MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat-Chapter 850: A familiar opponent

UNO released its own announcement the next morning, matching the UFA's energy and confirming their champion lineup for the event. The moment the post went live, the internet exploded.

Every major combat sports page reposted it. Fans from both sides, UNO loyalists and UFA diehards, flooded social platforms within minutes. Chirper, especially, turned into chaos.

The global MMA community had not been this united in hype for years.

And Damon's name appeared in almost every thread.

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Chirper Reactions

@FightFanatic

MMA fans are EATING GOOD this year. UFA x UNO is insane. Champions vs Champions?? TAKE MY MONEY.

@AsianMMAHub

UNO roster is stacked. UFA better not think this will be easy.

@UFA4Life

Damon Cross fighting TWICE in one week is the craziest thing I've ever heard. Man's not human.

@StrikingScience

Peak martial arts incoming. UNO strikers vs UFA grapplers… this is literally the perfect matchup event.

@CombatKingdom

This is bigger than UFC vs PRIDE ever was. UNO and UFA are COOKING.

@DamonEra

Damon is the GOAT. Simple. No one's touching him in this event.

@UnoChampTalk

UNO champs are killers too. Don't sleep. But yeah… Damon is a problem.

@MMAWorldDaily

Damon Cross fighting twice is wild. If he wins both? That's history. Not just legacy — HISTORY.

@RoninNation

Asia vs America. UNO vs UFA. And Damon in the middle of it all. This is the Super Bowl of MMA.

@TechnicalBreakdown

People don't get it… Damon fighting two world-class champions in a week is near suicide. But if anyone can do it, it's him.

@GOATWatch

Call it now: Damon will steal the whole event. Guy hasn't disappointed once.

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The hype kept growing. Every hour, new analysis videos popped up. Fighters from different promotions reacted. Gyms argued about matchups. Fans made mock posters.

Damon wasn't even online when most of it happened, but Joey sent him screenshots throughout the day. Every clip, every comment, every heated debate.

There was one clear theme across all of them:

Everyone expected Damon Cross to be the center of this entire event. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Damon scrolled through the screenshots Joey sent, taking in every post, every mention of his name, every prediction that placed him at the heart of the event.

None of it made him arrogant. It didn't inflate his ego. Instead, it sharpened something inside him.

The excitement from the fans, the debate, the pressure, it all pushed him forward.

It reminded him why he loved competing. Not for validation, but for the challenge, the climb, the feeling of standing where only a few could stand.

It made him more determined than ever.

Later that evening, he sat with the rest of his family, Victor, his mother Aoife, Svetlana's mother, Joey, and Svetlana. He explained the situation properly, without brushing over the risks.

They listened in silence at first. Not out of disapproval, but out of concern. Damon understood that. He expected it.

Victor spoke first, his tone steady but firm. "It's dangerous, kid. Cutting and gaining weight that fast… fighting world champions… you know the risks better than anyone."

Aoife crossed her arms. "You're already a double champion. You don't need to prove anything to anyone."

Svetlana didn't interrupt. She only placed her hand on his thigh to steady him, the same way she did during hard talks.

Damon nodded and answered honestly. "I know. And I know it sounds selfish. But I want to do it. I'll handle the risks, and I'll stick to my promise that this is the last crazy one."

There was a long pause as they processed his words.

His mother sighed, shaking her head. "If Svetlana agreed… then I'll trust the two of you. I still don't like it, but I'll support you."

Svetlana's mother wasn't fully convinced, but she eventually nodded too. "Just don't make this a habit."

Victor rubbed his temples. "Fine. You're grown. Do it right. Don't cut corners."

Joey, as always, just grinned. "You know I'm in your corner no matter what."

Damon felt something inside him loosen. Their acceptance didn't erase the risks or the worry, but it meant everything to him.

ble.

And now, they were all with him, even if reluctantly.

Damon finally sat down to study the matchups, and the moment he saw the announcement graphic, his eyes locked on a familiar name.

Enton Malikin.

One of the most dangerous men in the sport. A powerhouse with terrifying cardio and knockout power.

Someone who had earned the reputation of being one of the toughest champions in the East.

It seems he gad lost his heavyweight belts, but still holding two belts, middleweight and light heavyweight, just like Damon.

If Damon was honest with himself, Enton had been the fighter who planted an idea in his head years ago.

The idea that claiming heavyweight wasn't impossible. Enton had done it first, holding all three belts at once. It changed how Damon viewed the sport. It made him wonder what the limits really were.

But there was one thing people always forgot when they compared the two.

Damon had beaten him.

In the first World Cup MMA tournament, Damon defeated Enton in a grueling match that pushed both men to their limits.

It was a close fight, and Damon still remembered how heavy Enton's strikes felt, how relentless his pressure was.

And seeing him now, still a double champion, only confirmed that he had improved since then.

The official matchup sheet made it clear. Damon would meet Enton again in the light heavyweight bout.

Enton had refused to fight twice in the same week, so his middleweight title defense went to the number one contender, a dangerous fighter in his own right, but nowhere near the puzzle that Enton was.

Damon exhaled slowly as he studied the styles.

He would have preferred if both fights were against Enton. Fighting the same man twice, one weight apart, was simpler to plan for.

At least he knew Enton's rhythm, his entries, how he liked to frame in the clinch, and his takedowns.

But now?

He had to prepare for two completely different fighters on two opposite ends of the world, two weight classes, two camps, two strategies.

Even knowing he could beat Enton once didn't make the rematch easier. It made it more dangerous. Going in with the same mindset was the surest way to lose. Fighters changed. Champions changed even faster.

Damon leaned back and closed the file.

He chose this.

He couldn't complain.

And he had something no other fighter had. His system training, the simulations. The ability to study, test, and repeat until every detail felt natural.

So without wasting time he got into training.