Damon stood in the center of the cage, sweat still clinging to his body.
His breathing was steady. His coaches stood behind him, proud but quiet, letting the moment build.
Across from him, Nankalayev kept his head up, still composed despite the loss. The cutman held a towel to his eyebrow, but his eyes never dropped.
The referee stepped between them, gripping both fighters' wrists. Deuce Baffer, standing just outside the frame with his mic in hand, raised his voice over the sound of the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "referee Nark Gokdart has called a stop to this contest at three minutes, forty-two seconds of Round Three. Declaring the winner, by submission—"
The crowd was already reacting, noise building with every word.
"—and STILLLLLLLLLL UNDEFEATED...
DAMON!!!!! 'THE RONIN!!!!' CROSS!!!"
The arena exploded. Damon raised both arms, nodding as his team swarmed in.
