He moved very carefully, stepping lightly on the balls of his feet, as if he were about to spring in at any second.
Kevin tried to maintain distance, but Damon was quick and closed the gap right away.
A lightning-fast jab came from Damon, but instead of aiming to land it, it was a feint.
The real strike followed, an inside leg kick that thudded against Kevin's thigh, causing him to stumble slightly.
Damon didn't give him a chance to recover.
Pressing forward, he cut the cage and launched a flurry of strikes that only an individual completely devoted to the art of Muay Thai could produce.
The next blow was a sharp elbow that went straight for Kevin's head.
Kevin managed to block it, but it knocked him off balance.
Damon immediately followed up, pulling Kevin into a clinch.
Kevin struggled to escape, but Damon's grip was like iron, his forearms pressing against Kevin's neck, locking him in place.
After that, Damon hit Kevin with several of destroying knees that went deep into his ribs.
Kevin groaned and tried to push off, but Damon ragdolled him and easily kept the hold.
Another knee came up, this time aimed at Kevin's midsection, lifting him off the ground slightly as it connected.
"Control distance, Kevin!" Chemasov shouted from the corner, but Kevin couldn't find the space he needed.
Damon, sensing Kevin's struggle, pulled him back into the clinch tighter, forcing his head down, and delivered a crushing elbow from above.
It glanced off Kevin's forehead, sending him reeling back.
Damon didn't stop. He closed the gap right away and hit Kevin with another powerful leg kick that swooped him off his feet for a moment.
Kevin hit the ground hard, but he got back up quickly, determination written all over his face.
He wasn't out of the fight yet, but Damon kept going.
"Stick with it, Damon! Don't let him breathe!" Whittier yelled from the corner, urging him to keep the pressure.
Damon nodded slightly, his eyes locked on Kevin as he reset his stance.
This time, he switched it up, no hesitation.
Kevin's legs wobbled as he tried to backpedal, but Damon was too fast.
He threw a high kick, barely missing Kevin's head, but it forced Kevin into the cage.
Damon closed the distance again and unloaded a flurry of strikes.
Punches, elbows, and knees all blended together, a blur of Muay Thai technique that had Kevin pinned against the fence.
Kevin crumpled to the mat once more, struggling to get up, but Damon didn't let him.
A brutal knee connected to his body, causing Kevin to let out a sharp gasp of pain.
Hank Binn moved in closer, his eyes narrowing as he watched Kevin's defense falter.
Damon dragged Kevin back to his feet by the neck, locking him into another clinch.
He lifted his knee once more, aiming for Kevin's head, but Kevin ducked at the last second, barely avoiding what could have been a fight-ending strike.
Kevin threw a weak punch in return, but Damon swatted it away and delivered a crushing elbow to the jaw, sending Kevin stumbling to the canvas for the third time.
Bruised and battered, staggered back to his feet.
It hurt to breathe, and his face was swollen, but something inside him sparked.
He wasn't going down without giving it his all.
Damon could see that fire flickering, the determination in Kevin's eyes, and for a moment, he respected it.
But respect wouldn't stop the fight.
Kevin inhaled deeply before launching himself into a barrage of blows.
His punches came faster than before, catching Damon slightly off guard.
Damon blocked most of them, but one managed to slip through, a body shot that dug deep into his ribs.
The impact forced Damon to take a step back, the wind briefly knocked out of him.
Sensing an opening, Kevin shot in for a takedown, driving his body into Damon's legs with all the strength he had left.
For a moment, it seemed like Kevin might pull it off.
His hands wrapped around Damon's thighs, and he drove forward, trying to lift him off the ground.
But Damon wasn't having it.