Raw Passion (MMA Sports Romance) (3 page)

Despite the beating Colin had taken so far, he'd managed to avoid a head shot.  But all that was about to change.  With the round nearing an end, Trent made all out push to end the fight there and then.  Trent didn't want Colin to have a chance to catch his breath.  So Trent unleashed a flurry of punches to Colin's gut.  Colin was able to slightly block the first couple, but Trent didn't let up.  Finally Trent landed a couple of blows to Colin's gut before going head hunting.

By that point Colin was completely worn down.  He was running on fumes.  He knew the second round bell was about to ring any second.  The question was, could Colin hold off until then?  Just as things seemed like they couldn't get worse for Colin, Trent delivered a crushing blow to Colin's face.

Colin had never been in so much pain in his life.  Suddenly Colin's legs fell out from under him and he hit the mat with a gigantic thud.  Trent now had all the leverage to pound on Colin.  It would be open season.

Colin was completely dazed.  His head was spinning.  There was an unstoppable throbbing pain reverberating through his body.  He could sense that the end was upon him.  That he wouldn't be able to fight Trent off any longer.  That if he thought he'd taken a beating earlier, the worst was still yet to come.

Just as Trent went to finish Colin off though, just as he was about to unleash holy hell, the second round bell rung.  Colin couldn't believe his luck.  He was spared.  It wasn't quite over yet.  Despite all odds, Colin would live to fight another round.

***

"What the fuck are you doing out there?  He's killing you," Colin's trainer Jimmy said, not holding anything back.

"I know Jimmy.  It's my face getting beat in," Colin replied.

Jimmy was not one for pep talks.  He was a no nonsense kind of guy.  And as Colin sat in the corner of the cage getting the blood and sweat wiped off his face between rounds, the long odds that Colin faced struck him more than ever.  The cold hard facts were that Colin had little chance of winning the fight.  He was getting completely demolished.  Trent seemed to be too quick, too strong--unbeatable.

Colin wasn't the kind of man to give in though.  In ten years of professional fighting, he'd never thrown in the towel.  He'd never even thought of it.  Colin was too competitive to give up.  He still had the will to win.  So he was going to go out there and give it all he had.

Jimmy meanwhile had other things on his mind.  "What the hell is going on with you?  Have you forgotten the game plan?"

"I haven't had time for the game plan.  I've been too busy trying to dodge punches," Colin said.

"Well look.  This is a whole new round.  A whole new beginning.  Go out there and give it to him.  Show him the Colin that has struck fear into your opponents for years," Jimmy replied.

Colin then dug deep, knowing it was do or die time.  If he was going to make a run at winning the fight, it was his last chance.

"Alright," Colin said.

"You got enough left in the tank?" Jimmy asked.

Colin nodded.  "Let's do this."

***

As Colin and Trent stood in their corners getting ready for round three, Colin knew that his only chance was to try to strike fast.  To take a few shots at Trent's head to try and knock him off his game.  There was no way that Colin could go the distance.  He couldn't go toe to toe for three more rounds.  He'd have to try to end it fast or risk being completely overpowered.

The problem with such an aggressive strategy was that if Trent was able to withstand Colin's initial surge, Colin's defenses would be down and he'd be a sitting duck.  But that was the risk Colin had to take.  He only had so much fuel left in his tank.  He was both emotionally and physically worn down.  It was now or never.

So as round three started, Colin went right at Trent.  He managed to land a few quick jabs on Trent, hoping to get him on the defensive so Colin could pull out the big guns.  But Colin's punches didn't even seem to faze Trent.  It was as if Trent was a steamroller, and he wasn't going to stop until he ran Colin straight over.

Trent fought off Colin's initial attack, then launched a counter strike of his own.  Trent's jabs packed a serious punch though.  He was tired of messing around.  Trent wanted to end the fight right there.  So Trent bowled Colin over with his brute strength, swinging with all his might.  Colin just couldn't keep up with Trent's speed.  He could only dodge so many punches.  Then, Colin's luck finally ran completely out.  Trent went right at Colin's face and hit Colin with a right cross that felt like getting hit with a sledgehammer.

It was a direct hit--right to the kisser.  Colin flopped to the mat, completely unconscious.  And like that, Colin was done for.

***

Colin had never been knocked out before.  He'd never been unconscious either.  That night Colin had the unpleasant experience of doing both.  The doctor at the arena told Colin that he had a concussion.  That he'd have to take it easy for a while.  That he should feel lucky that it wasn't worse.

Colin didn't feel lucky though.  All Colin felt at that moment was pain.  There was an ache in his body that seemed like it wouldn't go away anytime soon.  He hadn't felt that exhausted in his whole life.  Colin wanted to put an ice pack over every inch of his body.

During the fight, Colin's adrenaline carried him through.  But now that the rush was gone, all Colin was left with was pain, frustration, and doubt.

Colin felt like his head was going to explode.  His head was throbbing so much that it was almost as if Trent had taken a screwdriver to his skull.  But between wincing in pain, Colin wondered how things had gone so terribly wrong in the cage.  Did Trent just have a night where everything went right, or did Colin just have a night when everything went wrong?  Was Colin really that outmatched?  Colin's last fight was against Tommy Tanner.  Tommy was in his early twenties just like Trent, but that fight had gone much better for Colin.  Despite the good fight that Tommy had put up, Colin ended up victorious.  And that fight was only six months ago.

Had age really caught up to Colin that quickly?  Had he really lost his step in that short amount of time?  Or had the competition just stepped up their game significantly?  Colin and his trainer had watched all of Trent's fights.  They'd seen all the footage they could on him.  And they hadn't ever seen Trent fight like that.  Not even close.  Then again, Trent had never gone up against a name fighter before.  He'd only gone toe to toe with other guys that were relatively fresh on the scene like him.  Trent was still trying to claw his way up into the spotlight.  And now with an upset victory over Colin, he had all the spotlight he could ever want.

Colin was still confused though.  It just didn't add up.  Sure Colin wasn't one of the elite fighters in the league anymore, but he also wasn't a roll over.  That fight was embarrassing.  Colin could handle losing, but getting drubbed was another story.  There was no way to feel anything but ashamed after that.  Still, Colin wondered if it was just a one time fluke or if this was just the norm all of a sudden.  Either way, Colin didn't like it.

While Colin was drowning in a pool of his own self doubt, his trainer Jimmy paced back and forth through the locker room with a look of utter surprise on his face.  But what Jimmy did next shocked Colin more than anything.

"You did your best out there Colin," Jimmy said.

Jimmy was not the kind of man to whitewash things.  Colin didn't think it was in his DNA.  If anything, Jimmy had a tendency to come across too gruff.  But Colin accepted that--he needed it.  Being a trainer wasn't about being a friend.  It was about telling the truth, no matter how grim that truth was.

Colin wouldn't have had half the career he'd had if Jimmy hadn't lit a fire under his ass.  There were times that Colin hated Jimmy.  That he felt Jimmy was pushing him way too much.  But Jimmy got results.  He always got the best out of his fighters.

So for Jimmy to all of a sudden be trying to put a positive spin on the massacre that had happened out there was completely uncharacteristic of him.

"What the fuck?" Colin replied, completely confused.

"You did all you could," Jimmy said.

Colin couldn't handle the sugarcoating.  He didn't know what was going on in Jimmy's head, but clearly something was up with him.  Colin wanted to find out what it was.

"Bullshit Jimmy.  I got my ass kicked, plain and simple," Colin replied.

Jimmy tensed up and looked at the floor.

"Jimmy, what's going on with you man?  I mean it's not like you to be nice to me.  So why are you sugarcoating everything all of a sudden?" Colin continued.

Jimmy groaned.  "It's my fault kid.  I let you down."

"What?" Colin said, in disbelief.  "You weren't the one out there fighting.  You weren't the one not being able to execute the game plan--"

"Forget the game plan Colin.  Can't you see?  I obviously missed something with Trent.  I obviously had the wrong game plan," Jimmy insisted.

Colin didn't believe that for a minute though.  Jimmy had a brilliant mind for fighting.  He'd spent his whole life around mixed martial arts.  The sport was his life.  It had cost him his marriage.  Jimmy was a genius strategist.  And he'd seen every punch that Trent had thrown since turning pro.

Colin knew something else was up with Jimmy.  That he was still hiding something.  And Colin needed to know what that was.

"No way do I believe that.  Now tell me what's really going on," Colin insisted.

Jimmy stared at Colin, then took a deep breath.  Jimmy clearly had something very difficult to say and was having trouble finding the words to say it.  But after what Colin had just been through, he was convinced that he could take it.

"Jimmy, just tell me straight up.  I can handle it," Colin said.

Finally Jimmy was ready to drop the bombshell.  "I think it might be over."

Colin thought he was ready for anything.  But he sure as hell wasn't ready for that.  "What?"

Jimmy hated to be the one to have to tell Colin the bad news, but sometimes the truth just had to be laid down.

"It happens to every fighter.  It happened to me.  And it was bound to happen to you.  I just didn't think it would happen so soon," Jimmy explained.

"Look, I had a bad fight.  I admit it.  Things like that happen every once in a while," Colin reasoned.  "But that doesn't mean--"

"Colin, this isn't easy for me either.  I know you wanted to get a title shot.  I know that's what you've been sticking around for.  But I also know what I just saw out there, and it was more than just a bad fight," Jimmy said.

"Are you sure about that?" Colin asked.

"I could be wrong.  I hope I'm wrong," Jimmy said.

"But do you think you're wrong?" Colin asked.

Jimmy grimaced, then shook his head.  "No."

"Oh," Colin said, deflated.

"You've had a hell of a career though.  It's really been something being your trainer," Jimmy replied.

Colin didn't want to believe it was time to throw in the towel.  He wanted to believe that the loss had been a fluke.  But either way, things weren't looking good.

***

"I want you so bad," Samantha moaned. 

Colin was having another dream about his ex again.  It was the last thing he needed.  But every time Colin laid his head down to sleep at night, Samantha seemed to be waiting for him in his dreams. 

"Trust me, I want you even more," Colin insisted. 

In the dream, Colin and Samantha were deep in an embrace.  Their almost primal desire was undeniable.  And the heat between them was palpable. 

"Prove it," Samantha said. 

Colin then gave Samantha a deep kiss. 

"That wasn't bad, but you can do better than that," Samantha insisted. 

Colin wasn't one to turn down a challenge.  So he gave Samantha an even more passionate kiss. 

"That's more like it," Samantha said. 

"I'm glad it was up to your standards," Colin joked. 

"I can't help it that I have high standards," Samantha replied.  "But I'm worth living up to those standards for."

Colin couldn't help but gaze into Samantha's eyes. 

"You sure are," Colin said. 

"You know, I've been having these dreams lately," Samantha pointed out. 

"What kind of dreams?" Colin asked.  

"The naughtiest kind," Samantha insisted. 

Colin got excited.  "Tell me about them," Colin said. 

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Samantha asked, playfully. 

"Try me," Colin replied. 

Samantha then leaned in and whispered in Colin's ear.  But it was then that his dream turned into a nightmare again.  Because Samantha didn't whisper dirty talk in Colin's ear.  Instead she whispered something awful. 

"I don't love you anymore," Samantha said. 

Colin woke up from his nightmare in a sweat again.  It was the middle of the night, and Colin desperately needed sleep.  But a part of him didn't want to doze off again, because he didn't want to have another nightmare about Samantha.   

***

As bad as the pain was the night of the fight, it was infinitely worse the morning after.  The aches were able to dig in to his joints as he slept.  His muscles grew more sore than he could even believe.  When Colin woke up, he felt like he couldn't get out of bed.  If his body didn't hurt so much, Colin would have laid in bed all day.  But Colin was in desperate need of some aspirin and an ice pack.  Every step Colin took made him wince.