MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat

He looked around to see if anyone was watching, his eyes scanning the empty hallway.

Svetlana was waiting for him a short distance away, but she wasn\'t looking in his direction.

Damon\'s curiosity got the better of him, and he leaned in closer to the door, his ear pressed against the wood.

He heard Victor\'s voice, clear and distinct. "How\'s the progress with Damon? I just saw the training."

Kru Somchai\'s voice responded, sounding impressed. "Vic, that kid is a beast. He absorbs everything I tell him, and he does it. It\'s like he\'s just remembering forgotten knowledge. Honestly, I kinda see what you meant a year ago."

Victor\'s voice sounded happy, a hint of excitement in his tone. "That\'s good. What about you, José? I\'m sure you\'ve got good things to say as well."

Damon held his breath, waiting to hear Coach José\'s response.

But before José could speak, the sound of the door handle creaking under Damon\'s weight echoed through the room.

Damon cursed silently, his eyes widening in panic. "Fuck," he mouthed, his heart racing.

He had pushed the handle down when leaning on the door, and now he was worried that he had been discovered.

Damon froze, his ear still pressed against the door, waiting to see if anyone would come out to investigate. The room fell silent, and Damon held his breath.

Damon thought he had gotten away with eavesdropping, and after waiting a minute, he was about to take a step back and knock on the door to pretend he had just arrived.

Deep down, he was happy to hear that Coach José and Kru Somchai had been praising him behind his back.

Those "egg heads" had never told him anything good about his progress, but it seemed they had just chosen not to share their positive opinions with him.

As he was about to take a step back, Victor\'s voice sounded from inside the room, "Damon, we know it\'s you. You can come in. We were waiting on you."

Damon froze, his heart sinking. He cursed silently, "Fuck." He scratched his head, feeling embarrassed and caught.

He looked over at Svetlana, who was smiling and waving at him. He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, and entered the room, smiling innocently.

He opened the door and saw Victor, Kru Somchai, and Coach José staring at him intently. "Woah, how did you know I was there? I was just about to knock," he said, trying to sound innocent, scratching his head again.

His eyes darted around the room, trying to gauge their reactions. Victor\'s expression was neutral, but Damon could sense a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Kru Somchai\'s face was stern, but Coach José looked like he was trying to stifle a grin.

Victor smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Sit down, we have something we want to tell you." Damon felt a bit of nervousness, his heart beating slightly faster.

He took a seat in the chair in front of Victor\'s desk, looking up at him with a mix of curiosity and apprehension.

Victor leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "Your coaches have been telling me how much you complain about not getting a match," he said, his voice calm and measured.

Damon felt a flush rise to his cheeks, and he opened his mouth to explain, but Victor shook his head, cutting him off.

"No need to explain, you\'re young, you want excitement, and you\'re hungry, and that\'s good," Victor said, his eyes seeming to bore into Damon\'s soul.

"But you need to understand that we\'re preparing for stages bigger than those you\'ve been in. This isn\'t a backyard fight or Battle Xtreme." He paused, his gaze drifting off for a moment before refocusing on Damon.

Damon felt a shiver run down his spine as Victor\'s words hung in the air.

He had always known that his training was leading up to something bigger, but he wanted at least to test his skills on a real match.

Victor turned, his chair creaking softly as he reached for a file on his desk.

He pulled out a paper, his eyes scanning it briefly before looking up at Damon. "I was going to tell you this next year as a surprise," he said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

Victor\'s eyes scanned the paper in his hand, his expression thoughtful. "Getting into the UFA is hard, it\'s no easy job," he said, his voice measured. "Even I, with my connections, I\'m not that good."

He paused, looking up at Damon with a serious gaze. "But there are other ways to get in," he continued, his words sparking Damon\'s curiosity.

Damon\'s eyes narrowed slightly, trying to understand what Victor was getting at.

He had always known that getting into the UFA was a challenging task, but he had never thought about alternative routes.

Victor\'s eyes seemed to bore into Damon\'s soul as he spoke. "You see, there\'s this show the UFA wants to revive, it\'s been in talks for years, and they\'re finally figuring out how to do it."

Damon\'s confusion was evident on his face, but he listened intently, trying to grasp the connection between the show and his own situation.

\'What show?\'

Victor\'s expression turned encouraging. "And, with that show, comes great opportunities for up-and-coming fighters, and that is you."

Victor\'s hand extended, holding out the paper. "Since you\'ve been yearning for a fight, take this," he said, his voice filled with a sense of excitement.

Damon\'s eyes widened as he stood up to take the paper, his hand reaching out to accept it.

His fingers closed around the paper, feeling the weight of the opportunity that lay in the paper.

While he didn\'t know it\'s contents, he understood it was something that would take his fighting to the next level.

Damon\'s eyes met Victor\'s, a spark of understanding passing between them.