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.
