Protect & Serve(152)

Luke was wearing dark red shorts with white trim. There were sponsor’s patches adorning each leg. His shoulders were covered by a heavy hooded robe. It was satin like the ones Rocky wore in the movies.

“Are you ready?” I asked.

“Now I am.”

I climbed into his lap on top of the table.

“You can do this. Go win the fight. There’ll be all the time in the world for us after. I’ll be in the front row.”

“You better be.”

He picked me up and walked me to the door. I could hear his people nervously chatting on the other side. Someone called out.

“Luke, it’s time!”

He exhaled through his nose and set me down.

“When this is over, you’re all mine.”

“Be careful.”

I planted another quick kiss on the corner of his mouth and slipped out through the door without looking back. I didn’t want him to see how nervous I was.

The woman from the jet was waiting outside the locker room to lead the way. We got to our seats just as Luke started to make his way toward the cage. A heavy rock song played over the audio system. The place absolutely erupted when he appeared from behind the curtain.

There were so many people around him as he walked down the aisle. There were security guards and Luke’s trainers and members of the medical staff. It looked like a small army taking their warrior into battle.

He stopped just in front of the cage for his final preparations. One of the guys helped him pull the robe off of his shoulders and over his gloves. Another one rubbed him down with what looked like Vaseline; first on his brow, and then over his chest.

His cut musculature glistened under the spotlight. His hair was wet and slicked back from his warm-up.

The other fighter was on his way to the ring now, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of Luke. He bounced around the inside of the cage on his toes while shadow boxing. It seemed as if he thought he was the only one in the entire building. He was in the zone.

His opponent was a monster of a man. He cut across my view of Luke as he entered the cage. I’d seen pictures of him online but they didn’t do justice to his true size. He stood a brutish six and a half feet tall. His frame carried the bulk that only dangerous amount of steroids could provide.

They looked like two completely different animals in that cage. Luke was calm and fluid while his opponent made hasty movements and was clearly nervous.

Every one of the thirty thousand plus in attendance was on their feet. The public address system crackled and the walls of the building seemed to tremble at the crowd’s response.

“Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaidies and gentlemen, welcome to our main event!” The announcer’s voice blasted out of the speakers. The fans hit another level of excitement which I didn’t even think possible.

“This is a scheduled five round fight for the M.M.A.C.S. light heavyweight championship of the world!”

The lights dimmed and a hush fell over the crowd.

“In the blue corner is the challenger. Weighing in at two hundred and five pounds, fighting out of the Greer Mixed Martial Arts Fight Club, he’s a two-time national kick boxing champion and a freestyle fighter, Luuuuuuuuuuuke Greeeeeeeer!”

The crowd responded with a chorus of baritone “Luuuuuuuuuuuke’s” back at the cage. The people were clearly in his corner.

He stayed light on his feet, bouncing from side-to-side. Every now and then he shake his head to each side and roll his shoulders. His tan body almost glowed beneath the fluorescent lighting. The determination and focus he maintained was hard for anyone to match.

“And fighting out of the red corner is our champion. Also weighing in at two hundred and five pounds, a mixed martial artist fighting out of the great city of Chicago, Illinois, he’s our reigning, defending, light heavyweight champion of the world… Eric “Super” Simmons!”

Simmons raised both hands in the air. The cacophony of boos from the crowd drowned out any applause he received.

The referee brought both fighters to the center of the cage to read the rules of the bout. And that was it. Without any further pomp or circumstance, they were each directed toward their corners and everyone else aside from the ref exited.

It was time.

Luke crouched down like a Lion preparing to take down its prey.

“Blue corner, are you ready?” shouted the referee.

“Red corner, are you ready?”

“Let’s fight!”

Luke sprung forward out of his stance, covering the distance between the two fighters in an incredibly short amount of time. Simmons squared up to him tentatively.

Luke let go with a barrage of strikes that sent his stunned opponent back against the cage. He landed a kick to the body and then a series of upper cuts.