The referee stood between them.
"Ready?"
He turned to the other side. "Ready?"
"FIGHT!"
The horn sounded, and the crowd inside Singapore Indoor Stadium roared to life.
"And it is on!" the lead commentator said. "Live here in Singapore for the World Middleweight Final! For those of you watching from the U.S.—welcome to the show, and hope you brewed some coffee."
"Yeah, it's past 2 AM back home, but I don't think anyone's sleeping through this," another replied. "Joren Edlen versus Anatyr Tolkov. America versus Russia. Grappling engine versus silent striker. Let's go."
The fighters met near the center. Edlen kept his stance low, bouncing lightly, head off-center, right hand tight near his chin. Tolkov stood upright, almost still, eyes locked onto Edlen, waiting.
Edlen fired a jab immediately. Tolkov didn't bite. Another jab—this time a level change came behind it. Tolkov backed off just enough.
