Under the watchful eyes of the audience, Miguel, one of the Cobra Kai members, clasped his hands and bowed respectfully toward his opponent. Likewise, Evan bowed back at him, wearing a somewhat peculiar smile.
"Fight!"
As soon as the referee signaled the start of the fight, the crowd erupted in cheers filled with excitement. On the mats, a clash many had eagerly awaited was about to unfold, with a new quarterfinalist set to emerge from this battle.
"I've been training hard for this. His size won't make a difference now or ever…"
At the sound of the signal, Miguel moved to the side with light bounces on the mat. Seeing Evan approaching, Miguel lashed out with his right foot like a whip, aiming for Evan's side.
Crack!
Miguel's powerful kick was intercepted by Evan's right foot, causing a resounding impact.
Under the force of the blow, Miguel's expression hardened, and he retreated a few steps, feeling the searing pain in his right foot. This wasn't an ordinary opponent. As Johnny had warned, from now on, the fights would be against stronger adversaries.
The kick hurt more than Miguel expected; he hadn't anticipated Evan absorbing it so effectively, which left him at a disadvantage.
"I can't engage in a kicking duel; I'll lose. My only chance is to fight aggressively in close quarters."
Even as Miguel came to this realization—something Johnny had already warned him about—Evan closed the distance and began launching powerful kicks, aiming for Miguel's head. Miguel started dodging.
The initial kicks were easier to evade as Miguel stepped back, but as the mat's edge neared, one of Evan's kicks struck Miguel's left shoulder. Despite his guard being up, the impact was painful.
"It's now or never…"
Miguel was still aching from the powerful strikes he had endured. These were the most painful blows he'd taken since he started training. Staying alert was crucial if he wanted to avoid further injuries.
As Evan stepped back momentarily, Miguel seized the opportunity to charge forward and extended his arm, striking with all his strength.
Hsss!
Although Miguel's punch connected forcefully with Evan's shoulder, Evan remained unfazed, and Miguel stumbled back, confused by the lack of effect.
"What the hell?"
Evan smirked slightly and, with a swift turn, delivered a kick to Miguel's chest, sending him crashing to the mat. As Miguel lay there, still trying to process why his strike had no effect, the referee stepped in and awarded a point to Evan, who seemed eager to continue attacking.
"Get up, Miguel!" shouted Johnny, who had clearly seen Miguel's hit connect but noticed it had no effect. He called out: "Don't hold back! Hit him with everything you've got!"
Terry, observing the fight closely, frowned and approached another referee to complain.
"That was a point for Miguel! Evan was clearly hit."
"It was a hit, but not a clean point. Nothing to review!"
"Check under his uniform! He's probably wearing some kind of padding to dull the impact!"
Lying on the mat, Miguel furrowed his brow in anger. With a burst of determination, he sprang to his feet. Gently rubbing his chest, he fixed his gaze on Evan, who was ready to fight again, and smirked slightly.
"I'm going to knock your teeth out, you bastard!" Miguel was convinced Evan was wearing something under his uniform to reduce the pain of hits, so his plan was to land his hardest strikes directly on nerve points.
Seeing Miguel back on his feet, the referee looked at both fighters and signaled again: "Ready? Fight!"
The moment Miguel heard the command, he rushed toward Evan, who quickly launched a kick aimed at Miguel's shoulder. Miguel blocked the kick with all his might, channeling his strength into his right arm and delivering a powerful punch to Evan's ribs.
"AAHH!"
Evan's scream echoed as he fell to the mat.
"What a damn pain…" Miguel muttered, shaking his right shoulder, which had taken multiple hits in the same spot despite his blocks.
Realizing he couldn't afford to hold back, Miguel focused all his efforts on striking the most protected areas, knowing his attacks needed to hit hard to make an impact.
"Point!"