MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat-Chapter 860: The Night Before

The week finally came to an end.

Damon finished everything he needed to do. Training sessions, recovery work, media obligations, everything was wrapped up. His body felt sharp, and his weight was perfect, he was ready to go to MSG.

The press conference earlier that week had gone smoothly.

Unlike some of the events, this one didn’t turn into a shouting match. A few reporters tried to stir things up, asking questions that could start tension between him and Anton, but Anton didn’t take the bait.

He stayed respectful.

More than that, he even praised Damon’s career and said he was looking forward to testing himself against one of the best fighters in the sport.

Seeing that, Damon responded the same way. He spoke calmly, acknowledged Anton’s skill, and kept the conversation professional.

Because of that, many fans online started joking about the press conference.

Some casual viewers called it a "dick-sucking press conference," while others joked that it was a "holy glaze session."

Of course, those comments only came from a small portion of fans. Most people understood what they were watching.

Two elite fighters respecting each other before a fight.

Because of that, Damon’s week passed easily.

Now it was Saturday night.

The fight was close.

Damon sat in a hotel waiting. He hadn’t seen Joey properly since coming back from Singapore. The man had been busy with something.

Damon already knew what that something was.

Joey had asked him for advice several times about the proposal.

So Damon had a good guess about what happened.

A little while later, the door opened.

Joey walked in.

The moment Damon saw his face, he smiled.

Joey looked like a man who had just won the lottery. His grin was so wide it almost looked painful.

Damon leaned back on the couch.

"Well?" he asked.

Joey didn’t even sit down.

"Bro..." he said, almost laughing from excitement.

Damon raised an eyebrow.

"She said yes!" Joey finally blurted out.

Damon laughed and stood up, walking over to him.

"I knew it," he said before pulling him into a quick hug and patting his back. "Congrats, man."

Joey stepped back but the smile never left his face.

"You don’t get it," he said, shaking his head. "I was nervous as hell."

Damon crossed his arms. "You? Nervous?" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Man, I was sweating," Joey admitted. "I thought I was going to mess something up."

"But you didn’t," Damon said.

Joey grinned again.

"Didn’t even hesitate. Soon as she saw the ring she started crying and saying yes."

Damon nodded approvingly.

"Good."

Joey finally dropped into a chair, still smiling like an idiot.

"Man... I’m getting married."

Damon chuckled.

"Yeah," he said. "That’s usually what happens after a proposal."

"Fuck off," Joey said, laughing.

Damon smirked.

"So... I should get my best man speech ready, right?"

Joey’s expression suddenly dropped.

"Oh man... my brother..." he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "You know he wanted this."

Damon’s smile softened. He stepped forward, ready to pat Joey on the shoulder in understanding.

But Joey couldn’t hold the act for more than a few seconds.

"Of course, dumbass," he said, breaking into a grin again. "Jake doesn’t care about that stuff. He literally told me as long as there’s food, he’s good."

Damon rolled his eyes.

Joey leaned back in his chair, still smiling.

"So yeah... you’re the best man," he said. "But before that, win this match and get the dub. I want my best man still undefeated."

He pointed at Damon with a mock serious look.

"If not..."

Damon clicked his tongue.

"Tsk... as if."

As they drove toward the arena where they would meet the rest of the team, the car stayed quiet for a while. The city lights passed by through the windows while traffic slowly moved along the road.

Joey glanced over at Damon after a moment.

He noticed something.

Damon was alone this time.

"Where’s the fam?" Joey asked.

Damon kept his eyes on the road ahead.

"At Lana’s place," he said. "She’s been traveling too much for my fights lately. With the pregnancy getting close, it’s better if she stays home."

Joey nodded.

"So she’s going to watch the fight there," Damon continued. "Her mom will be there too. And Ava."

Joey leaned back in the seat.

"Probably safer that way," he said. "These arenas get crazy."

Damon gave a small nod.

"Yeah."

For a moment the car returned to silence. The massive lights of the arena were already visible in the distance.

Joey looked at Damon again.

"You nervous?" he asked.

Damon shook his head calmly.

"No."

Joey smirked.

"Good," he said. "Because I just got engaged. I don’t need my best man ruining the vibe by losing tonight."

Damon glanced at him briefly.

"Tsk," he said. "Relax."

The car continued moving toward the arena. The night was just getting started.

They finally reached their destination.

The car pulled up outside Madison Square Garden, the massive building glowing under the bright lights of the city. Even from outside, the energy could already be felt. Fans crowded around the entrances, security guiding lines through the barricades while cameras flashed from different directions.

Joey whistled quietly as they stepped out.

"Man... this place never gets old."

Damon didn’t answer. He simply adjusted the strap of his bag and walked toward the entrance.

Inside, the noise from the arena echoed through the halls. Staff members moved quickly through the corridors while fighters, coaches, and production teams went about their business.

They made their way toward the locker rooms.

To be honest, Damon had been expected there much earlier. But he had waited to catch Joey first before heading in.

Now there was no more delay.

Damon pushed the locker room door open and stepped inside, ready for the next fight.

Originally, he wasn’t even supposed to main event the card. The heavyweight title fight had been scheduled for that spot.

But once the promotion saw the numbers, the hype, and the attention Damon’s fight was getting, the decision changed quickly.

His name alone carried too much weight.

Many fans came to watch the other champions, sure. But the truth was that a huge portion of the crowd came for Damon.

Some wanted to see greatness.

Others wanted to see him finally lose.

The arena buzzed with that exact question.

Whether he would lose...

Or whether he would win again.

And if he did, because Damon himself had no doubt about that part—

The real question became how he would win.