Sucker Punch Drunk Love

Fighting taught me how to survive. My daughter taught me why.

The cage is the only place where I’ve ever felt powerful, where pain has rules and weakness gets left behind. But raising my little girl means I can’t just fight for myself anymore. I need money.

Recognition. A future. And there’s only one coach capable of getting me there.

Former UFC champion Josue Mendez was once unstoppable—until a career-ending injury left him bitter, guarded, and running House of Beasts with an iron fist. He doesn’t trust easily.

He doesn’t let people close.

And he definitely doesn’t train women. But I refuse to walk away.

The more time we spend together, the harder it becomes to ignore the tension simmering between us. His hands linger too long when he corrects my form. His eyes darken every time I step into the cage.

And little by little, the man everyone fears starts letting me see the parts of himself he keeps hidden from the world. He’s trying to outrun his past. I’m trying to build a future.

But falling for each other could destroy everything we’ve fought for—and some fights leave scars that never heal.