MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat

Damon sat on the black leather chair in a quiet room backstage. The noise of the arena was distant now. The adrenaline was cooling in his veins, but his heart wasn't done racing, not until he spoke to her.

He scrolled past the hundred missed calls, ignored every text, and went straight to the only number he needed right now.

Svetlana.

He pressed call.

It didn't even ring fully once.

"Damon…" Her voice hit him before anything else. Soft. Teary. Shaky.

Damon exhaled slowly, that small smile tugging at his lips. "Hey... hey baby."

There was noise in the background, faint shuffling — Aoife's voice, Ashley asking if it connected, Macey telling someone to lower the TV.

But all Damon cared about was her breathing on the other end.

"You did it," Svetlana said, barely above a whisper. "God... you really did it."

He leaned forward, elbow on his knee, phone pressed tight to his ear. "I told you, didn't I?" His voice was low, rough from the fight, but soft for her. "Told you I'd bring that belt home."

Ashley's voice broke through faintly in the back, playful and emotional at the same time. "Alright, alright! Let's give them a second before I start crying again."

Macey chuckled softly, "Come, come, let them talk."

Even Aoife's voice carried that warm teasing tone. "We'll leave you lovebirds to it. But tell him we're proud, yeah?"

Svetlana mumbled, "I will."

The line got quieter. He could practically feel the room emptying on her end.

Then it was just them.

"I wish you were here," Damon finally said, honestly. "Standing in that cage... winning... felt like the world." He paused. "But not seeing you there? Not having you next to me? It made me realize... none of this means shit without you."

Svetlana let out a soft laugh through her tears. "You really trying to make me ugly cry right now, huh?"

Damon chuckled, shaking his head. "You could never look ugly to me."

There was silence, but it wasn't awkward.

It was peaceful.

Real.

"How's our little one?" he asked quietly.

Svetlana rubbed her belly on instinct, even though he couldn't see it. "Quiet... but active during the fight. Like they knew their dad was doing something special."

Damon closed his eyes for a second, holding onto that.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you more," she whispered right back.

Another pause.

"When you getting home?" she asked softly.

"As soon as they let me outta this circus," Damon grinned. "But when I do? I'm not letting go of you the whole damn night."

Svetlana laughed, sniffling. "Good. You better not."

Neither of them wanted to hang up.

But both of them knew... this was just the beginning.

The line went quiet for a few seconds.

But it didn't stay that way.

Two familiar voices suddenly came from the background, Macey and Aoife.

They'd clearly been sitting right next to Svetlana, listening in like mothers always did.

Macey's voice was the first to cut through, excited, soft, and completely unfiltered.

"Oh my god..." she whispered, like it hit her only now. "Did you just call me your mother?"

It wasn't dramatic. It wasn't forced.

Just real surprise.

Even Svetlana let out a small laugh like she didn't expect Macey to actually say it out loud.

Damon exhaled a small breath, smiling to himself.

"Yeah... yeah, I did."

Aoife clicked her tongue immediately in the background, dry, sharp.

"Hah," she let out, her typical Irish bite laced with playfulness. "Would ya listen to her now… acting like she just won a prize."

Macey didn't even try to hide it. "Well, can you blame me? He's never said that before. I'm gonna frame this moment in my head forever."

Damon shook his head, chuckling. "Now you both sound jealous."

Aoife scoffed. "Jealous? Please. I got seniority."

Macey laughed right after. "Yeah, well I got promoted tonight."

Even Svetlana snorted. "Okay, okay, I'm hanging up if you two start fighting over him."

Damon leaned back in his chair, still smiling.

They ended up chatting for a while longer. Nothing heavy. Just natural talk, Ashley had popped back in, probably after putting her son down to sleep. She got her moment too, teasing Damon for making everyone cry on live TV.

Even Macey and Aoife were still throwing small playful jabs at each other like school friends rather than mothers.

But eventually, time caught up.

Victor poked his head into the room, motioning toward Damon.

"Alright, champ, time to move."

Damon sighed, but it wasn't annoyed, just that slow, deep breath when the real work wasn't quite over yet.

"Guess duty calls," he muttered.

Svetlana's voice came through soft. "Go handle your business... then come home to me."

Damon's lips curled into that small smile only she could get out of him. "Always."

He ended the call, sitting there for a second longer. Just breathing. Letting the quiet settle before everything else kicked back in.

There was still more to do tonight.

Wash up.

Post-fight conference.

A night out with the boys. They earned that much.

The thought alone made Damon chuckle to himself as he stood up from the chair. It really had been a while. Life had been moving fast, fights, training camps, families growing, responsibilities stacking higher by the day.

They weren't just wild kids anymore

Tonight they could forget all that. Just for a few hours.

Just be friends. Be dumb. Laugh. Drink. Argue over who paid for what like they always did.

Damon grabbed a fresh towel, stretching his neck slightly before moving toward the bathroom. His body was sore, in that good way only a real fight left you. Every bruise felt earned. Every ache was a reminder.

He peeled off his fight gear slowly, the champion's gold still resting in the room like a silent reminder of everything that just happened.

As the hot water hit his skin, washing away the sweat, dried blood, and chaos of the cage, Damon let the weight ease off his shoulders.