The moment Sun Sheng pushed open the AKA door, a wave of heat, mixed with sweat, disinfectant, and male hormones, along with deafening noise, rushed towards him.
Inside the huge warehouse-like space, activity was in full swing.
The area near the entrance was lined with punching bags and target zones, where the crisp 'thwack! thwack!' of strikes and the heavy 'thump! thump!' of impacts rose and fell, forming a symphony of power.
Further inside was a large grappling area covered with grey mats, where dozens of burly men rolled and wrestled, their muscles colliding with dull thuds.
At the very back was a standard Octagon, where several professional fighters were engaged in intense sparring, their movements, offense, and defense exuding a lethal sense of oppression.
Sun Sheng's gaze swept across the entire venue like a radar.
His pupils contracted slightly.
He saw him!
In a corner of the grappling area, a man wearing a wrestling headgear, not particularly tall but exceptionally stocky, was repeatedly throwing his opponent to the ground in an almost unreasonable manner.
His oppressive style, his chain wrestling, all carried a suffocating power.
Khabib Nurmagomedov, the future undefeated Lightweight King, 'The Eagle'!
Although he had already fought two matches in the UFC, he had not yet reached the universally recognized dominant status he would achieve in the future.
In another corner, Sun Sheng also saw a tall, handsome man doing strength training; this was the future Middleweight Champion, Luke Rockhold.
These legendary figures, who had only existed on screens and in memories, now appeared vividly before his eyes.
This was the cradle of champions.
Sun Sheng's heart began to beat uncontrollably faster, not from nervousness, but from excitement!
He had come to the right place!
He took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and walked towards a middle-aged man with a distinctive mustache who looked like a coach.
Javier Mendez, founder and head coach of AKA, one of the world's top MMA coaches.
"Hello, sir," Sun Sheng said in reasonably fluent English.
Javier stopped instructing a student, turned around, and looked with some surprise at the Asian face that had suddenly appeared before him.
A tall, slender Asian teenager, dressed in clean sportswear, carrying a backpack, with clear and determined eyes.
"Hello, kid. Can I help you? This is a private training gym, not open for tours," Javier said politely.
"I'm not here for a tour." Sun Sheng took out the USB drive from his backpack and handed it over. "My name is Sun Sheng, from China. I'm an MMA fighter, and I want to join AKA."
Javier was stunned for a moment, then smiled; he had seen too many young people full of dreams and unaware of the challenges ahead.
Especially Asian faces, which were not common in top MMA gyms.
He took the USB drive but didn't look at it immediately; instead, he scrutinized Sun Sheng from head to toe.
Good height, seemingly good reach, but... too thin, definitely not much power.
"Kid, do you know what kind of place this is?" Javier asked. "The training here could kill you."
"I know," Sun Sheng replied without the slightest hesitation. "That's why I came here."
This calmness and confidence, unbefitting his age, piqued Javier's curiosity.
He waved to an assistant nearby, handed him the USB drive: "Go, plug it into the laptop and watch it."
A few minutes later, the assistant returned with the laptop, a strange expression on his face.
Javier leaned over.
On the screen, a compilation of Sun Sheng's six matches in China began to play.
Crude video quality, simple venues, dim lighting.
But the protagonist of the video instantly captured Javier's full attention.
In the footage, the slender teenager, facing opponents much stronger than himself, displayed astonishing evasion abilities.
His movements were ghost-like, his opponents' heavy punches seemed to strike illusions.
And his counterattacks were precise and efficient, every strike hitting a vital point.
Knocking out a bodyguard with one punch, submitting a retired boxing champion, high-kicking a Sanda champion unconscious... a series of finishing moves, accompanied by stirring music and perfectly timed slow-motion, were incredibly visually impactful!
Javier's expression, initially casual, gradually became serious, and finally, turned into one of solemnity.
He could tell that the opponents' skill levels were very amateurish.
But he was watching Sun Sheng!
That sense of distance that had become ingrained in his instincts!
That unbelievably fast reaction speed!
That calmness and tactical execution far beyond his age!
These things couldn't be taught!
This was talent!
God-given talent!
He turned off the video and looked at Sun Sheng again, his gaze completely changed.
"The video is good, but videos can be deceiving. If you want to join us, you have to prove that you are stronger than in the video."
Javier pointed to the Octagon.
"Go change your clothes and put on your protective gear. I want to see your skills with my own eyes."
This was the tryout!
Sun Sheng's heart filled with joy, and he immediately nodded, heading into the changing room.
A few minutes later, he emerged wearing black shorts, 16-ounce gloves, and shin guards.
Javier had already arranged his first test: pad work.
Holding the pads for him was one of AKA's senior Muay Thai coaches.
"Use all your strength, throw your combinations," the coach said concisely.
Sun Sheng didn't hold back; he took a deep breath, and the muscle memory of countless pad strikes from his previous life perfectly fused with his super-responsive body in this life.
"Thwack!"
A lightning-fast left jab exploded precisely on the target!
Followed by a straight right, a left hook, and a high right kick!
"Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thump!"
The series of strikes flowed like water, fast, accurate, and powerful!
Although there was still a lack of power, the fluidity and rhythm instantly changed the pad-holding coach's expression.
Javier stood by, nodding in satisfaction; the technical foundation was very solid, with no trace of an unrefined style.
"Alright, next item."
He waved to a professional fighter resting inside the Octagon.
"Kyle, come here and spar with this kid. Stand-up striking, 30% power."
Kyle, a mid-tier Featherweight fighter in the UFC, was known for his tough boxing and excellent chin.
Seeing Sun Sheng's lean appearance, he grinned, clearly not taking this 'sparring session' seriously.
The two entered the Octagon and touched gloves.
The fight began.
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