Two weeks flew by quickly, and everything was going smoothly.
Damon, Svetlana, and Victor spent their days at the hotel and the local gym, where Damon maintained a steady routine of light workouts to stay active without exhausting himself.
Kru Somchai, his usual coach, hadn't arrived, and Victor had taken on the role of coaching Damon for the upcoming fight.
Damon respected Victor for his guidance and support, but he had doubts about Victor's ability to coach him in the ring.
However, after discussing his concerns with Svetlana, she reassured him that Victor was an excellent coach and the best person guidance to ask for.
Damon decided to trust their judgment and put his faith in Victor's coaching.
As the days passed, Damon grew more comfortable with Victor's guidance, and his confidence in his abilities began to grow.
Victor's coaching style was different from Kru Somchai's or Coach José, but Damon found himself adapting quickly.
With each passing day, Damon felt more prepared, both physically and mentally, for the challenges ahead.
In one of those days, Damon had asked Victor a question that had been troubling him for years.
What is Tactical Awareness? This was something he failed to understand.
On his Status the Rank had increased to C-Rank, this had made him shocked.
And Victor's answer had made it make sense.
Tactical awareness was a crucial aspect of fighting, and Victor had explained to Damon.
It meant being able to read and understand the situation in real time, making strategic decisions based on the environment, the opponent's actions, and one's own strengths and weaknesses.
He learned that recognizing an opponent's patterns, such as repetitive movements or preferred techniques, was essential in anticipating their next move.
Controlling the range and distance between oneself and the opponent was also vital, as it could mean the difference between landing a decisive blow or avoiding a devastating strike.
Timing and rhythm played a significant role in tactical awareness.
But he pushed all those thoughts away as he made his way to the scale.
Today was the day of the weigh-in and the fight.
Damon arrived at the venue, noticing that it was quiet and empty, with no audience or fanfare.
Only officials and other fighters were present, all focused on the task at hand.
Damon wasn't nervous about making weight, having checked his weight repeatedly and relying on the system to help him maintain it.
He confidently made his way to the octagon cage in the center of the room, then walked over to the scale located at the side.
Standing on the scale, Damon wore only his shorts, his chest bare.
He took a deep breath, feeling the cool air fill his lungs, and looked straight ahead.
The official operating the scale adjusted the weights, his hands moving precisely as he worked.
After a moment, he nodded and wrote something down on a clipboard. "He's good, 183," he said, looking up at Damon.
The official handed him a piece of paper, which Damon took, his eyes scanning the information printed on it.
With the weigh-in complete, Damon could focus on the fight ahead.
The paper The Official handed, had just that, it wasn't really detailed information, just a name, martial art, and all that.
It seems his opponent was already decided. He made his way towards the chairs on the place, that'd what the paper said.
Which was to sit on the chair until his name was called forward and he would begin his match.
And so he waited, the process was slow, as each fighter went through the way in, once done would join him on the seats.
But not everyone had made weight, there was some who were above and had been turned back.
Damon couldn't comprehend someone missing weight that much. He could understand 1 to 4, maybe even 5 pounds off, but 10?
Yeah, buddy shouldn't have come in the first place.