Rosie the Ripper (Fight Card MMA)

by Jack Tunney

  Rosie stalked her, and when she punched she punched with all the power she could muster. Their exchanges were brief and ugly and before long time had run out. They went to their corners.

  “You have this,” Felix said. “She wants a stand-up fight, but you’re killing her. That cut’s bleeding into her eye and makes it hard for her to land punches. I want you to drill in there and hurt her. KO, Rosie. We want a KO.”

  In the second round Rosie did what she was told, zeroing in on Sabrina’s injury and opening it up again. As many of Sabrina’s punches missed as landed, and the ones she kept on target lacked real power. Every time Rosie pushed in, the woman punched out, but she was weaker each time.

  The takedown attempt was a desperate one. The woman got the single-leg and they went down together with Sabrina on top. Rosie worked to deny side control, catching Sabrina in the half-guard.

  Sabrina brought down an elbow and Rosie covered up. The woman panted on top of her, dripping with sweat. In the pause that followed, Rosie threaded her hands around Sabrina’s right arm to lock in a submission, but Sabrina wriggled and her skin was too slick to get a solid grip.

  They tussled on the canvas, Sabrina working for a better position, but it was in vain. Rosie rolled and threw her off and they got to their feet slowly. Inwardly Rosie cursed herself for missing the submission attempt.

  Sabrina squared off with her, exhausted, and Rosie rocketed a punch into Sabrina’s face, enlarging the cut and sending her opponent stumbling around the ring. Two hard blows went unanswered. The woman couldn’t keep her hands up. Rosie felt surging blood in her ears and felt her lungs bellowing. She lined Sabrina up for an uppercut that floored her and then it was all over.

  She felt strangely detached in the center of the commotion that followed. The referee raised her hand when the announcer called her name. “Rosie The Ripper Bratton. Win by a knockout."

  Felix hustled her out of the cage and back to the dressing room for a shower and cool down. He had all of her things laid out for her when she emerged and turned his back while she dressed. “Great fight,” he said.

  “But you have to get to Tina,” Rosie said.

  “Yeah, that’s right. She’ll want you in her corner.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “I’ll tell her.”

  Felix left and Rosie sat alone for a while. Her hands were sore and so were her shins. Sabrina never hit her in the face hard enough to mark her badly and that was good. She could not go around with another black eye.

  She caught up with the others in the hall. Tina wore a new robe with her name and the Ground Control MMA logo printed on the back. She smiled a little smile at Rosie and they went out together without words.

  In the arena it was difficult to tell who got the louder cheers. They went wild for Tina. They went wild for Janiya. They went wild for the main event.

  Tina touched Rosie on the arm before she climbed the steps into the cage. She nodded and Rosie nodded back. Felix yelled encouragement and the cage door closed.

  Rosie gripped the edge of the platform as the referee called the fighters to action. What followed was almost too quick.

  Janiya leaped forward in the first moments. She did not touch gloves with Tina, but closed the space between them in instants and launched her attack. Tina was buffeted by a string of punches that tossed her like a kite in the wind and drove her back so quickly she nearly fell. Rosie cried out, but her voice was swallowed in the noise.

  Tina closed up, but Janiya continued her assault, pounding at Tina’s defenses, trying to break through to the other side and shatter bones. Janiya worked the body relentlessly, knowing like everyone that Tina could not keep it all out.

  “Get out of there!” Felix yelled, but Tina was already trying. She ducked right and found Janiya’s left. She ducked left and found Janiya’s right. For a split second, she let her hands slip and Janiya blasted a devastating hook, spinning Tina completely around and sprawling her against the fence.

  There was only a moment of respite before Janiya attacked again. Tina managed to block a crushing blow aside and throw a single punch of her own before Janiya began the breakdown, landing punch after punch with minimal reply. Any opening Tina provided became a doorway to more pain. She tripped over her own feet and went down.

  Tina brought her legs up to ward off a mount, but Janiya swarmed over her, unstoppable, and brought her fists crashing down onto Tina’s head as Tina could only hold on and cover.

  “Stop the fight!” Rosie heard herself shout, and the referee seemed to hear her. He stepped in and waved Janiya off and the combat came to a close.

  Rosie rushed the cage with Felix behind her. Janiya walked the perimeter with one hand in the air as adulation rained down upon her. She looked untouched. Tina could barely sit up without help.

  ROUND 14

  “Ms. Bratton, I’m glad to see you didn’t walk into any door jambs lately,” Judge Crowe said.

  “No, your honor,” Rosie said.

  “Good, then I don’t have to worry. Mr. Milner, how are you today?”

  “I’m fine, your honor,” Chris said.

  Crowe shuffled some papers before producing a pair of glasses from a pocket. He perched them on the end of his nose and peered through them at the topmost sheet, reading silently as all assembled watched. The minutes stretched on and Rosie shifted uncomfortably in her skirt and dressy blouse. She’d grown so used to the fight gear she wore in the gym that everything else seemed too loose-fitting.

  “Mr. Davis and Mr. Hobbs, have you both had a chance to review the findings of the psychiatrist?”

  “We have, your honor,” Rosie’s attorney said.

  “And your client is aware of what’s here?”

  “Yes, your honor.”

  Crowe looked at Chris and his lawyer. “And how about the two of you?”

  “We’ve reviewed the documents, your honor,” Mr. Davis said.

  Rosie held her breath as Judge Crowe perused the report a second time. She knew what was written on the pages, knew what they could mean, but until he spoke they were without authority. Only the judge could make the decision. Rosie admonished herself not to cross her fingers.

  “According to the report I have in front of me, which all of you say you’ve read, it says Miss Jessica Milner is a bright, precocious little girl with a strong sense of identity. Ms. Dale, the psychiatrist appointed by this court, is of the opinion that Jessica is able to make informed decisions about her well being.”

  Crowe paused. Rosie leaned forward in her seat.

  “Ms. Dale also had occasion to consult with Child Protective Services in an audit of the home life established by both parents. Though it’s clear Mr. Milner is much more fortunate financially than is Ms. Bratton, it was the conclusion of the auditors that both homes provide stable environments conducive to a happy, safe child.”

  Rosie felt the skin tingle in her arms. Beside her, Hobbs touched her on the hand in a silent calming gesture. She tried to pull back into herself. If Hobbs noticed her, the judge would, too.

  “So we find ourselves in something of a predicament,” Judge Crowe said. “On the one hand, Mr. Milner is a successful man with wealth and a fine home, while on the other hand we have a dedicated mother who can’t necessarily provide materially for her daughter without child support, but who is dedicated to the task. The deciding factor would seem to be the choice of the child as to which parent should have primary custody.”

  Let it be me, Rosie thought. Let it be me.

  “In this case, the child has made her preference clear,” the judge continued. “And as a result, I feel the best decision is—”

  “Excuse me, your honor,” Davis said.

  “Mr. Davis, I was speaking.”

  “I understand, your honor, but before you render a decision I feel you should take into account certain evidence we’d like to introduce now.”

  Rosie looked at Hobbs. He shrugged and his expression was confused. What? he mouthed.


  Davis put his briefcase on the edge of the desk and stood to open it. “In this case, you’ll find ample indication of Ms. Bratton’s fitness as a mother.”

  “This is not a time for games, Mr. Davis.”

  “No games, your honor. I’d like you to see this.”

  The case came open and Davis produced two things that made Rosie gasp out loud despite herself. Davis put the Ground Control MMA cap and t-shirt on the desk in front of Judge Crowe and the older man picked them up with a quizzical look on his face. “What is this?” he asked.

  “Those are clothing items associated with a mixed martial arts gym here in the city. Members there are trained for human cockfights in cages in which no holds are barred and anything is allowed. Ms. Bratton, who is supposedly so upstanding a parent you have considered granting her primary custody, can be found at this gym six mornings a week. On several occasions she has brought her daughter there to witness brutal fight training and mock combat. Ms. Bratton has also participated in public mixed martial arts shows where blood has been drawn.”

  Rosie was frozen. Crowe dropped the hat and shirt. “Is this true, Ms. Bratton?”

  “I—” Rosie said.

  “All of that is a vicious slander,” Hobbs cut in. “Mixed martial arts is not gladiatorial combat. There are rules and regulations as with any combat sport, such as boxing. This human cockfighting label has been debunked across the country.”

  “So you were aware of Ms. Bratton’s extracurricular activity.”

  “It has come up in our conversations.”

  “And you find this appropriate for the parent of a young child?”

  “Many mixed martial arts fighters are parents.”

  Rosie turned wordlessly to Chris. He could not help his smile.

  “Your honor,” Davis said, “at this time we would like to make a motion to alter the existing custody arrangement between my client and Ms. Bratton. My client wishes to remain primary custodian, but he feels his child is in danger of psychological and perhaps physical injury through continued visitation with her mother. In that light, we’ve requested Ms. Bratton’s visitation be cut to once per month, and only under the supervision of a third party.”

  “This is outrageous!” Hobbs exclaimed.

  She could not find her voice. Rosie gripped at the arm rests of the chair and struggled to piece together the shattered moment she’d had only minutes before. When Jess was hers and Chris was forced to walk away empty-handed.

  Judge Crowe accepted documents from Davis. “I will review this petition with utmost seriousness.”

  “You can’t,” Rosie said.

  The judge turned to her. “I’m sorry?”

  “I said you can’t,” Rosie said, and her voice gained strength. “This is absolutely unfair. My ex-husband has been poking into my business for weeks now, trying to find dirt. I don’t know if it’s a private detective or what, but he’s been to my work and now he’s come to where I train. There is nothing wrong with what I’m doing there. Nothing.”

  “That’s for the judge to decide,” Chris said.

  “You don’t get to talk! You don’t get to talk to me! This is just you trying to take Jess away from me forever because you and Diane want a little girl without any strings attached! You’re a bastard, Christopher Milner! A bastard!”

  “That’s quite enough,” Crowe said. “Mr. Hobbs, help your client into the hallway.”

  Hobbs pulled at her arm, but Rosie jerked away. She stood up sharply and glared down at Chris and his attorney. Hot rage rose through her chest and into her neck and face. When her hands trembled now, they trembled with anger. “I am not going to let you take her away from me! Do you understand? It’s not going to happen!”

  “Your honor, this is exactly the sort of behavior these fighters routinely display,” Davis said. “Clearly you can see she’s unfit.”

  Her lawyer tried to grab her again. “Come on, Rosie. Let’s go out.”

  “I’m not some kind of psychopath!” Rosie said, and even she heard the shrillness in her voice. “I am a good mother to my girl!”

  “Ms. Bratton, if you don’t leave now, I will call to have you removed,” Judge Crowe said. “Do you understand?”

  Hobbs was close to her now, holding onto her shoulders, urging her to turn away. This time Rosie let him, and she nearly made it to the door before she began to cry.

  ROUND 15

  “How much is all of this going to cost you?” Felix asked her.

  They sat in Felix’s office, looking out at the quiet gym floor. No one was around except for the two of them and Tina. However, Tina was not with them. She sat in the center of the cage with her back to them, and she had been sitting there the whole time since Rosie arrived.

  “My lawyer says it’ll cost thousands to fight this,” Rosie said. “We need experts to testify and there will be mental evaluations and more people visiting the apartment… everything.”

  “Can you afford that?”

  Rosie looked at her hands. “No.”

  “What can I do?”

  “Nothing.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s my fault for getting you into this.”

  “What?” Rosie said, and she looked up quickly. “No, this has been great. It’s everything you said it would be. I feel like I have something when Jess isn’t around. I’m stronger all the way around. I wouldn’t change the last year for anything.”

  Felix smiled ruefully. “Thank you for that.”

  Rosie looked out into the gym at Tina. “How long has she been there?”

  “Since before I got here. I didn’t see her for days and she wasn’t answering her phone, then she turns up like this. I don’t know what’s happening to her.”

  “She lost,” Rosie said.

  “People lose. You get up and you brush yourself off and you train harder for the next time. You can’t win every time.”

  “Did you tell her that?” Rosie asked.

  “I don’t think she’ll want to listen.”

  “Let me try,” Rosie said, and she left the office behind.

  Tina didn’t react when Rosie opened the gate and let herself into the cage, nor did she look Rosie’s way when Rosie sat on the mat beside her. For a while they stayed that way, simply silent, until Tina said, “What do you want?”

  “I want to talk to my friend.”

  “Don’t tell me to get over it.”

  Tina’s face was badly bruised all over. Even covering up had not been enough to ward off the full power of Janiya’s assault. Tina was dressed to fight or practice and Jess saw a large, ugly splotch on her side where Janiya had hammered her body again and again.

  “Are you going to fight again?” Rosie asked.

  “Would you?”

  Rosie thought about it. “Yes.”

  “Good for you.”

  A stab of anger punctured Rosie’s calm. “Hey, you’re not the only one with problems.”

  Tina glared at her. “What is it this time?”

  “My ex wants to take my daughter away from me. For good. And all because of this place. You want a reason to quit fighting? Think about what’s happening to me, because if I fight again they’re gonna use it against me. They’re going to take my everything, Tina.”

  A flicker of something passed Tina’s face and then she looked away. “Then quit fighting. Don’t come back. It’s all for nothing, anyway.”

  “I don’t believe that.”

  “You don’t? Look at me, Rosie! Janiya went through me like I wasn’t even there! I can count the number of punches I threw on both hands. I’m pathetic.”

  “Hey,” Rosie said, and she grabbed Tina’s shoulder. Tina did not shrug it off. “You are not pathetic. Neither of us is. We’re fighters. This is what we do. And if we get knocked down, we get up. Whatever it takes. Isn’t that what Felix is always talking about? He asked me to commit to something and I did it. So did you.”

  Tina sneered at her. “You talk a pretty good game for a girl with
a drinking problem.”

  “You—” Rosie started, and then she caught hold of Tina and shoved her over. They scuffled on the ground, looking for better position, until Tina caught her in a half-guard position with Rosie on top. Rosie shook her leg to wriggle it free, but Tina held on.

  “You’re not good on the ground,” Tina said.

  “I am gonna break your neck for that,” Rosie said. “You don’t ever talk about my problem! Would you talk to your uncle like that?”

  Tina frowned and her grip on Rosie’s leg slackened. Rosie slipped loose and fell across Tina sidewise. This was enough to set Tina to struggling again, but it was halfhearted and she couldn’t stop Rosie from getting mounted. “Go ahead and pound me,” Tina said. “Go on and do it!”

  Rosie did not punch. The anger slipped from her and she felt nothing but sadness again. “You’re better than this,” she said.

  “I was. Now I’m not so sure.”

  “You’ll fight her again.”

  “I don’t know if I want to.”

  Rosie sat back, supported by Tina’s hips. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye: Felix outside the cage. He tangled his fingers in the fence and watched them. Tina did not seem to notice. “If you won’t fight her, then I will,” Rosie said.

  “What?” Tina said, and Felix echoed her.

  “You heard me: I’ll fight her.”

  Tina tried to sit up and throw Rosie aside, but Rosie was firmly seated. “Are you out of your mind? You have two fights. Janiya has twelve, all wins.”

  “You’re afraid of her. I’m not,” Rosie said, though she knew half of it was a lie.

  “You won’t stand a chance,” Tina said. “Don’t be stupid.”

  Rosie looked to Felix. “You said Andre likes grudge matches, right?”

  Felix nodded. “That’s right.”

  “What’s better than someone trying to take out Janiya for tearing up a friend? How much could I get for a fight like that?”

  “I don’t. Three thousand, maybe, if you win. But you’ll never win, Rosie. That’s too much fight for you.”

  Rosie put her hand on Tina’s chest and pushed herself up. Once she was on her feet, she offered Tina her hand. “I’m Rosie the Ripper. I won’t lose.”