MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat

Two months had passed, and a lot had shifted across the MMA world.

While Damon stayed mostly quiet, focused on his training and home life, the internet had started to boil again, this time, with clips of Alex Tereira.

Short videos, reels, and slow-motion breakdowns of Tereira drilling sprawls, wrestling with Olympians, and practicing cage escapes flooded social media. Analysts praised his efforts.

Fans debated if it would be enough. His takedown defense was improving, no doubt, and it was clear he was taking Damon seriously.

"Steel sharpens steel," one post read, paired with footage of Tereira working double underhook breaks in a wrestling gym in Dagestan.

Another showed him grappling in Brazil with top-tier jiu-jitsu coaches, sweat pouring down his back as he fought off rear body-locks and leg rides.

Damon watched a few of them. Not all. He wasn't obsessed.

He respected the effort. Tereira was a world-class striker, and if he managed to stop the takedown, it would be a dangerous fight.

But Damon had spent his whole life adapting.

He had fought against wrestlers, strikers, counter-grapplers, pressure monsters, and power punchers. And now he was training harder than ever.

Still, he noted it all. Tereira was preparing. The fight was coming. And Damon would be ready to answer every sprawl with pressure, every defense with something deeper.

In those two months, while training never stopped, Damon had made time for his family.

Mornings with Ava, slow dinners with Svetlana, and quiet nights where the weight of his upcoming title fight faded just a little. He didn't take the peace for granted.

He'd also been speaking with Joey more often than usual. It started with usual catchups, fight news, sponsorship talk, media prep, but over the last few days, their conversations had drifted into more personal territory.

Joey was serious about proposing to Ashley. He was nervous, but the decision was clear in his voice. Damon supported him without hesitation.

"You think she'll say yes?" Joey had asked over a video call.

"Without blinking," Damon said, confident.

They laughed, and it didn't take long before Joey brought something else up. He leaned into the camera, grinning.

"Also… we're doing a bachelor's night out, yeah? Just the boys. One time before your life's officially over."

Damon raised an eyebrow, smirking. "My life's not over. I'm getting married, not buried."

"Same thing, bro."

Damon chuckled, shaking his head. "We'll do it. Just keep it clean. If I end up in a headline, I'm sending your ass the lawsuit."

Joey grinned. "Deal. One night. Just you, me, Ash, maybe Ty. Whoever else makes the cut."

Damon thought about it for a second and nodded. "Alright. But no strippers."

"No promises," Joey said.

Damon pointed at the screen. "I mean it."

Joey just laughed again. "You're soft now. Svetlana really changed you."

Damon leaned back in his chair, a half-smile on his face. "You talk like I was ever some party animal like you. You do know I've basically only ever been with Svetlana, right?"

Joey paused. "…Damn. That's actually true."

There was a short silence before he continued, a bit more sincere. "You know what, though? You've got it good, man. Svetlana's incredible. And you… well, you're you. You two just make sense."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "I'm gonna pretend that wasn't a backhanded compliment."

Joey laughed. "No shots, bro. Real talk. You guys are solid. Makes the rest of us believe in the whole thing."

Damon smirked but didn't answer. He didn't need to. The respect in Joey's voice said enough.

Damon leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "Anyway, back to you thinking about proposing to Ashley—got a day in mind yet?"

Joey exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not really. I've been thinking about it a lot, but… I gotta admit, I'm nervous, man. You got any advice from when you proposed?"

Damon burst out laughing. "Me? Advice? Bro, I don't think I'm the guy to ask."

Joey raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Damon shook his head, still grinning. "Because on the day I planned to propose, Svetlana fainted. I rushed her to the hospital, thinking something serious was wrong… turns out we were going to be parents. The whole proposal kind of took a back seat after that."

Joey laughed, shaking his head. "Man… I still can't believe that's how you found out."

Damon smirked but leaned forward, his tone shifting. "Yeah, wild times."

Then he grew more serious, his voice calm. "But on a real note… just keep it simple. Take her out somewhere nice. Doesn't need to be a big production. Just make it about you two. Or better, if you guys have a spot that means something to you, go there. Something familiar. Something real."

Joey nodded, listening carefully now. "Yeah. We do have that place on the coast we hit up last year. She still talks about that trip."

"Then that's your answer," Damon said. "You don't need fireworks. Just remind her why she said yes the first time, when she said yes to being yours."

Joey grinned slowly, eyes thoughtful. "You're getting too poetic for a fighter, bro."

Damon chuckled. "Hey, I'm engaged, got a daughter, and I fold laundry now. This is what peak performance looks like."

They both laughed again, but the sincerity lingered underneath.

"Anyway, I gotta bounce," Damon said, stretching as he stood. "Promised Ava I'd build a pillow fort with her before bedtime."

Joey smirked. "You? Building pillow forts now?"

"She's been hyped about it all day. Brought me a blanket this morning like it was a blueprint." Damon shook his head with a small grin. "Apparently, it has to have a 'princess tower' and a 'dragon cave.' So, I got work to do."

Joey laughed. "Man, you're in deep."

"And loving it," Damon said as he walked off. "Catch you later."

Joey laughed as Damon walked off, shaking his head. "Princess tower and dragon cave…" he muttered to himself.

He couldn't even complain. Theo had him doing all kinds of wild stuff too. Last week, the kid had him wearing a cape and crawling through the hallway pretending to be a space lizard. And somehow, Theo still declared himself the "real boss."

Even now, at three years old, he was already a menace.

Joey leaned back in his chair, smiling. Parenthood was chaos. But he wouldn't trade it for anything.