SWNOVELXO Chapter 664: The End of the Year War
A few days passed. The buzz from Damon's last performance still echoed across the media, but the silence from Alex Tereira remained.
Until UFA made it official.
The post hit every major feed at once, starting with a bold announcement on Chirper and the UFA app:
....
@UFAofficial
🚨BREAKING: The biggest event of the year is set.
🏆 CO-MAIN EVENT: Interim Middleweight Title Fight ■ Ivan Novak 🇷🇺 vs. RRD 🇵🇱
🔥 MAIN EVENT: Champion vs Champion
🏆 Light Heavyweight Championship ■ Alex Tereira 🇧🇷 (c) vs. Damon Cross 🇮🇪
📍Venue: TBA
📅 Date: Year-End Event ■ 4 Months From Now
#UFA #CrossVsTereira #NovakVsRRD #ChampVsChamp #FightOfTheYear
.....
The response was instant. Millions of views. Thousands of reposts.
Fighters chimed in, fans argued rankings, and analysts started posting breakdowns before the day ended.
Two belts. Two divisions. Two brutal matchups.
The middleweight division would finally move again, with the long-awaited return of Ivan Novak and the rising chaos of RRD. But it was the main event that had everyone holding their breath.
Alex Tereira. Damon Cross.
Champ versus champ.
And this time, there was no dodging it.
It was official.
@DamonCross
Champ Champ status soon.
The post was short.
But within minutes, it exploded across the platform. Thousands of comments rolled in.
Verified fighters, celebrities, and analysts flooded the reply thread. Everyone had something to say, support, warnings, doubts, or praise.
Some reposted it with their own takes:
@MMAInsider
This man is moving like it's already done. Confidence or pressure? #CrossVsTereira
@TheFightEdit
Damon Cross might be the coldest fighter in the game right now.
@MMAFanGirl28
Alex better start working on takedown defense right now 😭 #ChampChampLoading
@RealJakeBarton
Damon's about to find out why Tereira is different. You don't just walk through the guy who KO'd legends.
@Maxinewel
This is just the beginning. Let 'em doubt. Let 'em talk.
The energy was building again. Everyone knew the stakes. Two champions, two styles, one belt on the line.
Damon had called his shot. Now the world was watching to see if he'd make it real.
One thing that stayed in the spotlight, even with all the talk about Damon moving to light heavyweight, was Ivan Novak.
After their scheduled fight fell apart, when Ivan had to pull out due to injury, Damon had moved on.
He'd continued his climb, jumped divisions, and stayed active at the top. But Ivan hadn't disappeared.
He kept working, and he made his name loud in the middleweight division.
His performances since then weren't just wins, they were dominant.
He submitted top contenders, knocked out veterans, and outclassed everyone else. He didn't just catch up to the division, he took control of it.
And now, with Damon looking to become a double champ, the public couldn't ignore the parallel anymore.
A lot of fans and analysts started asking the same question: Was Ivan Novak the "new Damon" of the middleweights?
The comparison wasn't forced. Both men had similar heights and frames. Both were tactical, calm under fire, and well-rounded in nearly every area.
Both had submission finishes, KO power, elite takedown defense, and the kind of cardio that could push into the later rounds without fading.
Most of all, both fought with purpose, they were both beast and monsters in their own right.
Some fans even said that if Damon had stayed in the division, the two would've already fought, and it would've been the biggest middleweight title bout in years.
Now, with Ivan set to face RRD for the interim belt, the buzz was returning. People wanted that unfinished business to be settled.
Some thought it could still happen, two champions, unifying the division, finally clashing in the cage.
But that would depend on how the year ended and what Damon planned after Tereira.
If Ivan beat RRD, which most expected him to, considering the odds were heavily in his favor, it would set the stage for one of the biggest middleweight fights the UFA could put together.
Damon vs. Ivan would be a true super fight. Not just because of the belts, but because of their reputations, their styles, and the history between them.
It was the kind of matchup that had been teased once, then lost.
But now, with both men possibly holding titles, it could become even bigger than it was before.
Still, that was later.
Right now, the real super fight, the one the world was already locked in for, was Damon Cross vs. Alex Tereira.
Two champions. Two divisions. Two very different paths that had led to the same main event.
Tereira was the established power in light heavyweight. Damon was the dominant force rising through the weight classes like a storm. The contrast made it all the more compelling.
One had been preparing for big names, long reigns, and brutal knockouts.
The other had been tearing through anyone they put in front of him, no matter the size, style, or name.
This was the super fight.
And the world knew it.
RRD was a monster in his own right. A former champion with a reputation built on pressure, durability, and chaos.
He didn't win pretty, he overwhelmed. His striking was awkward but powerful, his grappling relentless.
Even when people thought he was out of a fight, he found a way to drag it into deep water and drown his opponent in it.
He was unorthodox. Explosive. The kind of fighter who didn't need to win rounds, just moments. And when he got those moments, they hurt.
While the odds favored Ivan, nobody was counting RRD out. He had been here before.
He had held gold, shocked favorites, and survived wars that should've broken him.
If Ivan made one mistake, RRD could capitalize and flip everything.
That's why the co-main event had tension.
Ivan was the future. But RRD was still here, and still dangerous.
With both matches set, the machine started moving.
Fight camps were locked in. Interviews scheduled. Hype packages built.
UFA pushed the event across every platform, teasing what fans were already calling one of the biggest cards in the organization's history.
Four months out, and the pressure was already building.
Damon knew what was coming. A full camp. Long days, early mornings. Sparring. Drills. Film sessions. Weight adjustments.
He wasn't just preparing for any fight. He was preparing for Alex Tereira. A world-class striker with power, timing, and the aura of a killer.
Tereira, meanwhile, had gone quiet publicly.
Ivan and RRD had started their own respective buildups. Ivan was already teasing clips from his gym, sharpening his movement and grappling. RRD posted a video smashing pads with a simple caption. "Don't blink."