MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat

It was a carefree moment, a brief escape from the intense competition they all knew was coming.

Everyone seemed happy, letting loose and enjoying the break from the pressure.

Damon soon realized he wasn\'t the only one who chose to avoid the alcohol.

Ivan, his roommate, didn\'t drink either, keeping to himself quietly.

But what really surprised Damon was seeing Kofi from the other team staying away from the beer as well.

Despite Kofi\'s lighthearted personality and his dominant presence in the cage, Damon half-expected him to be the type to join in and dance around with everyone.

But no, Kofi refrained, although he still hung out with his team, laughing and talking along with the rest of them.

There were a few others who also didn\'t indulge, but the majority of the house didn\'t seem to care.

Damon yawned as he looked up at the sky from under the gazebo, feeling the fatigue of the day catching up with him.

Unsure if tomorrow would be a free day or the start of training, he figured it was better to rest early and be prepared.

He glanced around at the others who were still laughing and enjoying themselves. Standing up, he stretched and said, "Well, gentlemen, I\'m going to take my leave."

"Already? Come on, bro, just one sip, it won\'t hurt," one of the guys called out, trying to get him to join in.

Damon just shook his head as he started walking away. He wasn\'t about to give in to that.

As he got far enough that their voices faded, the guy who had offered him the sip muttered, "Well, that guy\'s boring. Good luck making it in UFA," followed by his own loud laugh.

No one else joined in, and after a moment of awkward silence, the conversation shifted back to other topics, like the comment hadn\'t even been made.

Damon entered the house, the muffled voices of Team Chemasov, as they chatted quietly in the living room.

It seemed their mood had mellowed a bit compared to earlier.

He made his way toward his room, noticing that Ivan had already settled in and taken the top bunk, which was fine since Damon had asked for the bottom.

As he glanced over, he saw Ivan putting on small earsets.

Damon paused for a moment, confused. Aren\'t electronics banned here? he thought.

But then again, maybe it was just internet-connected devices that were restricted. Music might be fine.

Shrugging it off, Damon grabbed his towel and headed for the shower.

The hot water felt good against his skin, washing away the tension from the long day.

It was exactly what he needed to unwind before getting some rest.

As Damon closed his eyes under the shower, the warm water cascading over him, his thoughts drifted.

It hadn\'t been long since he\'d left, but damn, he already missed his mother and Svetlana.

A soft smile crossed his face as he whispered her name, "Svetlana."

After a while, he finished up and stepped out of the shower.

He dried himself off and slipped into his sleep clothes, simple shorts and a white shirt. He yawned as he made his way to the bottom bunk.

Lying down, he pulled the blanket over himself, closed his eyes, and let the exhaustion take over. Before long, he drifted off to sleep.

Suddenly, Damon\'s eyes snapped open.

It wasn\'t a nightmare or anything else disturbing, it was the loud laughter coming from the living room.

The noise had grown louder, enough to pull him out of his much-needed rest.

He sighed, not wanting to start any drama on the first night.

Damon shifted in bed, pulling the blanket up higher and trying to block out the noise, hoping they would eventually keep it down.

He focused on calming his mind, willing himself to fall back asleep despite the interruption.

The noise from the living room only got louder. Damon could now clearly hear bits of the drunken conversation.

One voice slurred, "Bro, I\'m tellin\' ya, I could take that dude in one round, easy!"

Another laughed. "Nah, you? You can\'t even stand straight right now. You\'d get knocked out by a stiff breeze, man!"

"I\'m serious! You see that last fight? I got robbed, straight up! Ref was blind."

Someone else chimed in, "Yeah, whatever, man. How \'bout we get some more drinks, huh? Keep this party going!"

Damon groaned, frustration bubbling over. "Fucking hell," he muttered under his breath, rubbing his face. He wasn\'t going to get any sleep with this going on.

Damon stood up, shaking his head in frustration. He glanced over at Ivan, who was fast asleep, his earsets playing music.

Smart move, Damon thought. Now he understood why Ivan had chosen that approach, avoiding the noise, avoiding the drama, and just sleeping through it all.

But Damon couldn\'t sleep, not with the noise getting louder.

He knew how drunk people were; once they got to this point, common sense might as well not exist.

Approaching them could stir up unnecessary trouble, and he wasn\'t in the mood for that.

He sighed, debating whether he should put up with the noise or find a way to drown it out himself.

Another shout echoed through the house, followed by more drunken laughter.

Damon clenched his fists, taking a deep breath. \'Fuck it\' he thought.

He got out of bed, marched toward the door, and headed straight for the living room.

As he stepped inside, he immediately noticed the scene, several of the fighters were shirtless, including Kevin, who was knocked out on the couch.

The two making all the noise were the blonde brothers he remembered from the team selection and their fights. They were the source of the racket.

Damon walked up to them, doing his best to keep calm. "Hey guys, could you please keep it down? We\'re trying to sleep."

The two brothers stopped talking, their eyes turning to Damon. For a second, there was an awkward pause as they stared at him, sizing him up.