17.
Damien Meadows bounced from foot to foot and from side to side in the corner of a four-sided competitive ring, a ring surrounded by the heavy meshed steel of a cage, ready to go to work. Standing six feet ten inches, weighting two hundred and ninety-five pounds, and looking as if he has been genetically engineered, Damien indeed awaits his next opponent.
His opponent on this occasion is a man who generally is able to hold his own being five foot eleven and two hundred twenty pounds and also being of considerable build though entering the ring through the open steel door which is soon locked behind him ... he is about to go against a man who is undefeated in forty-eight encounters, none of which have lasted more than five minutes. Those that have come close to the five-minute mark have done so more out of the fact that Damien was having fun, having fun with another soul unlucky enough to enter Damien's yard.
A bell sounds to indicate the beginning of the contest though many wonder why there should be a bell at all as any contest involving this beast of a monster most always is completely one sided and when Damien has his opponent defeated any sounding bell would not deter him from continuing to have his way and no one ever dares to confront him to say enough is enough. It is enough when Damien decides that he has had enough.
The crowd of no more than five hundred people are loud, and betting furiously takes place right up to that sounding of that first bell, though bets are not placed upon who may win or lose but rather how long a contest may last to the second and as to how long Damien will have things his way so if there is a purpose to the bell then that is it.
The opponent on this occasion is an unknown, a regular Joe as far as anyone is concerned. Everyone how enters this ring needs to have a history in fighting and a successful history at that. This regular Joe has that successful history, still he comes as much an unknown as anyone can. No one has seen him previously compete and as such is not expected to do particularly well. No one every comes here and does well in Damien's ring other than when Damien is off duty.
As the bell does sound both men move quickly and head straight for each other, Damien a little more quickly than his opponent. They lock up and Damien throws a head butt immediately opening up the smaller man just over his left eye and once again this is to be a completely one-sided contest. The newest soul to be claimed is lifted up in the air and thrown across almost half the ring and right into the steel mesh. Damien turns, lifts both his arms in the air, and reacts to the noise of the crowd, expecting the referee counts the smaller man out.
When he finally turns back, Damien is first surprised to see that his opponent has not been counted out then is angered when to see said opponent in a stance which suggests the question ... is that all you have got?
Little time is wasted. Damien is quick to move in, fully expecting to connect with a flying kick. It doesn't connect. Regular Joe has dropped to his knees and connects with a blow to Damien's mid-section. This hits the crowd as much as it does to the venue's champion. The place has gone so quiet that a literal pin drop could be heard. This ... this is something new.
Getting up after a second or three on the canvas, Damien gets up and looks out to the crowd on three sides of the caged ring. Do you all doubt me? ... he wants to ask ... after all I've done in this ring? Regular Joe's big mistake is not directly following up on his own successful maneuver. Damien goes all out on a vicious attack. Referee attempts to break it up without success. It takes three further officials to remove Damien from his opponent.
Damien may have a forty ninth consecutive win though he is not done with his newest victim just yet. Circling the ring Damien continues to react to the crowd and it is only when the cage door opens for him to make an exit, that Damien turns his attention back to his most recent challenge. Before this smaller man can be properly attended to, Damien grabs him by his left ankle and pulls him into the center of the ring before picking him up and lifting him high into the air.
