MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat

Damon sat down on the stool. He wasn't breathing heavy. His face was calm, focused. Victor stepped in front of him, crouching to meet his eye level.

"You're doing fine," Victor said, wiping the sweat from Damon's chest. "Keep doing what you're doing."

Damon nodded once.

Victor pointed toward Alex's corner with his chin. "Look at his legs. He's standing too square after every exchange. You saw that?"

"I did."

"Good. That's your angle. When you step out, cut in. Don't go wide. And his right elbow flares when he throws the left hook, there's a gap there."

Damon didn't say anything. He didn't need to.

Victor continued. "He's not reacting to your feints either. That means you're not letting him read you. That's good. But don't get greedy. He's still dangerous. Play with the tempo, not with your chin."

He gave Damon a light slap on the thigh. "You got this. Stay in control."

Damon stood up as the ten-second buzzer sounded. He rolled his shoulders and walked back to the center like he had all the time in the world.

Across from him, Tereira cracked his neck and bounced once. His mouth stayed closed, his face hard.

The ref stepped between them.

"Ready?"

"Ready?"

"Fight."

Round two began.

Damon looked at Alex as the horn sounded, signaling the start of Round 2.

He reset his stance, staying light on his feet. His arms moved fluidly, not stiff, and his chin tucked behind his shoulder as he slowly advanced again. His eyes never left Tereira's.

In Round 1, he'd noticed the a flaw. When he threatened a takedown or even dipped his shoulder, Tereira froze for a split second, unsure whether to sprawl or counter. It wasn't obvious to the crowd, but Damon felt it.

Tereira moved in with a jab, long and fast, followed by a quick step-in knee. Damon slipped the jab and pivoted away from the knee, creating space and immediately snapping a low kick that cracked against Tereira's calf.

Alex adjusted and pushed forward again, this time flicking a hook and a straight. Damon ducked under the hook and blocked the straight with his forearm.

He didn't overreact. He stayed calm, always centered, never giving away too much momentum.

Then he shifted angles, bouncing left and faking a drop level. Tereira flinched down, bringing his arms tight to his sides.

Damon saw it again. The same hesitation. He fired a clean jab upstairs and stepped back out of range.

Jon Goodman called it out. "That's the same read. Damon fakes low, and Tereira clamps up. He's worried about the takedown, and it's throwing off his striking rhythm."

Rich Alvarez added, "And Damon hasn't even seriously tried a shot. That's the danger. The threat is enough."

Inside the cage, Damon kept pressing the pace without forcing it. He stepped in and out with smooth movement, constantly probing.

He clipped Tereira with a check hook off a missed jab, then pivoted again to the open side.

Alex wasn't folding, though. He caught Damon with a tight inside leg kick and followed it with a straight left.

It grazed the chest, but Damon rolled with it, lessening the impact. He countered immediately with a right elbow on the exit, fast and sudden.

It landed. Not flush, but enough to make Alex step back.

Then Damon charged in. Not wild, just sharp pressure. He stepped in with a three-strike combo, jab to the body, left hook upstairs, right low kick, and then reset just as fast.

Victor called from the corner. "That's it. Keep making him think. Keep forcing reactions."

Tereira took the center again, trying to keep his back from the fence. He fired a spinning body kick, and Damon ducked under, closing the distance to clinch.

The moment they touched, Damon turned the angle and tripped the leg.

Tereira stumbled but stayed upright. Damon released and backed off with a grin.

"Ohhh he's letting him up again!" the commentary team shouted.

Damon didn't say anything. He just circled again, ready for more. Tereira breathed heavier now, but he wasn't beaten.

He adjusted his stance and returned fire with a high kick. Damon caught it on the forearm and answered with a calf kick that staggered him slightly.

Then came the cleanest exchange yet.

Tereira launched a straight left and Damon slipped just barely outside, returning with a stiff jab.

The timing was perfect. Tereira moved back, and Damon followed, feinting low again.

Alex braced, and Damon instead landed a clean right hand across the temple. It wasn't a knockout shot, but it sent sweat flying and forced a reaction.

Damon pressured. He hit the body with a left, then clinched again and turned him into the fence.

He kept Alex pressed against the fence. His forehead was tight to the side of Tereira's jaw, chest to chest, hips low. The grip around the waist wasn't just firm, it was anchored.

Tereira's fingers dug at the wrist, trying to create space, but nothing moved. Damon's grip held like it was welded on.

Alex twisted to the left, trying to circle out, but Damon stepped with him and resecured the lock.

Then the body work began.

Damon pulled his shoulder back just enough to fire a short right hook into the ribs. It landed flush. Then another. And another.

The shots weren't wide. They were tight, direct, efficient. Elbow in, fist turning in late. He wasn't trying to end the fight with one punch. He was trying to break something.

Tereira grunted, tightened his abs, and kept pushing at the grip, but Damon adjusted the angle and stepped behind the lead foot, trapping the base and keeping him stuck.

Another right to the ribs. Then a left.

The crowd reacted with each one. The smacks were clean and hard, echoing above the noise.

Jon Goodman spoke up. "That grip is ridiculous. Tereira's trying to peel the hand, but Damon's got that thing locked like a vice."

Rich Alvarez added, "And look where the shots are going. Ribs. Liver. He's softening the base, not just stalling."

Marvin Duke leaned in. "You can see Tereira starting to breathe with the mouth. That's pain building up."

Inside the cage, Alex dug an underhook and tried to turn out, but Damon read it and pulled him back into the fence, adjusting his head position and going right back to the ribs.

Then he brought up a knee.

It thudded into the thigh first, then another. Then he slipped one higher and dug it into the floating ribs.

Tereira flinched for the first time.

Victor called from the corner, "There it is!"

Damon didn't let go. He changed sides and delivered another knee, then a short elbow on the break attempt, before locking again and walking Tereira back two steps to reset the fence position.

Marvin said, "You can see Tereira thinking now. He's not free, and he's not scoring. He needs to break that grip or he's getting drowned."

Damon tightened the lock again and whispered something near Tereira's ear, something only the two of them could hear. Then he stepped his knee inside again and fired another tight punch to the ribs.

Tereira's mouth opened. He was breathing harder now.