Hey everyone! Hope you are all doing well. I have a few things to say so please bear with me.
First off, I'm so incredibly sorry for not updating my others. They are all in different stages and will hopefully all be updated soon. Thank you for you continued support and I truly love you all!
Secondly, I know I shouldn't be writing another story since I have like 6 in the works, but I couldn't help myself. This was going to be a one shot in my series, but there is so much behind this idea that I couldn't summarize it.
Thirdly, this idea come from an amazing book series about MMA and the amazing taylorcochran's story "Tapout". Just the idea came from these two things and everything else will be my idea.
And lastly, the UFL mentioned in this is not real and I hope you like this!
Enjoy!
He's amazed on how fast life can change. When you think you're all out of luck and then unexpectedly, out of nowhere see a ray of sunshine. It first happened when he finally got out of his shithole house and away from his angry and abusive father at the age of sixteen. It all started when he was just eight years old. His mother had suddenly died from cancer, not knowing she even had it until it was too late and then a few years after that, his father lost his job due to showing up drunk or not showing up at all. It all spiraled down from there. The house was falling apart since all his father did was drink, shout insults and cruel explicitness and occasionally punch him or the wall. Then the bills weren't getting paid and for some reason, he was blamed for everything. All that resulted in a deep hatred towards his old man and the world. But when he escaped, he was glad to be free and to finally be able to live fear free and breathe for once in the last few years.
Secondly, he stumbled across a workout gym one dark night when he was looking for somewhere to stay and found his calling in boxing. Boxing not only kept his temper and frustrations in check because he has a lot of it, but it also taught him enough to get put on the boxing map and out there for the world to take notice.
And take notice they did.
His last fight was one for the books. He was still an unknown, but was quickly making a name for himself which grabbed the attention of Bryan "Tornado" Thomas, the top welterweight champion. Thomas' team called the gym, scheduled a fight and within a week, he was center stage. He was nervous for the fight, but ready to show everyone he had the skills to make it in the big leagues. And a show is what everyone got. Tornado was good, fantastic even. He was quick, direct and obviously well trained, but the one thing he was lacking was natural instinct. He was so busy choreographing his next move in his head, he ignored his opponent's movements and in the first round got knocked out. Or in boxing terms, K.O. The audience irrupted in cheers and for the first time in his life, this was his moment and he felt like he was good enough for the attention and could be as great as Tornado.
And he is good enough. More than good, which is how he ended up at Matthews' Mayhem. He was stunned when he got the invitation that Joshua "Mayhem" Matthews wanted him to train at his gym with some of the best boxers around. His life was changing, definitely for the better and he couldn't be more ready for it.
OoOoOoOo
He pulls his old beat up truck into the parking lot and feels slightly out of place as all the other cars look shiny and new, but none of that matters. He's here to fight. And nothing else.
Quickly grabbing his bag from the passenger side, he jumps out and surveys the place and area. It's not too shabby, clean and quiet and he can definitely get used to living around here. He makes his way to the front door and as soon as he opens it, he's greeted with the smell of sweat and the sound of grunting and yells.
Yep, definitely home for now.
He watches a guy in the ring closest to the door throw a quick few jabs to his opponent before they dance around each other and then the loud, abrupt noise of a strong punch hitting the hanging punching bag catches his attention next and it feels like he's a kid in the candy store, looking at everything with awe and excitement. He's so into his thoughts he doesn't see a group of guys walking towards him until one of them loudly shouts, "Hey, new guy."
Snapping his head to the left, he sees Josh and two other guys; one heavy weight and one middle weight who's close to his size.
"Uh, hi," he answers simple, giving the three a nod.
"Lucas Friar, right?" Josh asks with a smile as he extends his hand out.
"Yeah," Lucas replies as they shake hands.
"I'm Josh or better known as Mayhem. And these two knuckleheads are Peter aka Shark and Jake, the Troublemaker," Josh introduces with a smirk.
"Thank you for inviting me. I'm a fan of your fights and it's nice to meet you guys," Lucas politely continues.
"Of course, man. We want and take the best fighters and make them the greatest UFL fighters in the world. But this journey won't be easy. There will be long days of conditioning and skill assessments before you even get into the ring. On top of that, we recommend you have a clean diet and get used to interviews and being filmed all the time. We don't tolerate slackers or disruption. This is a business and your future. If you can't respect that, then you should leave now," Josh lays out very bluntly.
"I understand. I'm here to work," Lucas assures him with a straight face.
"Good. So, I'll give you a tour of the facility, introduce you to the others and then we can talk in my office," Josh explains with a smile as the two start walking through the gym.
The place is bigger than the outside shows and is filled with all the latest equipment. Everything is orderly and the people he meets are cool and welcoming. He can't help but smile as he knows this is one of the best decisions he's ever made.
"So, what do you think of this place?" Josh wonders as they take their seats in his spacious office an hour later.
"It's amazing," Lucas praises.
"Thanks, we think so too. It took us a little while to get it to this point, but all the pain and stress was worth it. This is not just a gym to practice fighting in. We've built a family dynamic here and I hope you can accept that we're all going to be here and in your personal space. We're here to guild you, help you and most importantly support you," Josh retorts, leaning back in his chair and studying the young man across from him.
"I wouldn't doubt that and I hope so too. I haven't had much support over the years but I'm willing to include you all in my life," Lucas mumbles honestly, feeling a certain amount of comfort.
"That's all I ask. I have a gut feeling you'll like it here. Now, I just need you to sign these forms while I grab your keys," Josh announces, handing over a few pieces of paper.
"My keys for what?" Lucas inquires with raised eyebrows.
"For your apartment. What'd you think, that we'd leave you on your own when you've only just arrived?" Josh questions, his tone suspicious as he tries to keep a straight face.
"I, uh. I don't really know," Lucas stutters out in confusion.
"I'm just messing with you. I mean, well you do still get the apartment. It's yours until you can make enough to move out on your own. Everyone starts there. I did," Josh chuckles at the memory.
"Oh, okay. Thanks," Lucas nods and then focuses on the forms and starts reading them.
"Don't mention it. I'll be back," Josh waves off as he exits his office and heads down the hallway, shaking his head with humor.
He enters a smaller office used for storage, boxes lining the farthest wall and walks over to the file cabinet that also has a hideaway drawer at the bottom for safe keepings. Retrieving the keys, code and address, he feels good with his decision in inviting Lucas to train and fight with them. He's seen videos of his fights and though he's rough around the edges, he has something different about him and that makes for an interesting challenge. And one he's ready to take on.
With a grin on his face he returns to his office and sees Lucas reading over every word on the forms. "Uh, dude. You don't really need to read all of it. It's just formalities for when the UFL checks our records. The papers basically say that you won't sue the organization or myself if anything happens to you and that you won't sell us out for bigger profits. Which you won't, correct?" Josh probes with narrow eyes.
"Of course not. And I understand the risks," Lucas insists firmly.
"I know you do," Josh calmly voices as Lucas swiftly scribbles his names on the forms.
"Is this all?" Lucas asks, passing the forms back to Josh.
"For right now, yeah. Once you get into the circuit, there will be other forms you need to sign. But we have some time before that," Josh shares and then moves along. "Here are the keys, security code and address. Go, make yourself at home and get some rest. Tomorrow is when the real work begins. Be ready for the unexpected."
The warning isn't a 'threat' but Lucas knows it means business. "I'll be ready," he affirms as he won't let them down. "Thanks for everything."
"I look forward to that. And it's nothing. But you can thank me becoming the best and wining," Josh suggests with a smirk.
"You can count on it," Lucas finishes with a firm, promising nod as he grabs his bag, gives Josh a nod goodbye and heads out with a smile. This is it.
He puts the address in his phone once he's inside his truck and on the drive he tries to stay humble. He can't cocky. Not yet. He still has a lot to prove and a lot of work ahead.
The apartment isn't too far the gym, no more than twenty minutes and once he has his three duffle bags around his arms, he starts to makes his way to his apartment only to run right into someone, quite literally. He tries to catch himself, but with all the extra weight from his bags, he can't stop his momentum and falls right on top of the stranger.
"I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" he hurriedly apologizes and moves into a seated position in front of them.
"It's all right and I'm fine. I'm sorry too. I was in a rush and wasn't paying attention to where I was going," the person explains as the voice catches Lucas by surprise.
He finally focuses on the person with the sweet voice and sees that the person is a girl. A very pretty girl with memorizing brown eyes and long flowing brown hair. He spots her soft smile next and instantly feels his heart rapidly beating. She making him feel something he's never felt before and it's fucking terrifying. Hell, they don't even know each other. But right off the bat and at this exact moment, he knows she is something special and suddenly he hears Josh's words echo back into his mind, "Be ready for the unexpected."
And this is unexpected indeed.
And there you have it folks. Let me know what you think. Should I continue it?
Thanks and until next time,
Missy xx