MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat

Chirper lit up with reactions to the venue announcement.

@FightTalkDaily

Stockton?? What arena, the high school gym? 💀💀 This a title fight or a BBQ?

@UFAWatch

Say what you want, but Damon going back to Stockton for a title fight is wild. Man's about to become double champ where it all started.

@CombatCentral

Y'all forgetting that this is Damon Cross we're talking about. He could fight in a parking lot and still sell it out. #ChampChamp

@MMAGossip

Tereira vs Damon in Stockton is giving "grudge match in your cousin's backyard" vibes, but okay.

@UnderdogSpirit

Low-key respect the hometown move. Damon stayed true to the roots. This could be historic. #StocktonReturns

@JitzAndTakedowns

People sleeping on Ivan Novak. Dude's been on a tear. If he beats RRD, a fight with Damon would be pure fireworks. That's the fight to make.

@BrawlerJones

RRD still has that killer instinct, though. Don't count him out. I wouldn't be shocked if he flatlines Ivan and calls Damon out on the mic. #MiddleweightChaos

@ChirpCombat

Crazy part is, Damon might go full Volkanovski mode, jump weight, defend, jump again. Stockton might be the start of the wildest title run we've seen.

@FightsAndFables

Tereira's drilling takedowns, Ivan and RRD are sharpening blades, and Damon's chilling in Stockton like it's Sunday brunch. Guy's cold-blooded.

The city was polarizing.

Stockton didn't have the biggest arena like the major cities. In fact, it was surprising that the UFA chose it for such a massive event.

This wasn't just any card. It had Ivan Novak, the rising wrecking ball, facing off against RRD, a former champion in Asia's biggest promotion.

Both men were top-tier middleweights, and their clash would likely determine who faced Damon next.

And the main event? A super fight.

Damon Cross vs. Alex Tereira. Champion vs. Champion.

Two titleholders, two elite strikers, two fan favorites. A match that could've headlined in any arena in the world Vegas, New York, even Abu Dhabi.

But instead, it was happening in Stockton. Damon's old hometown. The streets that raised him now hosting the biggest fight of his career.

It shocked the MMA world. Some questioned the choice. Some mocked it.

But for Damon, it felt right.

This was his return. His proving ground.

And the world would be watching.

There was more on Damon's mind than just the Stockton venue.

Victor had passed along some exclusive news from the UFA, something Damon hadn't seen coming.

The next season of The Supreme Fighter was in motion. And this time, they wanted Damon to be one of the coaches.

That hit different.

The Supreme Fighter held a special place in his heart. It was more than just a show, it was where everything began.

He had entered as a hungry amateur with no name, and walked out a professional with a contract and a spotlight.

That season changed his life. It gave him a way out of the underground. It put him in the UFA. It made him Damon Cross.

And now, years later, they were offering him a coaching role.

Damon hadn't coached officially, but everyone at the gym knew he had the knowledge.

He wasn't the loudest voice, and he wasn't the oldest, but his record and experience earned respect without needing to say much.

He helped when he could, gave tips, corrected form, pushed people to do better.

But a coaching spot on TSF? That was different. That was big.

He hadn't even watched much of the show since he left it.

Now, they were asking him to come back… not as a fighter, but as the one guiding someone else's journey.

It felt surreal.

Full circle.

Another major detail was the rival coach.

UFA planned for the winner of the co-main event, Ivan Novak vs. RRD, to serve as Damon's opposite on The Supreme Fighter.

It made perfect sense.

The coaching gig was more than a TV show. It was a buildup. A storyline for the unification bout.

Whoever won that interim belt would eventually face Damon, assuming he beat Tereira. So pairing them as opposing coaches just worked.

But to Damon, there was only one name that truly made sense, Ivan Novak.

Not just on paper. Not just in rankings. But in history.

They had both come from the same season of The Supreme Fighter. They were on the same team. They had trained side-by-side. And now, both were undefeated in the UFA.

It wrote itself.

RRD was a monster in his own right respected, dangerous, a former UNO champion.

But his record had a crack. He had been beaten by Malikin, the legendary Russian powerhouse. A former triple champion and the current double champ in UNO.

Damon had fought Malikin too, but in the World MMA Tournament Final.

And unlike RRD, Damon didn't just survive. He submitted Malikin in the second round.

That alone shifted public perception.

RRD was strong, no doubt. But Damon vs. Ivan? That was legacy vs. legacy. Unbeaten vs. unbeaten. Brothers-turned-rivals.

It was a better sell.

It was the fight people didn't just want.

It was the one they needed.

And Damon felt something he had been feeling the rest of his life since he had made something for himself.

Gratitude.

He remembered what it was like back then. Young, hungry, unknown. Just a kid trying to prove he belonged.

The nerves, the pressure, the grind of The Supreme Fighter. He had been one of many back then, competing for a dream.

Back then, he had stood in the team.

Now, he would lead one.

And he knew exactly what these fighters would feel. The desperation. The excitement.

The fear of wasting a once-in-a-lifetime shot. But also, the belief that something greater was just one fight away.

Damon smiled to himself.

He held what they were chasing. The contract. The belt. The name value. The respect.

Now it was his turn to help others walk that road, and show them what it meant to fight for something real.

And he hoped that many would make something of themselves.

But deep down, Damon wanted more than just to guide.

He hoped someone in that group would rise. Someone with real fire. Real instinct. Someone raw but dangerous.

The kind of fighter who made you feel something just by standing across from them.

Not for the spotlight or for the show. But for him.

He wanted to find a true competitor, someone who would one day make him sharpen every weapon, study every tape, and train like it was day one again.

And if The Supreme Fighter brought out that kind of threat.

He'd welcome it.