“Randolph’s got a wicked left.”
“That’s all he’s got, though. Parker nearly beat him last time, and his corner tapped him out too early.”
“Randolph’s too hamstrung by principles. Parker’s willing to put several hits to the back of the head if that’s what it’s going to take to bring Randolph down.”
The conversation wasn’t making me feel confident for Bo. I glanced over to the fight ring but couldn’t see well. The crowd had closed the void I’d made when I moved backward. Despite being relatively tall for a woman, I was still too short to have a complete view and could only see some of the fight when the two guys moved into a small viewing space. I tried to push my way forward but was repelled by the crowd. The fighting had lit a fever and the crowd pushed closer in toward the ropes. The top of Ellie’s hair was just visible to me, but she was engrossed in the fight. Phil was actually talking to her from time to time.
I slid over to the side so there was only one person between Ellie and me. I peered through the shoulders and saw Bo ducking and weaving and backing away. His movements were more graceful than I’d imagined. He could skate backward on his feet without losing balance and then press forward with a short kick or a blow with his fist.
“Randolph’s ducking more. That blows.” I heard the two chatty ones. They were disappointed there wasn’t bloodshed already.
“Fuck. This isn’t a polka. Someone get hit already.”
The fight was like a choppy film reel with images being shuttled in and out of the frame. I moved from side to side to get a better view. Bo stalked forward and Skull Man circled backward. They moved out of sight and the crowd roared. When the two came back into view, I saw a stream of blood down one side of Skull Man’s face. Skull Man moved forward with a flurry of punches and one seemed to rock Bo backward, and he retaliated with an elbow. Bo caught Skull Man around the neck with his left arm and punched Skull Man with his right fist four or five times in rapid succession. Skull Man returned a few glancing punches, that caused Bo to release him. When Skull Man stumbled backward and appeared dazed, the crowd began chanting “Don’t tap. Don’t tap.”
Blood was everywhere, down Skull Man’s eye, nose, shoulders, and even down his back. Skull Man gathered himself and rushed Bo and the two rammed each other headfirst. The collision of the bodies caused the crowd to shout its approval. The fighters grabbed each other by the neck, and it appeared that Bo was trying to slip behind Skull Man’s back. Skull Man twisted in Bo’s grip.
They separated and circled. Sweat, blood and who knows what else dripped to the floor. In a blur of movement, I saw Bo rush Skull Man and pull Skull Man’s head down into the triangle of Bo’s right arm. With his left arm, he pulled down on his right bicep.
“The Anaconda choke,” I heard the man in front of me say in approving tones to his friend.
“Yeah, cuts off the blood flow on both sides of the neck.” Clearly this was a good move, but it sounded terrible.
Bo squeezed tightly, his muscles straining with the effort. I glanced down at Finn, who looked almost bored. The opposite corner all wore worried looks and for a moment, I thought someone in Skull Man’s team would throw up the white flag. But they didn’t.
Bo must have been waiting for it, and when it didn’t come, he shoved Skull Man away with a disgusted gesture.
“See, he’s got a weak stomach,” chatty Cathy in front of me said. “It’s why he’s not in the UFC with his buddy Noah.”
“He’s got fists like iron, though,” replied the friend.
“He’ll need it against Parker. Parker’s got a head harder than granite.”
Bo shuffled backwards, allowing Skull Man to gather himself. Skull Man shook himself like a dog and then threw himself, fists first, toward Bo.
I wanted to look away, afraid the next injury I’d see would be Bo’s, but I couldn’t. The blood sport unfolding in front of me, frame by frame, was arresting. With each blow, it seemed like the crowd felt it, rocking back on its heels and then from side to side. Bo advanced with a flurry of punches, but Skull Man wouldn’t go down. He was like an automaton. I held my fingers to my mouth. I wanted a bell to ring or something to pause the fight, but this wasn’t an event taking place on Pay Per View with referees and officials. This was some illegal underground fight club with no rules and someone was going home tonight hurt badly. At this point, I just wanted it to not be Bo.
The crowd parted, momentarily, and I shot forward to grab Ellie’s hand. She turned to me and pulled me forward, which displaced a couple of guys at the rope line. One of them was unhappy and a push in my back toppled me into Ellie. Her movement and mine, along with the crowd’s push from behind, forced Phil off balance. With that infinitesimal opening, the crowd surged forward, making the fighting area even smaller. Pushing and shoving began to occur within the crowd and Phil, realizing that he’d lost the line, pulled Ellie and me close to him as he maneuvered toward the back of the room. The fighting in the crowd began in earnest after a huge roar erupted. Elbows were flying, some being thrown by Phil himself.