358 The Chechen Warlord
Ismail Dudayev was a Chechen fighter ranked within the top ten of the Ultimate Fighting Challenge's Light Heavyweight division. He had previously been impressed with Alex's fights, all of which were bloody spectacles.
But he had always considered Alex's lack of grappling to make him a non-contender. It was not that Alex was bad at grappling, or even mediocre. Rather, it was the simple fact that he had yet to really demonstrate his abilities fully in that regard during his professional career.
And as a Chechen fighter, Ismail's grappling abilities were better than most who came out of the United States. But this could be forgiven. What could not be forgiven, however, was the fact that Alex continued to generate headlines within the industry. Becoming a superstar of the sport within even entering the top ten rankings.
Alex had a promising start to his career in mixed martial arts, having roughly half a dozen fights in the span of a single year, all of which made the highlights reel. But over the course of the current year, the man had fought once so far.
Instead, he made headlines due to his life outside of fighting, which demonstrated a monstrous lack of discipline. Alex was seen all over the world, partying with a wide variety of women. And the recent rumors of him having an affair with an ex-Korean Idol was the straw that broke the camel's back. Nôv(el)B\\jnn
Ismail was every bit as talented as a contender as Alex was, and he worked a hell of a lot harder to get where he was. And yet, despite not even being ranked yet, Alex was taking all the headlines. All the fame and the fortune that came with that.
Because of this, the Chechen fighter publicly called Alex out for being a lazy, undisciplined bum. Who was more a celebrity than a fighter? Going so far as to demand Alex choose a path, to continue his mixed martial arts career, or retire and engage in frivolous hedonism.
Though Alex was on his date with Ji-An at the aquarium and had not even checked his phone. That is not until the two of them decided to take a break from seeing all the aquatic life, and instead have lunch.
The idiot probably thinks because I choose to stand and bang until someone's lights go out that my wrestling is weak. He's in for a very, very rude awakening if he thinks that he's going to take me to the ground and just lie on top of me for fifteen minutes.
Now come on, don't let that jealous twat ruin our date. We've got more fish to see!"
Ji-An rolled her eyes before lecturing Alex on his general statement regarding aquatic wildlife, all while latching onto his arm and walking through the facility together.
"Not all marine wildlife are fish. I mean, whales and dolphins are mammals!"
Alex patted the woman's teal hair and chuckled. Of course, he knew that. He just wanted to change the mood. Though Ji-An has her moment as the two of them walked off to see the Orca exhibit. Alex and Ji-An would enjoy the rest of their date together at the aquarium, before eventually leaving it behind to have dinner together.
The two of them would talk about all sorts of things regarding their lives over the past year, before finishing their meal and going off to watch a movie. After which they returned to the penthouse with Ji-An and Mimi lived in together as roommates.
Finishing off the night with a passionate display of intimacy, of which Ji-An would never forget. All the while, Mimi allowed the two of them to have the night to themselves, just as Ji-An had permitted her to share with Alex the previous day.
It would not be until the next day where Alex received a call from Vanessa telling him that he got offered the fight with Ismail. Of which he fully intended to accept.