Damon had finally begun to see through Kofi's wild attacks.
The chaotic, explosive nature of his strikes had a certain predictability to them.
Once you spotted the rhythm, you could see the gaps, and Damon was the kind of fighter who could capitalize on those openings.
As they circled again, Damon's eyes narrowed, watching every move Kofi made with surgical precision.
The lunges, the overextended punches, the way Kofi planted his feet when he committed to an attack, it all became clear to Damon.
The way he huffed before each charge.
He wasn't going to play Kofi's game anymore.
He was going to turn Kofi's own aggression against him.
With a huff, Kofu lunged ahead, his strong physique unleashing yet another torrent of powerful blows.
But this time, Damon didn't retreat.
He stood his ground and waited.
As Kofi threw a wide hook, Damon ducked under it, moving like a ghost, and came back with a vicious elbow to the side of Kofi's head.
The impact was sharp, and Kofi's head snapped to the side.
Before Kofi could reset, Damon delivered a lightning-fast kick to his ribs, causing a grunt to escape Kofi's lips.
The strikes were accumulating, wearing down Kofi's already small energy reserves, and Damon could sense it.
Kofi growled in frustration and tried to throw a heavy right hand.
Damon saw it coming from a mile away.
He sidestepped it easily, allowing Kofi's momentum to carry him forward, and then slammed a brutal knee into Kofi's midsection.
The staff and coaches could feel the shift, Damon was now in full control.
With every overcommitted strike Kofi threw, Damon would punish him with a counter.
A missed punch was met with a sharp elbow.
A lunging attack resulted in a hard leg kick to the body.
Kofi's power, once his greatest asset, was now being turned against him.
Each wild, explosive move only left him more vulnerable, more exposed.
Damon's movements were fluid, like a dancer weaving through the chaos, while Kofi was starting to slow down.
His breathing was heavier, his attacks less coordinated.
But just as Damon was about to deliver another punishing blow, Kofi found an opening.
In the middle of a striking exchange, Kofi planted his feet and threw a brutal gut punch that Damon didn't see coming.
The punch hit him straight in the stomach, and it felt like being hit by a fucking monster.
Damon gasped as all the air left his lungs.
The pain was immediate and intense, radiating through his body like fire.
Every muscle screamed in protest as he tried to push himself up.
"Get up!" Whittier's voice broke through the haze.
Damon forced himself to roll over, barely escaping the first hammerfist that Kofi brought down toward his head.
The punch slammed into the mat with a loud thud, missing Damon by inches.
With a burst of energy, Damon scrambled to his feet, his legs wobbly beneath him, but he was up. He was still in the fight.
Kofi snarled, not giving him a moment to breathe, and charged again.
Damon saw Kofi huff, but acted as if he didn't, as he began charging, aiming for a double-leg takedown.
But as Kofi lowered himself, Damon reacted instinctively.
With perfect timing, he launched his knee upward with explosive force.
PAAAAAH!
The sound of Damon's knee crashing into Kofi's face echoed through the room.
Kofi's body instantly went slack, not completely knocked out, but stunned enough for Damon to seize the opportunity.
Without hesitation, Damon moved in for the kill.
He quickly scrambled around to Kofi's back, locking in his hooks and securing his position.
Wrapping his arm around Kofi's neck, Damon sunk in a rear-naked choke, his forearm pressing against Kofi's windpipe.
Kofi's hands weakly tried to pry Damon's arm away, but he was still dazed from the knee.
Damon tightened his grip, using every bit of strength he had, feeling Kofi's resistance weaken further.
Damon squeezed tighter, his face calm and focused as Kofi's movements became more desperate, his breaths turning into gasps.
Kofi thrashed, but Damon held firm, his rear-naked choke locked in deep.
The fight was slipping from Kofi's grasp as Damon's grip refused to loosen.
It may have seemed reckless to go for a choke when Damon could have easily ended the fight with a few more strikes.
But Damon wasn't thinking about the quickest way to finish the fight, he was thinking about making Kofi feel the defeat.
His choke was perfect, flawlessly executed, and Kofi had reacted too late.
Damon knew he had him.
The moment his arms tightened around Kofi's neck, there was no escape.
Striking would have been simple, but this...this was personal.
Kofi's hands struggled against Damon's iron grip, but Damon had locked it in too well.
He wanted Kofi to experience every second of his fading strength, to feel the crushing inevitability of the loss closing in on him.
Kofi's gasps grew weaker, his resistance fading with each passing second.
Damon clenched his jaw, focusing all his energy on maintaining the hold, his heart racing but his mind clear.
He was going to end this on his terms.