The cage door locked behind Damon, and the sound of the latch echoed in the room.
There were no fans, just the eyes of other fighters fixed on the octagon.
The environment felt stripped down, raw, with only the fighters and the officials paying close attention to what would happen next.
Damon stood across from Bobby, sizing him up as the two men slowly began circling each other.
Bobby was calm. His stance was low, balanced. He was light on his feet, moving with an ease that suggested he was comfortable in this setting.
His eyes never left Damon's, watching, reading.
Damon felt his legs ready. He was going to start with low kicks, the same way he always did.
There was no need to rush or make any reckless moves. He needed to get a feel for how Bobby would react, how he would handle the kicks.
Without hesitation, Damon took a step forward, closing the gap slightly, and snapped his right leg out, aiming at Bobby's lead leg.
The kick connected with a sharp thwack against Bobby's shin.
Bobby didn't flinch. He stayed firm, absorbing the impact and barely adjusting his stance.
Damon took note. Strong legs, solid base.
Bobby didn't respond immediately. Instead, he stayed patient, continuing to circle, looking for his moment.
Damon stayed light on his feet, keeping his distance, but always within range.
He threw another low kick, this time a little harder, aiming for the same spot on Bobby's lead leg.
Again, the kick connected, and again, Bobby absorbed it, this time taking a small step back to reset his stance.
Damon watched Bobby's body language closely. He was testing his defense, trying to see if Bobby would crack under pressure.
So far, Bobby seemed steady, unfazed by the leg kicks.
Damon threw a third low kick, mixing up the rhythm, aiming just above the knee this time.
Bobby lifted his leg, checking the kick with his shin.
The impact vibrated through Damon's leg, but it didn't stop him. He stepped back, reset, and kept circling.
Bobby seemed to notice the shift in momentum.
He started to press forward more aggressively now, throwing a quick combination of punches, a jab, a cross, then a hook.
Damon blocked the jab and cross with his forearms, but the hook glanced off the side of his head. It wasn't clean, but it made contact.
Damon stayed composed, stepping out of range again. He couldn't let Bobby dictate the pace.
He threw another low kick, targeting the same spot on Bobby's leg.
The kick landed, and this time Bobby reacted more visibly, his leg buckling slightly again.
Bobby threw another jab, followed by a straight right.
Damon blocked the jab, slipped the right hand, and countered with a quick right cross of his own.
The punch connected with Bobby's jaw, but he took it well, barely flinching as he backed up a step.
Damon followed up with a quick left hook, but Bobby ducked under it, his head movement sharp.
He countered with a body shot, a quick right hook to Damon's ribs.
Damon felt the impact, but it wasn't enough to slow him down. He stepped out of range again, resetting.
Deciding to switch things up, he feinted a low kick, causing Bobby to drop his hands slightly, then threw a quick one-two punch combination, aiming for Bobby's head.
Bobby's guard was up, blocking the punches, but Damon followed up with another low kick, this time hitting Bobby's calf.
The kick landed cleanly, and Bobby cringed, his leg starting to show signs of wear.
Bobby responded with a leg kick of his own, hitting Damon's thigh with a solid thud.
Damon felt the impact but stayed composed, immediately returning fire with another low kick, this time hitting the outside of Bobby's knee.
The two fighters continued circling, exchanging kicks and punches, neither one willing to fully commit to a big move just yet.
They were both playing it smart, looking for openings, trying to wear each other down.
Bobby's defense was solid, his movements calculated.
But Damon had patience, and so did Bobby.