NOVEL NEXT Chapter 362: Breaking Boundaries
The energy in the arena was electric as the crowd roared with excitement.
This was the part of the night that everyone had been looking forward to.
In the middle of the cage, between the fighters, Hank Binn stood with his loud voice outshining the noise. "Ready? Ready? Fight!"
The bell rang, and the commentators immediately jumped in.
"Here we go, folks! We're underway with the co-main event of the evening, Damon Cross versus Ciao Doralhi," Jim Logan announced, his voice brimming with excitement.
"This is the fight that has everyone talking, two of the most dangerous middleweights in the division going head-to-head."
James Nix leaned in, his tone more measured but no less enthusiastic.
"Damon Cross, stepping into his seventh fight this year. Honestly, Jim, it feels wild just saying that out loud. Last year, this young man broke the UFA record for matches fought and won in a single calendar year. And now, he's back to hold onto that record. It's almost unheard of in this sport." Continue reading stories on empire
"You're absolutely right, James," Jim continued.
"Let's not forget, 22 years old, holding an undefeated record of 13-0 with ten knockouts and three submissions. Damon Cross is the epitome of a well-rounded fighter. He's a striker, a grappler, and above all, he's consistent. And that consistency? It's what makes him so terrifying."
James nodded. "Terrifying, and concerning. Let's be honest, Jim. Most fighters, even the elites, take breaks between fights to recover, reset, and strategize. This young man has been fighting every one to two months for the past six months. And not just anyone, he's been finishing some of the best in the division."
Jim's voice grew more animated. "You're right, James. It's almost inhuman. We've watched this young phenom all year, and every single fight leaves us in awe almost taking little to no damage to every match. But tonight he faces Ciao Doralhi."
James added, "Absolutely. Ciao Doralhi is dangerous, methodical, and coming in with a chip on his shoulder. And for Damon, A win here catapults him into the top 5."
"And," Jim interjected, "it sets up a huge potential matchup for his next fight. The winner of this fight could very well face Ismael Desayen, Donald Whittier, or even the former champion, DPP, at the inaugural event next year."
The camera moved around the loud crowd, making the fans more tense as they waited for the fighters to begun.
"This," James said, his voice steady, "is what the sport is all about."
Damon stood across from Ciao, his green and white fight shorts hugging his lean, muscular frame.
He let his adrenaline flow through him and kept his eyes sharply on his opponent.
The crowd was yelling, but it just faded away.
Ciao shifted into his southpaw stance.
Damon responded by taking an orthodox stance, a stance known to give southpaws trouble due to its natural angles and striking lanes.
He was proficient in both.
Though his right hand was dominant and carried the rawer power, his left wasn't far behind.
Years of training had turned it into a weapon of its own.
Damon moved closer, his footwork light, his body coiled like a spring.
He began weaving like a seasoned boxer, his head slipping just outside of Ciao's reach as he tested the distance.
But while his movement mirrored that of a boxer, his arsenal went far beyond it.
He darted forward with a quick jab, snapping it into Ciao's guard before immediately pivoting to his right.
Ciao responded with a straight left, sharp and clean, but Damon leaned back just enough to let it miss by inches.
Before Ciao could reset, Damon struck back.
A lightning-fast teep kick shot out from his left leg, aimed at Ciao's midsection.
It wasn't powerful, just a range-finder, but it forced Ciao to step back.
Damon followed it up with a sharp low kick, cracking against Ciao's lead leg.
The sound of shin meeting thigh echoed through the arena.
"Look at Damon Cross already mixing things up," Jim Logan called from commentary. "That's a Muay Thai-style low kick paired with some clean boxing movement."
Ciao circled, keeping his hands high, his southpaw stance still sharp.
Damon didn't let him settle.
He stepped in with a quick one-two combo, feinting the jab to bait a counter, before pulling back and launching a brutal switch kick aimed at Ciao's ribs.
Ciao managed to block it, but the impact still forced him to adjust his stance slightly.
"Those kicks are vicious," James Nix added. "Damon's blending his striking disciplines perfectly, boxing for the head movement, Muay Thai for the kicks, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see some Taekwondo flair soon."
Damon smirked slightly, feeling his rhythm settle in.
He stepped forward again, his feet light but planted with purpose.
Ciao fired back, throwing a sharp right hook that forced Damon to duck under.
As he weaved, he launched a swift knee aimed at Ciao's midsection, a classic Muay Thai move.
Ciao grunted, his body absorbing the impact, but he stayed composed.
He responded with a quick jab that connected lightly, but Damon rolled with it, stepping out of range and firing off a spinning back kick aimed at Ciao's liver.
The crowd gasped as the kick barely missed, Ciao sidestepping just in time.
"That was close!" Jim exclaimed. "If that had landed, we might've been looking at an early finish."
Damon didn't give Ciao a moment to breathe.
He closed the distance, launching a series of sharp elbows and a sneaky hook kick aimed at Ciao's head.
Though the kick grazed his guard, it forced Ciao to step back again, giving Damon control of the center of the cage.
"Cross is overwhelming him with variety," Nix said. "He's attacking from every angle, making it hard for Ciao to find a rhythm."
Ciao tried to shoot for a quick clinch, but Damon was ready.
He intercepted with a slicing uppercut followed by a brutal leg kick that buckled Ciao's stance for a split second.
Damon's mind was focused, his strategy clear, keep mixing it up, overwhelm Ciao with a diverse striking game, and make him second-guess every move.
The fight had just begun, but Damon was already setting the tone.