Fighter's Brew – S3: E9 (Audio + Transcript) (Patreon)

• Fighter's Brew

[Note: Read the manga images from right to left.]

The ref waves his hands. Just like that, Takashi wins the fight.

"Those first two left mid kicks," says Maki. "He held back on purpose to bait Kagaya. He can basically finish his opponent whenever he wants with a left kick."

"I'm gonna go wash my face," Meguru says nervously as he runs out of the gym.

"Takashi," says Tsukisada-sensei, "well done, but not quite perfect. Next time, the kick needs to be flawless. Like a machine."

"Yes, sir," says Takashi.

"This isn't the end," Kagaya's teammate tells Kagaya. "As long as you keep improving, you'll get another chance to settle the score."

Maki is hitting pads with Maria to warm up. Ayako is doing the same with her coach, Onishi.

"Where's Meguru?" asks Maki.

"He's still pretty worn out from the semi-finals," says Maria. "He's already had a long day and a tougher path to the finals than Takashi. Why not go check on him?"

Maki sprints to the door.

Meguru steps out of the bathroom, wiping his mouth. He's been throwing up.

"It's almost time for the finals," he thinks. "I can already see it. He's gonna knock me out in seconds. I just wanna run away."

"Meguru!" shouts Maki.

Meguru is startled and covers his face.

"Dude, relax," she says. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I wasn't thinking. My bad."

"Oh, no biggie," Meguru says, "It's true after all."

"Ah, come on. Yamabuki? More like Yamawussy! Do we even know what his stamina's like? I bet neither does he. Does he know how to fight off script when things aren't going his way?"

"Do you ever get nervous, Maki-chan?"

"Of course!"

"Yeah, right."

"No, really! I'm super nervous all the time."

"Could have fooled me," Meguru says.

"Gimme your hand!" she says, placing his hand over her heart.

"See, my heart's beating like crazy."

They both gasp when they realize where his hand is.

"Pervert!" Maki exclaims as she puts Meguru in a stranglehold.

She releases him but leaves her arms around his shoulders.

She whispers into his ear, "I'm scared too, you know. Nagamine might knock me out cold with one punch. But remember what you said to me? You said, 'Let's kick some ass out there!' and bumped my fist. So that's what I'm gonna do. You've gotten stronger, Meguru. I would know."

Meguru turns to face her. "Right," he says.

"Let's kick some ass!" they shout as they embrace.

They walk back to the gym together.

"Let's do this," says Maki.

"Yeah!" Meguru exclaims.

Maki gears up.

"Okay, Maki-chan," Maria says. "This is your second time facing Nagamine. Last time, it was kickboxing. But this is MMA, got it?"

"Yup," Maki says calmly.

"You've already fought once," Onishi tells her. "You've got a feel for the match now. Stay loose."

"Okay," she replies.

"What do you need to remember, Maki?" Maria asks.

"Block, stuff, kick, kick, kick."

"That's all you need," says Maria. "It's up to you to execute."

"When she first joined," Onishi thinks, "she was knocking everyone out with her hands. I asked her to switch over to boxing, but she wanted to do MMA instead. Now she's in the Shooto Nationals. Might as well bring it all home."

The women's bantamweight finals is on.

"Fight!" the ref shouts.

Maki comes out looking to touch gloves. As soon as they touch, Maki kicks. Ayako dodges.

[In LMA, practitioners discover, define, and develop their own movements. That means most of my time can be spent on more important things like sportspersonship and the nuances of gym/sparring etiquette and consent. Touching gloves and going immediately for an attack is a major don't in LMA. When so much is self-directed, I can spend my energy making sure the LMA Lab is not toxic and self-centered. So much can never be addressed in the instructor-led direction instruction model.]

"That's dirty," says Kohei.

"Sure," says Muroi. "But it ain't illegal. Once the bell rings, honor goes out the window."

Maki fires jabs and high kicks, forcing Ayako to straighten up, sealing off her takedowns and power punches.

[When you throw high kicks, your opponent must straighten up, stop moving, and use both arms to defend them. Trying to duck under them can mean taking a kick flush to the head. Maki fights a lot like Takashi.]

"She's such a heel," says Yudai, "but it gave her the lead."

"Yeah, it's weird," Meguru replies. "She's really nice outside of the ring."

"Where did that come from?" blurt Yudai and Momoko.

Ayako shoots for a takedown, but Maki has plenty of time to react and avoid it.

[Since Ayako is standing so tall, Maki has plenty of time to see the takedown and avoid it.]

Maki fires another high kick. Ayako blocks. They clinch. Maki delivers a knee, then shoves Ayako and fires another high kick. Ayako blocks in time.

"She thinks she has Ayako figured out," Onishi says, "but her greatest strength isn't her punch, it's her vision."

[It takes time to read your opponent's movements, but it's an investment worth making. Meguru also needs time to make his reads, then he builds his offense as the fight progresses. Ayako and Meguru are also similar. However, Ayako is big and strong for her division, while Meguru is more flexible and creative.]

Ayako begins dodging Maki's kicks and punches without having to use her arms. She changes her height. Maki follows her, but rather than shooting, Ayako fires the right hand. It lands.

[Ayako is using Maki's expectations against her. Rather than assume, see and react quickly.]

Ayako follows with a hook, but Maki blocks.

Maki clinches to recover her senses. Ayako lands an uppercut and then grabs her.

[We've seen this before. It's not magic. Clinching from too far away means eating an uppercut. Grab from close and keep them close.]

Maki fights for grips but eats a knee. Ayako shoves Maki and throws her own high kick. Maki barely dodges.

Maki can't predict what's coming next. Ayako changes her height and lands another right straight.

Maki jabs. Ayako parries and tackles her to the mat. Maki gets up, but Ayako runs her into the corner. She fires punches to Maki's head and body.

[In MMA, not only is it okay to attack your opponent from behind, but also hold them from behind and attack. If you get their back, you can punch them, but they can't punch you. It's a great equalizer.]

Eventually, Maki goes down.

Maki gets up at four, but her face is covered in blood. They stop the fight for a doctor's check.

She's cleared to fight.

"Breathe, Maki-chan!" Maria says. "Don't get heated."

The fight resumes.

Ayako takes control of the fight, mixing takedowns with strikes. Since Maki only strikes, she's predictable.

The round ends with Maki getting pounded again in the corner.

Meguru is beside himself with worry.

"Maria's doing her job," says Furuya. "Have faith in your team."

"Maki-chan, what's the game plan?" Maria asks.

"To kick the shit out of her."

"Exactly. Keep kicking. Don't worry about the takedowns."

"What?" blurts Maki.

"We'll fight her our own way. Do you only know how to throw one kind of kick?

"No."

"Would you kick a wrestler the same way you would a striker?"

"No."

"You already have the tools. Use your eyes and adapt them to the situation. You don't need to know whether she's shooting or not. When she's short, kick her like a short person. When she's tall, kick her like a tall person. Don't think, just see and do. And if you get taken down, you have your triangle."

"Okay!"

"Stay on the offensive."

The seconds exit the ring.

"No wrestling?" Take asks.

"We're already losing," Maria answers. "We need to open up Maki's lanes to victory, and that's kicking with everything she's got."

"Fight," the ref shouts.

"On her!" yells Maria.

"I know!" Maki answers.

Maki throws a high kick. Ayako blocks, but her arms begin to sting.

Ayako lands a left hook.

[Since Ayako landed a left hook to the head earlier, Maki is expecting that again. This time, Ayako goes to the body. By mixing it up, she's hard to predict.]

Maki clinches and lands a knee. Every shot is a power shot.

[Rather than mixing it up, Maki relies on brute force, which is probably more proven in combat sports than mixing it up.]

She throws another knee, but Ayako takes her down.

Maki attacks with triangles. Ayako stands back up.

The ref motions for Maki to get back to standing.

Maki throws another high kick, but Ayako blocks. Maki lands a jab, and Ayako changes height. Maki throws a knee, and Ayako bails on the takedown.

[Rather than trying to predict the takedown, Maki counters with a knee when Ayako is short.]

Ayako keeps blocking but Maki is kicking to break her arms.

Ayako fires punches and lands another takedown. Maki goes with it and secures a triangle. Ayako escapes and looks to pass, but Maki sweeps and gets the mount.

[Maki seals off one side of Ayako's body while lifting the other side of her body to flip her over.]

After getting her points, Maki stands back up.

Everyone is stunned by her decision to give up the mount.

They're both back to standing.

Maki kicks again. Ayako blocks and winces. She tries to fire off punches, but her arms are numb.

[Ayako's arms are in pain, and she's also backing up and leaning away from the kicks. She's too far away for punches or takedowns. Brute force is its own form of strategy.]

Maki lands a jab. She fires a kick to the head. Ayako blocks and catches the kick. Desperate, Ayako takes her down.

Ayako rushes a pass, but Maki spins and secures an inverted triangle.

[This is the same triangle Meguru caught previously. A leg triangle is just a lasso with your legs. There are all kinds of ways a human body can get caught in that lasso. It's better to think of movements conceptually rather than mechanistically.]

Ayako struggles but doesn't know what to do. She falls over.

Ayako is out.

[What both Ayako and Takashi lack are training partners like Meguru and Maki. Meguru has Maki and Maki has Meguru. Whatever Ayako can do, Maki has seen with Meguru. She's become more well-rounded because of him. Whatever Takashi can do, Meguru has seen with Maki. He's also become a better striker because of her. Combat sports is a team sport.]

Maki wins the Nationals!

Maria runs into the ring. Maki screams with joy.

Ayako dreams about her first time walking into her gym, OST. It was only for fitness, but during training, she felt alive. When she decided to compete, she surprised herself by winning. She wanted to know what she was capable of. When she saw footage of Maki kickboxing online, she wanted to fight her—to test herself.

Ayako opens her eyes to find Onishi and Chika staring at her.

"So I've lost," Ayako thinks.

Ayako gets up and walks over to Maki.

"Great fight," Ayako says as she shakes Maki's hand.

Ayako hugs her and sobs.

Maki rubs her head.

"I hear you," she tells her. "Let's both keep growing. And when you're ready to fight me again, I'm down."