MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat-Chapter 730: Openings and Adjustments

The referee stood between the fighters in the center of the cage. He kept it short. Hands up. Listen to commands.

Protect yourself at all times. No one nodded, but both fighters were listening. There was nothing to shake hands over. This wasn’t personal, but it was serious.

They touched gloves once, then backed off.

The ref looked at each corner and raised his hand.

"Ready? Ready?"

He dropped his arm. "Fight!"

Both fighters circled immediately, neither rushing. José kept his stance tight, feet light, eyes locked on Dorian’s chest. Dorian took the center first, bouncing slightly, more upright in posture, but holding his hands high.

José threw the first strike, just a low leg kick, sharp but safe. It landed clean. Dorian didn’t react, but he didn’t fire back either. José didn’t press.

He waited. Dorian pushed forward with a few short steps, then threw a heavy one-two, the cross cutting the air hard.

José slipped left and moved out, but his balance was slightly off. First small mistake.

Dorian noticed it and stepped in harder with a right hook to the body. It hit clean. José circled away and reset, taking a few seconds to adjust his distance.

Damon stood just behind the cage, watching closely.

"Don’t back out straight," he called. "Angle, not line."

José kept moving, switched stance briefly, then stepped back into orthodox.

He jabbed twice, nothing serious, just range-checkers, then threw another leg kick. Dorian checked this one and came forward again, this time more aggressive.

He went high with a lead hook and then shot a knee straight up the middle.

José blocked the hook, but the knee caught his ribs. It wasn’t clean, but it stung. José grabbed the clinch for a split second, but Dorian shook him off.

They reset again.

The pace was steady, but there was pressure now. Both had landed. Both had seen the other make a small error.

José threw a right hand down the pipe. Dorian leaned into it and ducked under.

He wrapped the waist for a second, maybe thinking takedown, but abandoned it quickly and came up with a tight elbow that grazed José’s temple.

José fired back with a right hook, catching the side of Dorian’s jaw and backing him up for the first time.

Dorian smiled, just for a second, then circled out.

José pushed this time, stepping in with a jab-cross-hook combo that glanced off Dorian’s guard.

Dorian fired a short leg kick that cracked loudly against José’s calf, but José stayed upright and kept pressing.

They clashed again, both throwing at close range.

José slipped the first shot, landed a counter to the body, but caught a right hook across the shoulder when he tried to exit too wide.

He adjusted quickly and stayed on the move, but Damon could already see it, José was starting to settle, but his timing was still slightly behind.

It was a competitive round.

Nothing one-sided. No big shots had landed, but both were scoring. Dorian was aggressive, walking forward often. José was cleaner, but not pulling ahead yet.

Another flurry broke out near the fence.

Dorian swung wide with a left hook that missed, and José used the moment to land a clean right straight down the middle.

It snapped Dorian’s head back slightly, but he stayed planted and returned with another body shot.

Both men circled again. Sweat was starting to build. Breathing picked up. Still no breaks.

José faked low, then went high with a right hand. Dorian leaned with it and almost walked into a knee, but stepped out just in time.

He returned with a spinning back kick that José partially blocked, though it moved him off his line.

The crowd around the cage had gotten louder. It wasn’t just sparring anymore. This was a fight.

The round kept going.

Mistakes were showing. Both had already taken a few hard shots. José’s left leg was red from checked kicks.

Dorian’s ribs were marked from body counters. Neither man looked close to quitting, but neither one looked fully in control either.

Every exchange now came with real risk.

The round kept moving, and both corners were standing now, no one was sitting anymore.

Damon leaned forward, watching every exchange. José was adjusting fast. His breathing stayed steady, and his stance had settled. He’d stopped reacting to pressure and started dictating his own.

Dorian came in with another low kick, but José checked it this time. No delay. He fired back instantly with a quick right hand that popped Dorian’s head.

The impact was clean, loud, and sharp enough to force Dorian into a high guard as he backed off.

José stayed on him.

He jabbed high, feinted a body shot, then stepped in with a perfect rear uppercut that came from below Dorian’s guard and landed flush on the chin.

Dorian’s legs buckled.

He stumbled back two steps and hit the fence.

The whole room reacted. Even some of Dorian’s teammates watching from the house jumped forward slightly.

Damon stood up straight. "Now! Press him!"

José moved forward fast, his posture perfect, his shots clean, but he didn’t throw wild. He hit a jab, followed by a straight to the body.

But then he paused. He waited a split second too long, expecting Dorian to drop again.

Dorian didn’t.

Instead, he circled off the fence, still hurt, but not gone.

That was the moment.

José had him, but he hadn’t jumped fully. He let Dorian recover, just enough to keep moving.

Damon didn’t yell. He just shook his head slightly. It was a veteran move, calculated, but the hesitation had cost him.

Dorian clinched briefly and pushed José off. He still looked unsteady, but his eyes were focused again. José kept the pressure up, but the moment had passed.

They fought through the final exchanges of the round. José was sharper now, landing clean jabs and stiff body shots.

Dorian stayed dangerous but defensive, swinging occasionally, more to keep space than to do damage.

In the last ten seconds, they both stood center cage and traded short shots, nothing wild, just small punches, knees, and a few kicks with purpose.

The horn sounded.

End of round one.

He had done damage.

But he had also missed the finish.