After that fight, the tone shifted.

Ivan had taken two losses already.

While he had never loudly claimed to be the better coach, only the better fighter, the world wasn't interested in that nuance.

In the eyes of fans, fighters represented their teams, and team losses stacked against the man in charge.

The show didn't forgive failure. Every week brought highlights, headlines, and heat. Every loss reflected on Ivan's ability to guide and lead.

People started whispering. Was he too detached? Too hands-off? Was he trying to prove something as a fighter rather than building up his team?

Ivan felt the pressure more with each passing day. Maybe he was still adjusting to being a coach.

Maybe he wasn't used to guiding others instead of fighting himself. But what about his assistant coaches? What about their game plans, their influence?

Or maybe, plain and simple, Damon's fighters were just better, even before the show began. And now, under Damon's guidance, they had only sharpened. Improved. Refined.

But the producers didn't care about fairness or balance. They cared about ratings.

Whether it was a one-sided domination or a dramatic, back-and-forth rivalry, both outcomes worked for them.

If Damon swept the competition clean, it would shock the fans and fuel headlines. If Ivan made a comeback and turned it into a war, it would be even better.

Either way, viewership would climb.

The noise from fans was growing louder. Fight forums, podcasts, and Chirper posts all circled around one question.

Damon versus Ivan.

And with each episode, that collision felt closer.

It would have been easier if the pressure stayed on Ivan alone.

But it didn't.

The losses weighed on his team too. With two of their own already out, the remaining fighters felt the urgency.

They needed to turn things around, not just for the team, but to prove they belonged here.

Every loss made their chances of making it to the semifinals slimmer. For some, it wasn't even about team pride anymore. It was about survival.

On the other side, Damon's fighters carried a different kind of pressure.

Their teammates had won. They had momentum. Now, it was their job to keep it going.

To show that their early success wasn't a fluke. Every fighter who hadn't fought yet felt the weight of that streak.

Winning was no longer just about moving forward, it was about upholding the standard the team had already set.

And not everyone handled that well.

Some stayed quiet. Some pushed harder in training.

Especially with the next fight approaching, Damon shifted his focus toward choosing the best middleweight from his team to fight next.

He analyzed sparring sessions, watched their conditioning, and paid attention to their mental state.

The next pick couldn't just be about skill. It had to be someone ready to handle pressure, because the bar had been raised.

At the same time, he didn't forget about José Alvarez and Max Taylor.

Now that they'd both fought under the lights, Damon had a better sense of where their weaknesses really were.

He worked closely with both of them.

With José, it was about tightening his defense and improving his footwork, making sure his aggression didn't leave him open.

And of course the most important part was that José needed more confidence so he doesn't hesitate.

With Max, it was about managing energy and sharpening his grappling enough to survive better when fights hit the mat, especially his strking defense, as while his chin was good, that doesn't mean he needed it tested every fight

Damon guided them through drills, corrected mistakes in real time, and pushed them to reflect on what they'd felt inside that cage.

Max walked into the kitchen, shirt damp with sweat and a towel hanging around his neck. He opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and looked over.

Zulu was already there, leaning against the counter, sipping his own. He glanced up and smirked.

"You still breathing after all that?" he asked.

Max cracked a tired grin. "Barely. Damon's trying to kill me, man."

"Better him than Pedro," Zulu said, taking another sip. "That boy hits like he's mad at the air."

Max chuckled and rubbed his jaw. "Tell me about it. I still feel that body shot. Thought my organs rearranged."

Zulu laughed. "You got the W, though. Shit was loud in there when you dropped him."

Max nodded, tapping his knuckles lightly on the counter. "Felt good. But now the pressure's on. You win early, and suddenly you're expected to walk on water the next time out."

"Could be worse," Zulu said. "You could be down two fights like we are. That mood in our corner is heavy, bro. Nobody wants to be the third L."

Max gave him a sympathetic look. "Yeah… I don't envy you guys."

Zulu chuckled as he leaned back against the counter. "What got you into this shit? You don't really have the face of a fighter."

Max shook his head, wiping sweat from his brow with the towel. "I should be asking you that. I ain't got nothing special. Grew up with gloves on. Been boxing since I was seven and never stopped. Fighting's all I ever wanted to do."

The full series is hosted on My Virtual Library Empire, known as MV7LEMPYR.

Zulu nodded slowly. "Fair. For me, it's different. Let's just say when you got nothing to lose, you find something to fight for. I lost my brother and my dad in a shootout back in the Capes, South Africa. After that… I don't know, man. I needed something to pull me back. Fighting did that. Saved me from going down the wrong road."

He looked off for a second, eyes fixed on nothing in particular, like the memory was playing out in front of him.

Max stepped forward and gave his back a light pat. "That's a hell of a story, bro. If you win this thing, fans'll eat that up."

It sounded blunt, maybe a little careless, but Zulu just laughed.

"Of course. They love a good sob story. Nothing gets fans going like a fighter with trauma and potential."

Max smirked. "Better that than just trauma."

Zulu cracked a smile. "True that."

The two of them stood in silence for a few seconds, both sipping water, both thinking about everything ahead of them.