In the days that followed, all anyone could do was wait for Ava’s brain swelling to go down. For her to wake up. No one knew when either would happen. But although news at Ava’s bedside was lacking, the rest of the MMA world was full of it, all centered around one thing: the most brutal fight in the women’s division. Ever.
The fight had been posted online, and through word of mouth alone, the not quite two-minute match had earned nine million views and counting. What had been a non-event, as far as everyone outside of the fighters and their camps were concerned, had sparked a firestorm. Major news stations around the world showed the last few seconds of the fight with viewer discretion advised. Blogs and websites posted opinion pieces hour after hour.
Chris and Ruben had barely left the hospital room and were shielded from the chaos, which was both a blessing and a curse. They still hadn't really spoken and the longer Ava lay motionless, the more the silence grew, broken only by the regular beeps of her monitor. But being shielded didn't mean oblivious. They often focused on the media coverage to avoid the elephant in the room but knew they'd all have to face up to both eventually.
A week after the fight, Chris flipped through a magazine he was reading to an article in the middle, an article on the fight, cleared his throat and leaned in to continue reading to Ava. “While the outcome of the fight was always going to be Nash winning, the fortitude of Ava Beckinsale was a true surprise. And no one was more surprised than this reporter to discover this virtual unknown was packing the tenacity sorely needed in this division. Even though she lacked the patience, and perhaps finesse, of Nash’s previous ‘victims’, there can be no doubt that the Australian faced an oncoming wrecking ball with every intention of smashing it, not just weathering it. In less than two minutes, she shook the legendary champion. Something no one before her can claim. She took the best Nash had and still kept coming. It’s disappointing the media and the public have soured it in the aftermath. I wish both women a speedy recovery, and personally, I cannot wait for the rematch...” Chris folded the magazine and placed it on the table next to the bed. “Fat fucking chance, pal.”
“Chris...”
Ruben pointed at something near the doorway, and Chris turned to see none other than Veronica Nash. Her entire nose and under her eyes were heavily bandaged. and the uncovered area around her eyes was still a light purple from bruising, but it was her.
“Can I come in...?” she asked.
Chris and Ruben stood and looked at each other. What should they say? No? Curiosity got the better of them, and they gestured for her to approach.
Ruben admired the fact she wasn’t with an entourage or cameras. This wasn’t for show.
“How is she?” Nash asked.
They both took turns telling her about Ava’s condition. The news was absorbed for several seconds with no response.
“She still hasn’t woken up,” she said to herself, finally. “You’re her trainers?”
“We’re her family,” Chris replied.
Nash nodded. “I wanted to make sure she was OK before I left. I also wanted to clear the air. I never meant to break her leg. I’m sorry for that. So sorry. But I’m not sorry for doing what I had to do to win. You get that, right?”
“Do you really think the fact we lost means anything to us?” Chris asked.
Nash looked from them to the bed, then back to them. “It doesn’t? I mean, I know she’s hurt... but the result means nothing to you? Why do you fight then, if not to win?”
“Ms Nash, you are a lot of things,” Ruben said rather coldly, “but a robot isn’t one of them. Of course we wanted to win, but the thing we want more is to see our girl wake up. Nothing else matters.”
“Nothing,” Chris agreed.
“Wow,” she replied softly, “I apologize. It’s been so long since... I lost my family a while ago. All it has been since is trainers and coaches. Nothing mattered except being the best. I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone care about me more as a person than as a fighter.
I guess, if nothing else, I want you to know how lucky she is to have you. I wanted to tell her something in person before I was discharged, but I’ll tell you. She’s the best I’ve ever fought. I was going to tell you that you should be proud of her,” Nash paused for several seconds. Words didn’t come easily as it seemed emotions got the better of her. “But I see that goes without saying.”
She raised her hand in an offer to shake each of theirs, which they did. She turned to Ava, bent over her, gently placing her hand on top of her hair and kissed her forehead. She muttered a phrase before leaving that Ruben hadn’t heard for a long time, not since his old training days.
It was a phrase the old school trainers would say to fighters at the end of a brutal training day. Usually after they had faced the cruellest forms of physical preparation. But the trainer, if they said this, meant you had proven something to them. That, no matter what happened, they thought you were extremely value. Some fighters went their whole careers without ever hearing it.
“What did she say?” Chris asked.
“It was Thai... Rest easy warrior,” Ruben answered.
17
12 Round Podcast:
“Tonight on Fight Time! Is she a juggernaut or has Veronica Nash been exposed as a fake? The MMA global phenomenon has been left reeling these last few weeks in every sense of the word. She is coming off yet another victory in her record breaking unbeaten career; however, the brutal nature of the win has many asking: is she truly the sensation she has been made out to be? Or has she been fighting hand-picked opponents up until now?
A complete unknown from Australia, Ava Beckinsale, humbled the legend in the opening moments of the first, and ultimately, only round of their exhibition. The newcomer displayed a ferocious power and never back down attitude that surprised the few hundred in attendance, and most notably, Nash herself.
Sporting a shattered nose and severe internal bleeding, Nash rallied to not only reign back the challenger’s momentum but to then devastate her with not one but two kicks from behind. The first breaking her leg and the second sending her face first into the side of the Cage after the bell. Though there is some conjecture about the timing of the last kick and whether Nash could have stopped the motion before it made contact with Beckinsale after the bell rang, there is no doubt, at least in this reporter’s mind, the match should’ve been labelled a no contest after the cheap shot to the leg. Beckinsale did not deserve to lose that match the way she did, and Nash does not deserve to have that recorded as a win.”
MMA Today, live panel, recorded before a studio audience: