The First Match (1)

"Being good at wrestling is a big advantage in mixed martial arts. You score points just by successfully taking down your opponent, and you get more points by keeping them pinned down. You can score even higher points with successful ground-and-pound. However, that alone isn't enough to knock out your opponent. To achieve a TKO through ground-and-pound, there needs to be a significant skill gap, which isn't easy to come by."

Cho Yong-il was explaining to Yu Jung-ak, who was wearing headgear and open-finger gloves.

"But winning by decision isn't ideal, is it?"

"I'm not telling you to live by decision machines. I'm saying you should start by mastering defense first. Raise your gloves."

Yu Jung-ak raised his gloves at Cho Yong-il's instruction.

"These aren't boxing gloves. They're open-finger gloves. You can easily injure your opponent with these. Also, boxing guards aren't as effective here. Boxing gloves are tools for both attack and defense. With boxing gloves, you can tighten your body and raise your guard to block most clean hits. But these are different. Even with your guard up, you can easily take clean hits."

Open-finger gloves are thinner and smaller than boxing gloves. Naturally, there are more gaps when guarding. The match can end in an instant with just a moment of carelessness.

Yu Jung-ak was listening attentively to Cho Yong-il. Some of the information he already knew, but there was also new information. After all, he was still a beginner in mixed martial arts. There was no harm in listening.

"In MMA, there's no count like in boxing. The moment you fall, your opponent rushes in for ground-and-pound. If you lose focus or fail to respond for even a second, the match is over. So, should you focus on defense or not?"

"I should focus on defense."

"Then take your stance."

"Here?"

"No need to go to the ring. Take your stance. It'll be slightly different from yesterday. These are open-finger gloves. Punches can slip through your guard, so stay focused and dodge."

"Yes."

Cho Yong-il took a boxing stance and pressured Yu Jung-ak. Yu Jung-ak lowered his stance, raised his guard tight to his chin, and prepared for the attack.

But something strange happened. Cho Yong-il's punches seemed much more visible than yesterday.

Thud!

Cho Yong-il's punch landed exactly where Yu Jung-ak thought it would.

"What are you doing! Aren't you focusing?"

Yu Jung-ak got up immediately. He took his stance again. This time, a jab. Just like before, it was clearly visible. It appeared more distinct and slower than yesterday.

'What's going on? Is this some kind of condition?'

But it didn't seem like a condition. Rather, he felt less tense and more calm than yesterday.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Cho Yong-il threw two jabs and dove into Yu Jung-ak's range.

Cho Yong-il's left body shot.

Yu Jung-ak instinctively extended his hand and blocked the body shot before it could land. It wasn't quite the advanced boxing technique of parrying, but it was enough to block Cho Yong-il's body shot before it connected.

"Hey, did you see that coming?"

It was clearly a body shot that someone of Yu Jung-ak's level shouldn't have been able to block. A left body shot thrown with a feint to sharpen focus and quickly switched. Even professionals would have trouble blocking it if it landed properly. It was an attack that was hard to see coming due to the close-range power, making it difficult to block without considerable skill.

"Yeah, it was just a feeling."

"Good. Looks like you've got some sense. Let's keep going."

Cho Yong-il was much shorter than Yu Jung-ak. With a height of about 175 cm and not particularly long reach, Yu Jung-ak could easily block even if he extended slowly.

Nevertheless, Cho Yong-il's strikes were still threatening. They appeared to move like razor blades right in front of his eyes.

Especially with open-finger gloves instead of boxing gloves, his hand speed seemed even faster.

Speed is a great advantage in combat. Particularly, fast, accurate, and penetrating punches can exert great pressure on the opponent.

That's exactly what Cho Yong-il's punches were like.

The problem was that Yu Jung-ak could now see all of these fast punches. Not perfectly clearly, but Yu Jung-ak could tell where Cho Yong-il's punches would land. It was strange. Yu Jung-ak thought he had developed some bizarre ability.

He decided to try dodging Cho Yong-il's punches.

How far could he dodge without using his guard?

Cho Yong-il's one-sided attack began. Yu Jung-ak focused and dodged Cho Yong-il's attacks. The last attack could be avoided just by weaving his upper body.

"Hey! What's going on? You can see all of that?"

"Ah, I can just see them. I couldn't see anything yesterday."

"Is that so? Well, it happens sometimes. Sometimes things just click when you're practicing. But listen, Jung-ak. The best fighters maintain that level of perception consistently. And right now, you're seeing things better because you're only dodging. Now, try attacking too."

"You want me to throw punches?"

"Yes."

Yu Jung-ak took his stance and started throwing punches. Now Cho Yong-il was moving his body to dodge Yu Jung-ak's attacks.

Then came Cho Yong-il's counterattack. Yu Jung-ak raised his hands to block the jab.

"Good! Keep it up!"

Yu Jung-ak pressured Cho Yong-il with short attacks. Cho Yong-il dodged Yu Jung-ak's punches by moving backward.

Whoosh!

Yu Jung-ak threw a right straight. Cho Yong-il slightly dodged it to the side and then spun his body around once.

Jung-ak tried to move but couldn't react because his arm was extended.

Thud!

Cho Yong-il's backspin blow hit Yu Jung-ak's head. Fortunately, it didn't hit a vital point like the chin.

Yu Jung-ak staggered.

"Uncle! A backspin is against the rules."

"Who said we're only doing boxing in MMA? You should be grateful I didn't use kicks."

"Ah, really."

"Listen, kid. Top-tier strikers throw those counters with perfect timing. Got it? It's different when you're only defending versus when you're mixing in attacks. That's why you need to be careful. If you'd taken that hit in a real match, it would have been game over."

"Come on, the impact wasn't that bad."

"You staggered, didn't you? What if a kick came flying at your face in that situation? You'd be out cold."

"So what are you suggesting I do?"

"I'm saying master defense first and keep your attacks short. Never throw a straight punch like you just did. Use punches and kicks without putting your full weight behind them to create confusion, then finish with wrestling. Of course, you need to properly learn submission defense too."

"In the end, it's all about wrestling, huh?"

"You've got to use what you have. Right?"

"Well, it would be difficult to just do wrestling."

"MMA isn't wrestling. Wrestling is ultimately a sport of close contact. But in MMA, who's going to let you get close? It's a world where punches and kicks are flying before you can clinch. That's why MMA fighters are good at long-distance takedowns that pure wrestlers don't often use. Because they need to close the distance. If you only focus on wrestling in that situation, what do you think will happen?"

"I'd get countered, right?"

"You'll get hit with a knee counter while going for a long-distance takedown. If that lands, you'll end up with a broken jaw, kid."

"Alright, I understand."

Cho Yong-il gave Yu Jung-ak a few more instructions. Yu Jung-ak stayed behind to practice what he had learned from Cho Yong-il.

==

Two months had passed since Yu Jung-ak came to Korea. During that time, Yu Jung-ak met many people while maintaining his daily routine. He didn't forget to visit his paternal and maternal relatives. Meeting the elders of the family wasn't an easy task, but Yu Jung-ak managed to calm the situations with his unique friendliness.

Yu Jung-ak moved out of the room Cho Yong-il had gotten for him and into the Silence Wellness Center. The Wellness Center was not only a training ground for Team Silence athletes but originally a weight loss camp. Because it was a place for residential weight loss programs, the facilities were excellent.

Meals were served buffet-style daily, and most importantly, having the training facility attached saved travel time.

From Yu Jung-ak's perspective, there was no reason not to move there. However, since the accommodations at the weight loss camp were similar to hotel standards, the price for a single room was expensive. Although the camp wasn't always full, providing a room to Yu Jung-ak would result in a loss.

So Yu Jung-ak's solution was to pay Cho Yong-il for room and board. Cho Yong-il naturally had no intention of accepting, but Yu Jung-ak was serious.

Out of the 100 million won he had received, he returned 50 million to Cho Yong-il and entrusted another 40 million of the remaining 50 million back to Cho Yong-il. This was in lieu of room and board while staying at the Wellness Center. However, when Cho Yong-il saw the money, he laughed.

"Do you know how much it costs per day here? The accommodations here are better than a 5-star hotel. How long do you think this will last? Put it back."

"That's why I want to work too. I'm well-versed in dieting. I've experimented on my own body, so I know how to lose weight. I can work for an hour or two after training. I noticed you have quite a few customers."

The Silence Wellness Center was a place that didn't advertise. It was originally a place that focused on body shaping for celebrities rather than the general public. While celebrities usually have personal trainers and exercise regularly, this place specialized in creating bodies for more specific situations.

It was the place to go when someone needed to rapidly build muscle for a movie role, for example.

That's why this place was popular among celebrities. It met the demanding requirements of celebrity clients well.

The accommodations were clean, and the food was excellent. If desired, they also provided private exercise spaces.

If requested, they could even manage everything so that a client wouldn't encounter anyone else from check-in to check-out.

That's why there were multiple entrances to this place. The maze-like layout was for the same reason.

As a result, the Silence Wellness Center made quite a bit of money quietly. Some celebrities even spent time here instead of going abroad when they wanted to rest. They could play as much as they wanted without disturbance if they wished.

The rooms were divided according to purpose, like a hotel, and occasionally celebrity couples would stay for a few days.

Yu Jung-ak was asking for one of these rooms. Naturally, from Cho Yong-il's perspective, there would be a financial loss.

"The clients here are very demanding."

"Don't the trainers get paid a lot for that? I heard it's almost all performance-based pay?"

"Who told you that?"

"Jung-ryong hyung said so. He said he earns more here than from competing."

MMA fighters could be considered weight loss experts in a way. They're also well-versed in muscle building. Since celebrities aren't athletes, using substances to build muscle isn't a big issue for them.

Naturally, many fighters took this as a side job. Fighting alone wasn't enough to cover living expenses.

Fighters had unexpectedly high expenses. It was difficult to get insurance due to the risk of injury, and even when they did, it was expensive. On top of that, they always had to be mindful of their diet, which led to high food costs.

To cover these various expenses, having a second job was essential. Not many fighters could live on prize money alone, especially those active in Korea.

"They get paid that much for fights because they only happen occasionally. Here, they get paid for the work they do."

"So, is it not possible for me? I'm very confident in my ability to build muscle or lose weight."

"Jung-ryong has name recognition. He has clients because of his fame. But you're just a high school senior now. Which client would request you?"

"Still, please register me. If it doesn't work out, I'll pay it back through fights."

"Do you like this place that much?"

"I can do personal training anytime in the early morning. And I don't have to worry about food."

"You only eat meat and vegetables anyway. The team members are saying you're too hardcore."

"I eat eggs and sweet potatoes too. Of course, I eat fruits as well. I eat various types of meat and steamed vegetables. What I don't eat are grains. Flour, instant foods, heavily seasoned things."

"You don't eat rice either?"

"It's carbohydrates. The key to managing my body is controlling carbohydrates."

"Can you exercise while eating so few carbs?"

"I eat enough to sustain my workouts. Still, I eat over 500g a day."

"And you eat over a kilo of meat?"

"Not a kilo, about 3 kilos."

"Just how much are you eating? Be honest, you want to move in here for the food, right?"

"Yes, that's pretty much it."

Yu Jung-ak laughed. Cho Yong-il shook his head. Yu Jung-ak truly ate an enormous amount. It's natural for fighters to eat a lot, but Yu Jung-ak ate far more than that. He consumed over 10,000 calories a day, several times what an average person eats.

The issue was that 10,000 calories was when Yu Jung-ak ate less. He sometimes ate up to five meals a day.

Team Silence members were surprised by Yu Jung-ak's stamina, but they were even more shocked by his eating habits.

An unbelievable amount of food, and he wasn't even trying to gain weight.

The bigger problem was that Yu Jung-ak ate food with almost no seasoning. Eating meat with almost no salt becomes painful after a while.

But Yu Jung-ak, without anyone telling him to, strictly ate food with minimal seasoning. It was so thorough that it was almost nauseating to watch.

"How can you eat like that? Do you have no sense of taste?"

"Anyway, are you going to give me a room or not?"

"I'll give it to you. Who said I wouldn't? But I'm not taking your money."

"Independence!"

"Geez. This kid insists even when I say I won't take the money."

"Just let me know if I'm in the red. I'll earn money and pay it back. I'll quickly rise to the top, so my prize money will increase, right?"

"Kid, do you think it's easy to make money in MMA?"

"I'm different!"

"But are you really living like that? Did you eat like that every day in the mountains?"

Cho Yong-il felt a bit sorry for Yu Jung-ak. There's a lot of joy in eating as you live your life. But when it came to food, Yu Jung-ak was like an enlightened 80-year-old. It's natural for fighters to manage their bodies, but Yu Jung-ak took it to an extreme. He wouldn't even touch food if it had a little too much salt. It was beyond strange to watch - it was almost pitiful.

"I've been eating like this since I started wrestling. Of course, I used to eat junk food occasionally, but I completely cut it out after going to the mountains."

"I see..."

Eating habits are usually formed in childhood. If you're exposed to heavily seasoned food from a young age, it doesn't change much as you grow up. But Yu Jung-ak had eaten with almost no seasoning since he was young.

That's why he could thoroughly avoid stimulating foods. Yu Jung-ak got a room on the first floor of the Wellness Center.

It was the lowest-grade accommodation, but it was very good for Yu Jung-ak. A clean bed and even a TV. Although it was only about 10 pyeong (33 square meters), it had everything he needed.

Yu Jung-ak could now spend much more time training. Above all, without having to spend time cooking, his days felt longer.

In that extra time, Yu Jung-ak watched movies or read books. Most were novels or comics, which he had always enjoyed.

"Huff. Huff."

Yu Jung-ak was hitting the sandbag in Team Silence's training room from early morning. His movements were supposed to be natural and relaxed, but they were still tense and forceful. This wasn't something that could be fixed just by teaching technique. It could only be resolved through repeated training. Team Silence members had finished their winter training camp a month ago and were now working out at the Seoul Gymnasium.

Thanks to that, Yu Jung-ak was working out alone here. Although there was a lot to learn from team members, Yu Jung-ak wasn't too worried.

Cho Yong-il was overseeing his striking, and he was training in jiu-jitsu with Yoon Hong-seok, who was the co-representative of the Wellness Center.

Yoon Hong-seok.

He was a former national judo representative who had entered MMA and was once known as an armbar specialist, a brilliant fighter.

If he had entered the fighting world a few years earlier, he might have changed the landscape of Korean MMA. He was that great of a fighter.

While he wasn't particularly excellent in striking, his ground game was so good it could be called genius-level.

Especially after retirement, instead of settling down, he consistently honed his jiu-jitsu skills, passionate enough to earn a black belt.

This man was overseeing his jiu-jitsu training. Although it was just jiu-jitsu sparring, the one or two hours of training after work was enough to solidly build Yu Jung-ak's ground skills.

In this way, Yu Jung-ak was rapidly becoming stronger.

"Hey. What time did you start training?"

"Oh, uncle."

It was Cho Yong-il. The time was 7 AM. This wasn't Cho Yong-il's usual wake-up time. He often woke up later than this.

Cho Yong-il didn't live at the Wellness Center. So, being here at this time meant he had woken up much earlier than 7 AM.

"Do you want to compete?"

"Did you find a match?"

"It's a last-minute replacement."

"Where? Spirit FC?"

"Yeah. And it's not an undercard, it's a main event."

"What? Who's the opponent that I'd be in the main event?"

"You know Spirit FC recently succeeded in expanding into China, right? So for their next event, one of the main event slots opened up."

"They're willing to use me?"

"The opponent has an MMA record of 3 wins and 1 loss in 4 fights. He's a Chinese fighter with a Wushu background and good striking. But his ground game is not great."

"Sounds like we could have a chance if we strategize well?"

"Don't be too overconfident, kid. The fight is in two weeks in Shanghai, China. The problem is the weight."

"Is it heavyweight?"

"No, it's a lightweight bout. Which means you need to lose 10 kilos from now. Can you do it?"

Cho Yong-il asked with a serious expression. From his face, it seemed he had been contacted by Spirit FC last night and had been pondering it all night.

Yu Jung-ak took off his gloves and grinned at Cho Yong-il.

"I can quickly get down to 70 kg. I didn't waste my time in the mountains. Please set up the fight."

"Let's watch the video first and then talk."

Cho Yong-il said as he pulled a USB drive from his pocket. It contained fight videos of the opponent.