MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat

RRD kept moving as he circled the cage, shaking off the takedown damage. His eyes stayed locked on Ivan, who never stopped walking him down.

Ivan threw a short elbow in close, forcing RRD to guard high. Then he dipped low, threatening another takedown. It was a fake. He fired an uppercut that skimmed RRD's chin.

Jon Goodman's voice rose. "That's where Ivan's evolved. He used to shoot constantly. Now he mixes it up."

RRD landed a clean jab, then stepped in with a knee to the body.

The strike thudded, but Ivan didn't back off. He just threw a right hand that clipped RRD behind the ear.

Rich Alvarez said, "Man, even the shots Ivan misses make you feel something."

They clinched near the cage. Ivan's forearm pressed into RRD's throat.

He threw a knee to the thigh, then dragged him off balance, looking for a trip.

RRD stayed up but lost his footing slightly, enough for Ivan to push him against the fence.

RRD reversed and tried to spin out, but Ivan hooked a leg and muscled him back down to the mat.

Marvin Duke leaned in. "That's control. Pure strength and pressure."

Back on the ground, Ivan didn't rush. He postured, dropped a heavy elbow, then another. RRD's guard stayed active, but Novak's weight never lifted.

Blood showed from RRD's eyebrow. One of those elbows had split him.

Jon's voice was firm. "This is what makes Novak dangerous. He doesn't do anything flashy. But everything he does hurts."

RRD twisted his hips, looking for space. He tried to wall walk, but Ivan caught his base and dragged him flat again. Then came the shoulder pressure. Grinding. Suffocating.

A short left hand landed. Then another.

The referee hovered but didn't step in. RRD was defending, but the shots were adding up.

Then, out of nowhere, RRD exploded with a sweep attempt. It almost worked.

Ivan stumbled for a moment, and RRD got one knee under. He pushed, scrambled, and got back to his feet.

The crowd responded, rising with him.

Rich said, "He's not done. Say what you want about RRD, but that guy's got heart."

Back on their feet, the pace slowed just slightly. Both men breathing harder now.

RRD's nose was bleeding, and his left eye had started to swell. But he stood tall.

Ivan checked a kick, then blasted a right hand to the ribs. Then a hook. RRD backed off, his guard tight.

Marvin added, "Ivan's putting money in the bank with those body shots."

They circled again, and the bell rang.

Both corners rushed in.

Ivan sat on the stool, not even breathing heavy. His coach gave a simple nod. "Good work. Same thing. Keep him backing up."

Across the cage, RRD's team wiped the blood and spoke fast.

"He's heavy. But he's not out of reach. Stay patient. Mix it up. You got this."

Round two was seconds away.

And neither man looked like they were going anywhere.

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Soon enough the stools was gone. RRD stood early, pacing in his corner, breathing sharp but steady.

He wiped his own mouth and nodded once at his coach.

Across the cage, Ivan hadn't sat down too long. His arms hung loose at his sides, eyes locked forward. Sweat glistened across both men's backs.

The horn rang for Round 2.

They moved forward fast.

RRD threw a stiff jab, then slipped left, cutting a clean angle.

He landed a low kick behind it, and when Ivan stepped forward, RRD met him with a strong teep to the gut. Ivan grunted, absorbed it, then swarmed.

Left hook, right cross, level change.

RRD sprawled, hips heavy, but Ivan switched directions and drove forward. He pushed RRD to the cage, linked his hands, and with a sharp lift, slammed him down.

"Big takedown again from Novak!" Jon Goodman shouted. "And that one was pure power. RRD stuffed the first shot and still ended up on his back."

Ivan worked fast. He postured, raised a short elbow, and cracked it down on RRD's guard. Then another. Then a shoulder pressure fake, switching sides to land a hook to the body.

RRD closed his guard, then opened it again, shifting his hips for space.

Rich Alvarez added, "RRD's trying to stay active, but look at the control. Novak's pinning his wrists, dropping real damage in small windows."

Inside the cage, Ivan postured again. This time, RRD exploded upward, fighting for a butterfly hook, and launched into a sweep. Ivan rolled with it.

They scrambled. RRD made it to his knees, then feet, but Ivan clinched again and threw two short knees to the thigh.

The crowd roared as they separated.

Now standing, RRD fired a strong one-two combo. The right landed clean on Ivan's cheek.

Ivan's head snapped, but he didn't blink. He charged again. RRD met him with a left elbow that scraped the temple.

"RRD's landing sharp now!" Marvin Duke said. "He knows he needs to build momentum. That elbow hit real!"

Ivan clinched again but this time RRD stuffed it and landed an uppercut inside. Ivan let go and threw a body shot, then came up with a knee.

They traded in the pocket.

Three-punch combo from Ivan. Cross, hook, hook. RRD rolled under the second and fired a body kick.

Ivan caught it and launched a counter right hand that barely missed. RRD stumbled but reset, spinning into a backfist.

Ivan ducked under and shot again. This time RRD sprawled, then snatched a front headlock.

"He's got that grip locked!" Jon shouted.

RRD adjusted for a guillotine, but Ivan turned the corner and escaped, pushing him to the cage.

Back to the grind.

Knees to the body. Elbows over the top. Wrist control battles.

RRD broke free again and threw a hard left. Ivan ate it. Then he shot once more. RRD tried to bounce out. Ivan stayed with him. They hit the mat again. This time in half guard.

Short elbows came down.

One. Two. Three.

Blood from RRD's eyebrow now. Not a cut that would stop a fight, but it stung. He blinked fast, wiped with his glove, and moved his hips.

Ivan passed to side control.

The crowd roared as he pinned the arm and fired another elbow. RRD exploded again and got to his knees, then up. Ivan followed him but slowed now.

RRD threw a jab. Then a leg kick. Then a flying knee that landed partially. Ivan clinched again, this time slower.

"Look at this pace," Rich said. "This isn't a chess match anymore. This is just two world-class fighters dragging each other through fire."

They broke again. Ivan missed a right hand. RRD landed a front kick. Then a jab. Then a hook. The crowd rose to their feet.

But the round wasn't over.

Ivan stepped in, popped a jab, feinted the shot, then drove again. RRD stuffed it but ate a short elbow on the way out.

The last thirty seconds saw both men trading.