Damon and Cellan stood in the center of the cage, the referee gripping both of their wrists tightly.
Deuce Baffer stood nearby, immaculate in his suit, microphone in hand.
Next to him stood Ronan Black, holding the glistening middleweight championship belt, ready to wrap it around the waist of the winner.
The noise in the arena dropped as Deuce Baffer stepped forward.
He raised the mic to his mouth, voice booming across the building.
"Ladies and gentlemen..."
The crowd stirred, leaning in.
"Referee Marc Stevans has called a stop to this contest at four minutes, thirty-eight seconds of the very first round..."
Deuce turned slightly toward Damon's side, grinning wide.
"Declaring the winner by TKO."
He paused just a breath for tension.
"THE UNDEFEATED, UNDISPUTED, MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD..."
He threw his arm toward Damon, voice lifting higher.
"DAAMMOONNN... 'THE RONIN' CROSS!"
The place exploded into cheers.
The referee lifted Damon's arm high, and Ronan Black stepped forward immediately, wrapping the gold belt around Damon's waist with a firm clap to his back.
Damon rested one glove lightly on the belt, letting it sit there as the crowd chanted his name.
The crowd still roared as Damon stood with the belt around his waist, gloves resting lightly on the gold.
The interviewer, mic in hand, stepped up beside him.
"Damon Cross, congratulations on another dominant title defense," he said, catching his breath. "You looked absolutely incredible out there. How are you feeling?"
Damon smiled faintly, breathing steady.
"I feel good," he said simply. He looked around at the screaming arena, his voice steady through the mic. "It's always good to be back here. Always good to perform."
The interviewer nodded quickly.
"Now, Damon," he continued, "you've been very vocal about wanting new challenges. You've cleared out a lot of the middleweight division already. What's next for you?"
Damon didn't hesitate.
"I'm moving up," he said flatly, lifting the mic closer. "Light heavyweight. It's time."
The crowd popped again, loud and excited.
"I've done my work here," Damon continued. "I respect the division, but there's no challenge left. I want new blood. New mountains to climb."
The interviewer grinned but quickly followed up.
"Well, speaking of challenges," he said, half-laughing, "Shane Brickland has been calling your name nonstop. He says he's the real test. What do you think about that?"
Damon tilted his head slightly, squinting.
The crowd burst into laughter.
Damon smirked faintly, shrugged, and moved on without another word.
He turned back to the camera.
"Thank you to my team. My family. Everyone who's been behind me since day one," he said. "We're not done. We're just getting started."
The interviewer smiled, raising his hand.
"Your champion, ladies and gentlemen—Damon Cross!"
The arena shook again with noise as Damon raised one hand lightly toward the crowd, the belt gleaming under the lights.
He was leaving the middleweight division behind.
And the was already waiting.
Backstage, after the adrenaline had cooled and the interviews wrapped, Damon sat on a black leather bench, still wrapped in hand tape, belt resting beside him.
He unlocked his phone and opened Chirper, posting a short message without overthinking it.
[Two fights then it's up.]
Just a simple, quiet promise.
Within minutes, the post exploded.
Fans flooded the replies and reposts.
Chirper exploded under Damon's post:
TWO MORE? DAMON CROSS HINTS AT FINAL MIDDLEWEIGHT FIGHTS BEFORE MOVING UP! #Champion #LegacyRun
Damon says "Two fights then it's up."
Translation: Middleweight is DEAD. Light Heavyweight... you're next. #CrossEra
OUR BOY IS REALLY ABOUT TO RULE TWO DIVISIONS!! #DamonCross #History
Bro... he's gonna leave middleweight in ruins. Dude's undefeated like it's casual. #Legend
Lmao imagine being middleweight rn. Knowing you're just food for Damon before he bounces.
He deserves it. Cleaned the top 10 like it was nothing. No close fights. No drama. Just violence.
Which two bums are about to get sacrificed? #TwoMore
25-0. Soon to be 27-0. Then up. Love to see it. #CrossEra #MiddleweightGOAT
DAMON STILL DUCKING SHANE THO. COWARD.
That "two fights then it's up" post feels like when a final boss announces it's almost over for you. #CrossEra
Bro just posted his retirement notice from middleweight like a king.
Perfect — you want middleweight fighters reacting negatively now:
They're upset Damon is planning to move up after two more fights.
They complain it holds up the division or say he should vacate.
Then Damon reads it, laughs, and turns off his phone casually, without caring.
But not everyone was celebrating.
A few middleweight fighters jumped into the Chirper storm, voicing their frustration.
Holding the belt hostage isn't greatness. If you're done, vacate and let real contenders fight. #MiddleweightMatters
Two more fights?? Bro just say you're scared to defend. Vacate or defend. Pick one.
No hate, but you can't play king and ghost. Either defend the belt properly or move up now. Respect the division.
@AlonsoSantosOfficial:
Division's bigger than one man. If you're halfway out the door, leave it for the real hungry fighters.
Damon scrolled lazily through the posts, reading each one.
He laughed under his breath, shaking his head slightly.
He locked the screen and tossed the phone onto the couch, letting it bounce once.
No need to waste time arguing with people who didn't measure up, and from those names, he didn't even know even one, to think a fighter out of the ranking were running his mouth.
They could complain all they wanted.
He was already thinking bigger.
Besides the plan to move up, there was something else Damon had to think about.
The World MMA Tournament.
It had been running in the background of everything.
Fights across countries, weight classes, chaos and rising names.
He hadn't followed most of it closely. Between defending his belt, training, being a father, and spending his days with Svetlana and Ava, there hadn't been time.
But now the finals were approaching.
And the winner would be walking straight toward him.
Since he chose to defend the world gold, he would have to face the finals winner.
The UFA belt wasn't the only one that made him a target.
But the light heavyweight division was on his mind. He wondered how different it was. He knew, of course, those guys carried a different kind of power.
Even Ismael had gone up once and had a very hard time.