Eric had a chance to watch Dan’s first match. He was waiting for another bout to start.
Dan stood across from his opponent. Eric didn’t know who it was. The guy fought out of Tyler City. He was with Triple-A MMA.
There were a lot of spectators. The cheering was loud. People were filming. Others took pictures. There were a few news crews. Eric had seen them following Dan around. The cameras were big. They seemed to shoot Dan’s every move.
Dan seemed unfazed by the drama.
His match started. Dan’s opponent came toward him. He was a little taller. The fighter shot in. The crowd gasped. Did they expect Dan to crumble?
Dan quickly sprawled. Then he turned his opponent. Dan moved away. It was a sweet move. Fancy.
The crowd cheered.
Dan’s opponent came after him. That’s when Dan shot in on the guy. He took the other fighter to the mat.
Dan started to move. But he wasn’t quick enough. His opponent held on to him. He started to apply an arm bar.
Eric got nervous. Arm bars were no joke. The goal was to bend the arm backward. People often tapped out when an arm bar was applied.
The crowd gasped again. Somehow Dan escaped. The fighters grappled. For a second the Triple-A guy slowed. With super speed, Dan moved in and applied a rear naked choke.
His opponent tried to free himself. Dan gritted his teeth. His muscles bulged. Then his opponent tapped out.
Dan let go and sprang off the matt. He went over to his sensei and teammates. They hugged him and gave him high fives.
The cheers were deafening.
The camera crews moved closer.
Eric smiled. Then he turned away. The match for his MMA center was about to start. He took a deep breath. His emotions were all over the place.
If he won his next match? If Dan won his next match?