Chapter 180
In the gym, Damon was totally absorbed in his stamina exercises.
Today’s training was all about stamina, pushing his body to the edge to make sure he could last in the cage with Kofi, no matter how long the fight went.
Whittier stood in the corner, stopwatch in hand, watching carefully as Damon moved from one station to the next without a break.
“Keep it up, Damon! This is where champions are made. Push through the burn!”
Even though Damon’s body was screaming for a rest and he was already drenched in sweat, he continued to move.
He alternated between sprints on the treadmill and rounds on the heavy bag, hitting it with sharp, controlled strikes, working his cardio in sync with his technique.
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Each time he hit the bag, Whittier would shout encouragement. “Faster! Keep that pace going! No slowing down!”
Damon’s muscles hurt, but he knew he had to do it.
Whittier walked over, offering Damon a bottle of water. “Take a sip and get back at it. You’re doing great, but remember, in a real fight, you don’t get a break.”
Damon smirked as he finished his water. “I mean we have breaks each round,” he said, deliberately keeping things light. But he understood Whittier’s point well.
Whittier gave him a playful push, grinning. “You know exactly what I mean. You’ve got good stamina, especially when it comes to fighting someone like Kofi, but we’re thinking long-term here. You want to be a world champion in the UFA? That’s five rounds. And you’ve got to make sure you can preserve that energy.”
Damon nodded, understanding the bigger picture. Five rounds in a championship fight were a whole different level.
Whittier clapped his hands, signaling the next phase of their training. “Alright, let’s move on. We need to focus on dealing with that explosiveness Kofi brings. You know how he comes out like a wrecking ball. We’re gonna drill how to manage that. Let’s head over to the octagon.”
Damon wiped the sweat off his face with a towel, tossing it aside before following Whittier into the cage.
Whittier led Damon into the octagon, where the assistant coaches were already waiting.
The cage felt a little more intense today, knowing it was Damon’s time to focus solely on dealing with Kofi’s explosive fighting style.
With Ivan and Miles back at the house, it was just Damon and the coaches, which allowed for a more personalized and intense training session.
“Alright, Damon,” Whittier said, walking toward the center of the octagon. “Kofi’s explosive. He likes to come out fast and hard, and if you’re not prepared for that, it can throw you off and overwhelm you. So today, we’re going to focus on how to deal with that. Smart and vicious. You ready?”
Damon nodded, his fists tightening. “Ready.”
Whittier cracked his knuckles and began explaining. “There are a few key things you need to do when facing an explosive fighter. First off, you need to manage distance. An explosive guy like Kofi will try to close the gap fast, so you have to control the range. Keep your jab out there to make sure he can’t get close too quickly.”
Whittier demonstrated, shadowboxing with a crisp, fast jab to create a barrier. “Keep your jab snapping out to disrupt his rhythm. Explosive fighters need rhythm to throw those big shots.”
Damon mirrored the movement, firing his jab with quick precision, focusing on the speed and accuracy rather than power.
“Good,” Whittier nodded. “Now, next thing. Angles. Don’t stand right in front of him. If you stay in his line of fire, you’re a sitting duck. You need to use your footwork to cut angles.
Make him miss. Use lateral movement to frustrate him. If he can’t plant his feet, he can’t explode.”
Whittier moved in an exaggerated side-to-side motion, showing how to step off at an angle after each strike.
Damon followed suit, shadowboxing again, keeping his jab going while angling off to the left and right.
“Perfect,” Whittier said. “Now, when he does close the distance, you don’t just cover up. You clinch. Bring him in close where he can’t generate that power. An explosive fighter needs space to land those big shots. If you take away his space by clinching and working from the inside, you neutralize his explosiveness.”
Whittier then demonstrated, moving in on Damon as if to throw a big overhand right, but before the punch landed, he pulled Damon into a tight clinch, wrapping his arms around the back of Damon’s head.
“When you’re in the clinch, don’t waste time,” Whittier said, throwing mock knees to Damon’s body. “Be vicious. Strike with elbows and knees. Make him regret closing the distance.”
Damon absorbed the technique, feeling the control in the clinch.
He practiced with the assistant coaches, moving in and out of the clinch, adding sharp elbows and knees to the body and head.
Whittier smiled. “Now, we’re gonna spar. I’m going to come at you like Kofi. Explosive, wild, trying to take your head off. Your job is to stay composed, manage the distance, use angles, and if I get too close, clinch and punish me. Ready?”
Damon nodded, raising his guard as Whittier took on the role of Kofi, bouncing lightly on his feet, ready to explode.
Whittier lunged in with a fast overhand right, and Damon quickly sidestepped, creating an angle before snapping his jab out to keep Whittier at bay.
“Good!” Whittier barked. “Keep that distance!”
Whittier came in again, this time throwing a quick combination of punches.
Damon blocked the first few strikes, but when Whittier got too close, he immediately clinched, pulling Whittier in and delivering a solid knee to his side.
“Yes!” Whittier grunted, feeling the impact. “That’s it! Now let’s go again.”
They sparred for several rounds, with Whittier playing the explosive fighter, lunging in with heavy shots and unpredictable movement.
Damon continued to practice maintaining his distance, using his jab and angles to frustrate Whittier.
And whenever Whittier managed to close the gap, Damon clinched, firing off knees and elbows that made it hard for Whittier to generate any power.
After the session, Whittier clapped Damon on the back. “That’s what I want to see. Control the chaos. Kofi’s going to come at you hard, but if you stay smart, use your footwork, and clinch when needed, you’ll shut him down. Now rest up, and we’ll go over more tomorrow.”
Damon nodded, feeling more prepared for the explosive style he’d face soon.
Even better he had reached C-Rank on Stamina