting again. That may extend to his coach and training center, depending on what the investigation shows.”
“Do you automatically win?”
“No, they’ll try to determine if it was just this fight or if he was on something before then, too. If it’s just this fight, I’ll win. If they think it was most of the tournament, they can decide there was too much interference and no one wins.”
“That sucks, Grumpy. You deserve to win. Did you talk to any scouts?”
“No.”
“Would you be interested in going pro?”
“No.”
“Oh, what do you want to do?”
“Finn,” he says, raising a brow at me.
“Okay.” I raise my hands in surrender. “Enough questions, Grumpy,” I smile, and then text Zander we're on the way home. Nick goes through a drive-thru and grabs a sub for himself and a soda for me, then we’re on the highway.
Seb and I text back and forth until we get to Mt.
Pleasant. Nick drops me off at Finn since Zander is still there, then heads home.
I fill Zander in on the last match as he drives us to the house, and he tells me about his work weekend.