United States, Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County, a famous affluent neighborhood, inside a private training gym.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A muscular man wearing a black T-shirt furiously pounded the punching bag in front of him.
The punching bag, over six feet tall and seemingly weighing over a hundred pounds, swayed continuously, its thudding reverberating throughout the venue.
"Kermy, take a break, the female coach has arrived."
A sowhat balding Caucasian man walked over and spoke to the muscular man hitting the bag.
The muscular man stopped and looked toward the door, frowning, "I still think we shouldn’t have hired her."
"Silvar and Floreson both wanted to invite her as a combat coach, which proves she’s got the goods. She’s best at tactical analysis. Let’s hear what she has to say in a bit," the balding man said.
Kermy shook his head, pulled off his Gloves, and tossed them to an assistant nearby.
His na was Kermy, a Light Heavyweight UFC fighter, currently ranked number one.
Today, his agent had arranged for him to et a well-known coach from the industry. However, Kermy had heard that the coach was a woman from Hua Country, and his previous noteworthy achievent was helping a Strawweight female fighter win a championship. Now, she was here to coach n, which didn’t intrigue Kermy much.
He didn’t doubt her capabilities; he just felt it was not appropriate. In his view, the fighting characteristics and strategies of UFC’s male and female divisions were quite different, not to ntion Strawweight and Light Heavyweight were seven divisions apart! Hiring such a coach seed sowhat trivial to him.
"Look, there she is, Kermy. Have a word," Kermy’s agent said, pointing toward the entrance.
At the entrance, an Eastern woman with a slender figure, dressed in a white tracksuit, walked in with her hair tied back in a ponytail.
"Li," the agent called out from afar, walking up with Kermy to greet her.
"This is Li Tongyun, Coach Li."
The agent introduced her to Kermy: "Li, this is Kermy."
"Hello," Li Tongyun extended her hand to Kermy.
Kermy scrutinized the woman before him. Standing at 180 cm, he towered over Li Tongyun’s 162 cm stature, giving him a condescending appearance.
"Hello."
A few seconds later, Kermy reached out and shook hands with Li Tongyun.
"Co this way, please," the agent said, leading them to a seating area.
"Coach Li, this is tea from your Hua Country. Try it."
The agent had instructed the assistant to brew a pot of tea ahead of ti and now proactively poured a cup for Li Tongyun.
Li Tongyun took a light sip, smiled gently, and put the teacup down.
"Coach Li, as you know, Kermy has obtained the championship challenge right. His next match will be against Jon, and we’ve invited you here to help analyze the strengths of both sides and provide so technical and tactical guidance," the agent said.
Jon, the current Light Heavyweight UFC champion, had dominated the division for eight years, defending his title fourteen tis and known as the ’Demon King.’
Previously, Kermy had challenged Jon, the Demon King, twice for the title but had not succeeded, so the agent had brought in Li Tongyun in hopes of trying sothing new, taking a chance, and maybe, just maybe, helping Kermy.
Li Tongyun nodded and spoke softly in fluent English: "No problem, we can sign a contract for one match."
Kermy looked at Li Tongyun and laughed, "Hey, you don’t think that just by coming over here and saying a few words, we’ll sign a contract with you, do you?"
Li Tongyun frowned slightly, and the agent smiled, making peace: "Coach Li, I truly believe in your personal ability. However, the next match is critical to Kermy and our entire team, so I need to be sure you can really help us."
Li Tongyun looked Kermy straight in the eye: "You excel at grappling and wrestling, but Jon’s height and reach exceed yours, which ans his precise striking will keep you uncomfortable at a controlled distance."
Kermy neither agreed nor disagreed. That was a detail anyone in the industry could see. Pointing out the problem was one thing; the key was how to solve it.
Li Tongyun: "For this reason, exchanging blows directly, you’re unlikely to have an advantage over him. Playing defensively and countering will better help you find opportunities."
Kermy was sowhat surprised. Regarding this issue, his coaching team was also looking for solutions, focusing on how to change his offensive approach and fighting style. The rationale was that both his and Jon’s strengths were in attacking, so whoever dominated offensively would win. This was the first ti Kermy had heard soone suggest he fight defensively and counterattack.
"Coach Li, Jon’s fighting style ensures that once he has the upper hand, he will get increasingly comfortable. A defensive counterattacking strategy might be too risky," the agent interjected.
Li Tongyun spoke without hesitation: "The problem is that in a head-to-head, Kermy is restrained by the opponent. Straining to improve his style is thankless. So why not consider a different approach?"
Kermy felt irked and retorted fiercely, "My attacks also threaten him. Last ti I was just a bit unlucky, otherwise, it would have been him who got knocked out!"
"Oh," Li Tongyun nodded, her response dispassionate, and said no more.
Sensing an awkward silence, the agent quickly spoke: "Coach Li, if we were to adopt a defensive counterattack approach, do you have any good suggestions?"
After all, having more options wasn’t a loss. He was still eager to hear what new ideas this Eastern woman might propose.
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