“Well, that’s not going to happen. Now look, we’ve worked together in the past. You know I give you more leeway than anyone about your opponents and how you market your fights. With this, you trusted me to take it from you and market it so you didn’t have to worry about it. I wish I could do that here but I can’t. This is not going to go away. Interest is at fever pitch. My advice, my strongest possible advice, in fact, I would go so far as to beg you... think about a rematch.”
Veronica looked at him square in the eyes for several seconds. When he didn’t offer anything else, she couldn’t help but scoff. “That’s it? That’s the best you got? The poor girl is still in a coma and you’re already planning on throwing her back in the cage?”
“Beckinsale woke up yesterday, and don’t underestimate her. That poor girl is a fighter, through and through, and she’s going to want back in that Cage. Veronica, I’m telling you, I’ve never seen anything like this in my entire career. People everywhere are talking about this. It’s timing. The Diaz reign is over. That was the last huge MMA news. Diaz going down.
You and Gasnier have the appeal, the biggest stars in this company. He blew past you. Not because he’s better. It’s because he’s just come off a war. Gasnier is the all around good guy. Everyone loves him. But no one knows who he’s going to fight next. He’s gone quiet. So until he comes out with a new opponent, the fans need something to talk about. And, let’s face it, as good as the other champions are in their weight classes, heavyweight is where the interest and the money are at.
Then there’s you. You’re it kiddo. Every piece of interest is focused on you. That fight in Vegas was a nothing fight, but it became something. It fits perfectly. You get a rematch happening and put the belt on the line? Oh man. Australia is ripe for this. We sold out a stadium in Sydney for God’s sake. Beckinsale is from there! The interest from sponsors and officials would be off the charts.”
“I have a better idea.”
“Oh?”
“Put me in the Cage against Gasnier.”
“Come on be serious.”
“Do I look like I’m joking? Put the challenge out. Hell, I’ll post something and throw it out. Let him face what it’s like to be hounded about whether or not he’s a coward.”
“Veronica.” Max leaned back in his chair and looked towards the ceiling. “As much as just the thought of how much money that fight would pull in makes my nether regions tingle, you know it would never happen. No one would stand for it. I wouldn’t even get it past the discussion point.”
“Why? You said it yourself. We are the two most marketable stars. Put us in the Cage, one-on-one.”
“Because a man will never fight a woman in a one-on-one sanctioned match. It just won’t happen. Feminist groups would be in an uproar.”
“Bullshit,” she countered. “If anything, feminist groups would be all for it.”
“Do you have any idea how much money is given to women’s shelters, and the like, from the company every year? Now, you’re talking about actually creating and promoting a match where a man and woman are legally able to bash each other for money? The company’s business partners would run for cover. Besides, Owen Gasnier will never compete against a woman.”
“Have you ever asked him?”
“No, but I know him. He’s a good guy. He won’t do it.”
“What’s being a good guy got to do with it?”
“Good guys don’t hit women. End of story.”
“Why? Coz women can’t take it? We’re both fighters.”
“Will you drop it?”
“Not until you give me an answer that isn’t patriarchal bullshit. You want me up against the best, right? Well, looks like he’s it. Tell me you don’t think I can beat him.”
Max threw his head back. “For fucks sake, maybe you can! OK? But we’ll never know. Wanna know why? Because, apart from everything else, he doesn’t need this fight as a distraction. You might think that’s patriarchal bullshit but it’s also fact. You’re spending a lot of time deflecting from the match I’m putting right in front of you. Why?”
“I have never had a rematch before. It feels wrong to suddenly do it now. Caving to pressure.”
“Are you feeling guilty?”
“I wouldn’t be very good at what I do if I got misty eyed every time I roughed someone up. But... yeah OK. I don’t know if it’s guilt, but I feel severely apprehensive. For one thing, Beckinsale seems like a good kid. I don’t want this fight to be what she’s remembered for. Or me for that matter. I want us both to move on.”
“You won’t. She has a better chance. No one expects anything of her. But, the level you’re at, people demand more from you.”
“I don’t give a shit. It’s not my responsibility to be what anyone wants me to be.”
“I agree, but you’ve gotta understand that’s the way of thinking that helped cause this. I’m sorry, but people don’t follow you anymore, Veronica. They just don’t. You’ve been top of your game for so long people got desensitised.
Your core fans respect the hell out of you but have put you on this golden pedestal where you can’t be touched or dethroned. Every match is a forgone conclusion because you are just that damn good. The other fight fans view you as uninteresting because you win so much. Match after match. Down they go. Little to no resistance to Veronica Nash’s overwhelming brilliance.