Chapter 9: Title Fight

It was announced that a special championship match would occur one week after the regularly scheduled matches. Unsurprisingly, the officials announced that the bout would feature Trinity versus the undefeated Crippler. Never in the short history of women’s amateur MMA had a non-champion belt-winner been matched against a dynamic opponent like Carmen Gutierez, who was well on her way to the professional circuit. However, the league was already riddled with scandal and dwindling popularity—so they were desperate to give the viewers what they wanted.

Just to add a ‘next level’ of theatrics to the amateur weigh-ins the league officials decided to have Trinity and Crippler present and showcase them last for the viewers to get a nibble of what was in store for the following week. This time Trinity and Lacey were dressed in matching red spandex shorts and black cropped halters that featured the logo of the Brazilian Jujitsu studio run by Dom and Hector. As their coaches and trainers, they had the option to sponsor the girls as well.

The University basketball stadium was nearly at capacity as the weigh-ins commenced. Once more Trinity was placed to the far left of the contenders while her opponent was placed to the far opposite side. When Loco was called forth, she skipped forward to the cheers of the audience and stepped calmly onto the scale. Her match-up was already decided. She would be fighting a return champion named Hedel ‘Storm’ Vengaard. Trinity watched as the taller woman strode forward to mount the scale. Her hair was blonde and styled into matted dreadlocks. She wore a brace over her right knee and an athletic wrap over her right foot.

After the weigh-in and the posing by the two fighters, Lacey stepped back and returned to the side of her teammate.

“I’m pretty sure Dom or Hector will tell you, but that brace and sock are a decoy,” Trinity murmured into her ear as they bumped their arms together in solidarity. “She’s favoring her left.”

Lacey nodded and they turned back to face the audience.

After the initial weigh-ins were completed, the announcer went on a spiel about the upcoming bout and how important it would be for league standings, etc, etc. Trinity tuned him out as she surveyed the audience and picked up snippets of conversations from those close by. She knew she was the underdog and she could feel the sentiment favoring her opponent who would ‘assassinate’ her and ‘utterly destroy’ her because she was ‘the whole package’ and ‘kicked like a guy’.

“S-E-R-E-N-I-T-Y!” At least the energy was genuine as she stepped forward until she stood on the scale. Per Dom’s advice, she ignored the calls for her to ‘pop it!’ and simply turned back to the center stage where she would pose and square off. She could hear the boo’s and jeers as the butt-hurt crowd lashed out at her.

To stoke her Ego, “C-R-I-P-P-L-E-R!” was called last so that she could prance around and pose for her rabid fan base before she mounted the scale. As the cheers grew louder, she pumped her arms to incite them to even greater heights. She began dancing about as she returned to the center stage and assumed her position across from her hated rival. She continued to shuffle her feet and shrug her shoulders as she glared across at Trinity. There was palpable tension between them that the official tried to quell but failed. Trinity simply gazed back at her without so much as a single bounce of her own, while the Latino continued to make aggressive feints. She would jut her chin out and lean forward until her nose nearly touched the orange and pink-haired girl who stood calmly before her, never flinching, never blinking.

‘Go ahead, Bitch,’ she thought. ‘Get in my face one more time... ‘

Perhaps Carmen thought that a third time would be the charm, so she lunged forward once more in an attempt to make the other girl break. Instead, Trinity lashed out with both of her hands — almost faster than the eye could follow — grabbing the other woman, with her shocked face gripped between her hands. Gutierez was too stunned for half a second to react and that was all the time Trinity needed to almost casually lean in and plant her lips against the other fighter’s in a firm almost passionate kiss. By the time the official stepped forward to separate them she had already released the stunned woman and stepped back smirking at her bewildered expression. The crowd collectively gasped and then went crazy, some were outraged by the display while most were entranced by the unexpected move.

An instant later Trinity felt herself being pulled away and turned around to face her shocked Trainer/Coach and handler.

“Are you out of your ever-loving mind?” Dom yelled at her. “That could be judged as a disqualifying contact!”

She grinned back at him. “No way, Dom. You know as well as I do that nothing will stop this fight from happening.” Her confidence took him by surprise and he turned his head to the side as he continued to peer at her. “Except for one thing...” she breathed to herself.

When they were led off the stage in opposite directions Trinity followed Dom and Hector toward the back where grips and riggers wandered about as they prepared the venue for each part of the event.

They all turned as another commotion caught their attention. Crippler broke away from her handlers and stormed over towards Trinity. When Dom tried to place himself in front of her as a shield, she touched his shoulder and shook her head slightly before stepping ahead to meet her adversary.

“The fuck was that you fucking freak?” the Puerto Rican fighter snarled at her as she tried to overbear the other woman. “You think I’m some mother fuckin’ dyke like you?”

“Not hardly,” Trinity replied when her mouth was only inches from the other fighter’s ear. “You’d need a vagina for that.” She stepped back and saw incredulous shock wash over the Latino’s expression. She stepped back as if struck a physical blow and then quickly turned to return to her group.

“What was that all about?” Hector asked curiously as they led her toward the other locker room.

Trinity looked around them before gesturing for them to move in closer. “I suspected something from a comment I heard in the crowd earlier,” she murmured so that only the two trainers could hear. “But now I am convinced,” she paused looking at each of their faces, “Crippler is a man.”

The following afternoon found them gathered back in the dojo. There was no training happening. Rather Lacey was reclining on the adjusted old table with several cool wraps around her legs and hands. Hector was holding an ice pack to her left eyebrow where a wild jab got inside her headgear. The three of them were watching Dominic as he paced erratically around the mat, cursing in Hebrew. None of them had ever seen him this animated, nor could they understand what he was saying. They just inferred from his invectives that he was not happy at all.

They had discussed Trinity’s suspicions briefly and then they retreated to the office to review several tapes of her opponent’s matches. They watched her step patterns and movements from an entirely fresh perspective. When they talked it over it became abundantly clear to each of them that Trinity’s suspicions were valid.

As she watched her coach’s livid display, she began to wonder if he’d be less upset had they uncovered video proof that Gutierez boiled puppies alive and ate the heads off of kittens. Even Hector was taken aback as they watched him curse and stomp about the training floor.

“This could completely undo the entire sport for women!” he shouted angrily.

Nobody felt it was a good time to add their opinion.

“This is a complete and utter outrage!”

The three shifted uncomfortably as he paced before them and loosed another long string of Hebrew.

After several more minutes, he stopped and took a deep breath. He sighed and turned back to face them, somberly.

“I am sorry my friends,” he stated softly. “My behavior is unbecoming.” He lifted his hands high above his head as he inhaled deeply, then slowly lowered them as he exhaled to lotus. “It’s just that this ... debacle is so...” He paused having no further descriptives to share. “I must report this!”

Hector adjusted the ice pack on Lacey’s face while she chewed her lip. Trinity rose from her spot on the floor and approached her coach and mentor. “Hear me out?” she asked.

He turned to study her calm intelligent face and nodded.

“If we report this there will be a media firestorm that will potentially destroy women’s amateur MMA for good,” she began. “Even worse would be if we reported it and Crippler was able to some way refute or disprove our accusations.” She paused to see that he agreed with her thoughts. “So, we don’t report it,” she finished.

That was not what Dom wanted to hear and he began arguing with her about right and wrong and the moral code.

“Stop!” she cried out. “Dom, I get it. But think about it this way. He — if he is truly a ‘he’ — has gotten away with this for at least a year that we know of. Physicals, weigh-ins, locker rooms, drug tests ... he has everyone fooled.” She saw Lacey nodding her head. “So let me fight him and then we — or rather I, expose him after I beat the crap out of him.”

“That will send a message that women are not to be fucked with,” Lacey interjected. “That would not only deflect the whole scandal but strengthen the discipline even.”

They could all see the storm clouds brewing in Dom’s eyes as he rejected their introspections outright. Then he slowly cooled off and appeared to waiver from outright refusal to uncertainty.

“That fucker has hurt a lot of girls,” he growled. “Public dishonor is too good for him.”

Trinity nodded. “He is a misogynist and a narcissist,” she added. “Embarrassment would only be a minor nuisance to him. And he has no honor to speak of.”

Dom lifted his eyebrows as he regarded his student. “Go on.”

“The only way to punish him in any meaningful way is to utterly crush him in the octagon.” She glanced back at Lacey and saw her gazing back at her intently. “For whatever reason, Crippler has experienced some sort of trauma or abuse in his past to make him hate the female sex so profoundly that he thinks he can transform himself into a woman that surpasses all the expectations he may have once endeared for them.”

“And he takes out all of his hate and rage on any woman he feels cannot live up to that new bar?” Hector interjected.

Trinity tilted her head. “I don’t think any woman can live up to his insane ideology. He just hates us period.”

Lacey set aside her ice packs and got to her feet. She winced slightly as she tested her range of motion. She had gone the full three rounds against her opponent and won by a technical 10-9. Not only did she qualify for an upcoming Title fight, but she was favored to win against at least 7 of the 9 title holders. “Dom, with all respect, Trin needs to face him and not only beat him soundly but crush him.”

One thing about Dominic — he didn’t waver long before he made a decision and when he turned back to Trinity, he was once again the taciturn person whose expressions and actions spoke far louder than his words.

“We have one week to prepare you for this,” he told her calmly. His penetrating gaze sent chills down her spine as she felt his message within her mind.

She nodded confidently.

“We begin tomorrow morning, before dawn,” he informed her. “Endurance, flexibility, tactics, and most of all ... we must make you invincible!”

It was originally scheduled to be an exclusive title match but when the venue was changed up to the larger amateur hockey stadium, to accommodate the surge in demand for seats—the league managed to incorporate three standard matches into the evening schedule. What better way to get the crowd fired up than to offer them more combat?

Against Jenny’s tearful objection, Trinity had reverted to her old mohawk. The sides of her scalp were shaved to the skin and the remaining thick band of hair remained full length but was styled into thin micro braids that were subsequently braided again into a stunning display of multi-colored hues. She chose to represent LBGTQ equality by having her locks transformed into a rainbow before Jen and her team began the slow and painstaking process of weaving and braiding. They worked in the back room to avoid the constant interruptions of fans, media, and her grumpy coach who balked at the hours spent away from training. When she finally stepped out of the Pelican Studio, she found a mob waiting for her, with cameras, and eager questions. She did not attempt to avoid the throng and answered the questions patiently. Many were about the campus shooting, while others sought her thoughts on the upcoming match. A few wanted to know how she felt about her new celebrity status as an up-and-coming fighter as well as the popular daughter of a powerful political figure.

On Friday she was contacted by the League and asked to do a photo shoot for a couple of magazines and digital media outlets. Once more Dominic grumbled as she took the time to ‘represent’. She tried to refuse makeup but was shamed into letting the ‘experts’ have their way. Admittedly she was beyond impressed when the images were displayed for her. She was asked to do several different poses with different backdrops and two different outfits. Once the sponsored groups got their shots and left, she agreed to another risqué session where she stripped down to her gloves and posed with an American flag draped over her to just barely conceal the naughty bits. Upon leaving the studio she was escorted by Dom, Hector, and Lacey. They begged off the media jocks and weaved their way through the crowd to Dom’s flashy black Escalade.

“Hey, Trin,” Lacey muttered into her ear as she stepped up to the vehicle. “Look over to your left.”

Trinity paused and turned to find a crowd of girls watching them eagerly from behind the bigger group of reporters and followers. She was once again wearing her traditional black spandex shorts and white half-halter. Lacey matched her out of habit since they were on an official League detail. “Let’s do it,” she smiled back. She waved at the group and they began cheering excitedly as Lacey reached into the back of the car to fetch her gloves from her gear bag. Together they stepped toward the crowd of girls while staring down a few of the former group that tried to intercept them.

“Back off!” she snapped at the crowd. “This is girl time!”

The crowd respectfully maintained their distance while the two fighters mingled with their younger fans and provided countless autographs, selfies, and hugs. Even Dominic couldn’t maintain his dour, glumness in the face of all the goodwill and cheer from all of the eager adoring faces. There were many group shots with Trinity and Lacey laughing and smiling in the background.

“Wow!” Lacey breathed as they finally drove away. “That was...”

“Yeah,” Trinity replied, equally taken by the experience. “I think that was worth more than all the aches, pains, and tears that got us here.”

“Amen, sister.”

The energy in the Arena was intense, even behind the closed door of the locker room where Trinity had retreated. She set a towel on the floor of one of the shower stalls and sat with her legs crossed and the curtain pulled. Other woman went about their routines beyond the curtain but she was left to her thoughts as she closed her eyes and simply breathed, tuning out each external distraction until she felt herself almost floating in a calm void of internal awareness.

Beyond the locker room, the octagon was undergoing its final inspection by the three judges who would be representing the evening’s matchups. The first bout began as scheduled and the two contenders gave everything, they had in a fight that lasted the entire three rounds and ended with a 10-10 draw. The audience was excited and took advantage of the intermission for refreshments and calls of nature. Dom, Hector, and Lacey enjoyed the amenities of the Sky booth that Kevin funded for the night. Carter and Jessica sat with them along with several close friends including a few of the restaurant staff and three off-duty state troopers. Once the third bout was concluded the Coach and Handler left the booth and went down to attend their girl, who finally appeared from the locker room and made her way over to their spot. The Audience noted her presence and erupted in applause as she stood calmly between the two men while they helped her prepare for the match. The referee made a brief appearance to check her gloves and bite block. He casually thumped his knuckle into her crotch to confirm the placement of her guard before asking if she was ready. When she nodded, he departed with a soft pat on her shoulder.

“You look incredible,” Hector schmoozed. “Like a comic book.”

She snorted at him and he grinned back. “Remember the absolute rule.”

“No thocky,” she mumbled back and began bouncing on her feet.

“You’ve got this, sweetheart,” Dom added — using the affectation for the first time. “Absorb the abuse and give it back in spades.”

“Sthpathes.”

He clapped her on the back and held up the top rope for her to climb into the ring when called.

“S-E-R-E-N-I-T-Y!!!” the announcer called only to be drowned out by the roar of the spectators. She flipped herself on the ring and acknowledged the audience with her hands raised above her head. Then she went back to her signature bouncing while she twisted and turned her neck to keep it loose.

She watched intently as Gutierez was announced and came flying into the ring like a wild horse. He bounded up and down on his feet and smashed his gloved hands together over his head to incite the crowd to even louder applause. When the referee stepped to the center and called them forward Trinity’s calm demeanor was the exact opposite of her animated foe. She stared evenly at the Puerto Rican fighter as he flared his nostrils and growled menacingly while they were told the rules and expectations.

When he asked if they wanted to touch gloves, neither appeared willing to make the gesture. He raised his hand between them, preparatory for the bell and Crippler attacked. Trinity saw the tell and moved to block the right jab and follow-up kick. Neither combatant heard the bell or the admonition from the Referee. Before Her opponent could initiate his third strike, Trin stepped inside his guard and delivered a savage uppercut to his chin, knocking him backward half a step. The other fighter recovered instantly and bounced to the side with his feet stamping the tempo of his pattern. Trinity danced opposite to her opponent and shifted her core to absorb the first kick she knew was coming. Crippler’s left foot lashed out and struck with the shin to Trinity’s right thigh. It was a solid blow that would have driven her back two weeks previously. Now she simply absorbed the energy while she blocked another right jab and stepped once more inside the other’s defenses. This time she struck twice, both uppercuts, one impacting his right lower rib cage and the other his left jaw, knocking him back once again.

She anticipated Carmen would resume his pattern but instead, she found herself grappling as he attempted to kick and knee her repeatedly in the sides. Gutierez was accustomed to overpowering his opponents with this move and knocking them to the ground. Instead, he found himself trying to bowl over a fire hydrant. Trinity lashed out with two kicks of her own, neither doing more than glancing off her opponent’s hips. She switched to short jabs from the confinement of their proximities. It was a drill that Dominic made her practice repeatedly by tying her loosely to one of the great bags with an elastic band. She tucked her chin and concentrated her blows on the solar plexus and trunk of her adversary. Finally, after half a dozen jabs, she broke free from the grapple and launched herself into a backflip, giving herself some space, as she resumed her low-gravity stance.