my calf, tapping three times hurriedly. The Ref pulled him from me as I stood, the kid holding onto his elbow where I’d put all the pressure. His head hung down. Poor fucker hadn’t seen what was coming. His game needed work. The crowd was cheering as my arm was raised, winner by submission.
Making my way to the cage door to exit and head back to my room to wait for the next of the three fights I had scheduled, Matt pulled it open, his face pale. I had to shout to be heard. “What the fuck gives? I catch a win and you look like I just kicked your dog.” Matt shook his head, handing me my iPod and started the walk back towards my room. Shrugging, I followed.
I shoved the door shut behind me once we entered the room and squared off with my boy. “What the fuck gives bro?”
“Nothing man. You did good.” Matt wasn’t meeting my eyes. Something had gone down while I was in the cage and he wasn’t letting me in on it. Shit.
“Just get in your zone. You got two fights left.” I went and sat in the metal chair in the corner, shoved my ear buds in and pumped my music back into my head, pushing out everything else that could distract me, even Matt.
The hand signal came after a while, I got up, stretched my arms up over my head and nodded to Matt, making my way back out to the cage, the one place I could be me. The cage understood me, welcomed me into its metal walls, cocooning me and allowed the rage that simmered deep in my soul free. There was no other feeling like it.
Another fist tap and the next fight began. This guy was taller than me and had a good arm reach on him. He managed to land a few blows with his fists and a few kicks before we hit the floor and ground and pound was on. I could have taken him on my feet with nothing but striking but I was trying to round out my game and I needed to improve in my grappling. This guy did not like the ground. He managed to get back to his feet, me gaining mine almost simultaneously and then it was a full on street brawl. He caught my cheek with a nasty right and I knew blood was mixing with sweat. I felt the liquid seeping down my face before everything went red. The next thing I knew, I was being pulled back, Matt was in the cage, his hands on my chest backing me up as he screamed in my face.
“JD! Fuck bro. Get it together.” The red haze faded back as I came back to myself and looked around. The Ref came over and hesitantly raised my arm, announcing that I was winner by TKO. I spared a glance across the ring and saw my opponent’s battered and bloody face.
“Shit.” I couldn’t recall what punches I’d thrown, no wonder the Ref looked like he wanted to run. Hammer fist, jab, uppercut, it was a blur, much like the guys face. Matt spun me around and shoved me out of the cage door.
Back in my locker room, I had both arms up, bent at the elbows up, my fingers laced at the back of my head as I paced a circle.
“You mind telling me what the hell just happened JD? You could have killed him.”
“I don’t know. I don’t fucking know. He hit my face and that’s all I remember.” My arms slammed down to my sides, my fingers clenching into fists.
“Alright bro. Calm down. I was just asking.” Matt thrust a room temperature water bottle at me, uncapping it first. I downed it in seconds, the sides of the bottle collapsing noisily as I drained it before finding my chair. This wasn’t the first time I’d lost my shit in the cage. At Cellar Door, it was almost expected but if I ever wanted to be legit, I couldn’t go in a pro fight and lose it like that.
“Sorry Matt. I really…shit I don’t know what set me off. Just felt the blood running down my face and it was like someone pulled a trigger. I just snapped.” Matt came over and clasped his hand on my shoulder briefly and then took the empty water bottle from me.
“One more fight for tonight. Then we are clear of here. I don’t want you going upstairs to VIP tonight JD. I got a bad
Making my way to the cage door to exit and head back to my room to wait for the next of the three fights I had scheduled, Matt pulled it open, his face pale. I had to shout to be heard. “What the fuck gives? I catch a win and you look like I just kicked your dog.” Matt shook his head, handing me my iPod and started the walk back towards my room. Shrugging, I followed.
I shoved the door shut behind me once we entered the room and squared off with my boy. “What the fuck gives bro?”
“Nothing man. You did good.” Matt wasn’t meeting my eyes. Something had gone down while I was in the cage and he wasn’t letting me in on it. Shit.
“Just get in your zone. You got two fights left.” I went and sat in the metal chair in the corner, shoved my ear buds in and pumped my music back into my head, pushing out everything else that could distract me, even Matt.
The hand signal came after a while, I got up, stretched my arms up over my head and nodded to Matt, making my way back out to the cage, the one place I could be me. The cage understood me, welcomed me into its metal walls, cocooning me and allowed the rage that simmered deep in my soul free. There was no other feeling like it.
Another fist tap and the next fight began. This guy was taller than me and had a good arm reach on him. He managed to land a few blows with his fists and a few kicks before we hit the floor and ground and pound was on. I could have taken him on my feet with nothing but striking but I was trying to round out my game and I needed to improve in my grappling. This guy did not like the ground. He managed to get back to his feet, me gaining mine almost simultaneously and then it was a full on street brawl. He caught my cheek with a nasty right and I knew blood was mixing with sweat. I felt the liquid seeping down my face before everything went red. The next thing I knew, I was being pulled back, Matt was in the cage, his hands on my chest backing me up as he screamed in my face.
“JD! Fuck bro. Get it together.” The red haze faded back as I came back to myself and looked around. The Ref came over and hesitantly raised my arm, announcing that I was winner by TKO. I spared a glance across the ring and saw my opponent’s battered and bloody face.
“Shit.” I couldn’t recall what punches I’d thrown, no wonder the Ref looked like he wanted to run. Hammer fist, jab, uppercut, it was a blur, much like the guys face. Matt spun me around and shoved me out of the cage door.
Back in my locker room, I had both arms up, bent at the elbows up, my fingers laced at the back of my head as I paced a circle.
“You mind telling me what the hell just happened JD? You could have killed him.”
“I don’t know. I don’t fucking know. He hit my face and that’s all I remember.” My arms slammed down to my sides, my fingers clenching into fists.
“Alright bro. Calm down. I was just asking.” Matt thrust a room temperature water bottle at me, uncapping it first. I downed it in seconds, the sides of the bottle collapsing noisily as I drained it before finding my chair. This wasn’t the first time I’d lost my shit in the cage. At Cellar Door, it was almost expected but if I ever wanted to be legit, I couldn’t go in a pro fight and lose it like that.
“Sorry Matt. I really…shit I don’t know what set me off. Just felt the blood running down my face and it was like someone pulled a trigger. I just snapped.” Matt came over and clasped his hand on my shoulder briefly and then took the empty water bottle from me.
“One more fight for tonight. Then we are clear of here. I don’t want you going upstairs to VIP tonight JD. I got a bad
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