Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2017 12:14:44 GMT -5
The scene opens up to a well-lit room. The natural light pours through the windows on a far wall. Filled bookshelves line the walls and the cherry hardwood floors shine giving the impression that this is likely either used or staged as a study. In the center of the room, and specifically where the camera is focused, there are two occupied chairs sitting across from one another. In one chair, a beautiful young lady sits with a pen and notepad in hand. In the other chair sits Union Battleground competitor Isaiah Elliott. The woman looks to someone beyond the camera and nods in acknowledgement.
“Hello everyone and thanking you for joining us today. My name is Jenna DuLeon and I represent Fight Pro Magazine. My guest at this time is new to the sport but showed that he has what it takes with a win in his first match this past week, Isaiah Elliott.”
Isaiah smiles.
“Thank you for having me, Ms. DuLeon.”
“Oh, please call me Jenna.”
“Absolutely. My apologies.”
Jenna giggles softly.
“You’re such a gentleman. You certainly live up to your reputation. Speaking of, word on the street is that you’re developing quite the number of admirers from our female fan base in such a short time. How does that make you feel?”
“Well, I’m flattered but I’m also very happily married.”
He reaches down and begins subconsciously spinning his wedding ring on his finger. Jenna detects the behavior but smiles at Isaiah, her dimples showing clearly on her cheeks.
“What a shame. I guess the rest of us just might have to be disappointed.”
Isaiah smiles but looks away quickly.
“This past week, you fought in your first match against a former champion in this sport, Crowbar. Leading up to the fight, you felt that Crowbar was strong and vicious but unrefined in his approach. How did that compare to what you experienced in the ring?”
“I thought my assessment was accurate. The fight began with a flurry of punches, a nod to the brawling style Crowbar uses. Once he was overconfident in his strikes, he sacrificed his technique for power and I was able to counter it into an armlock. After he was able to get to the ropes, he continued his assault of wild strikes and I was able to wrap up his arms and throw him over my head. I’ll admit though, his quick recovery from that throw was surprising but I was able to strike before he could at the end and picked up the victory.”
“A sound recap of the match, I must say. You looked like you’ve been here all along with that level of poise and composure. Even as Crowbar unleashed his assault, you seemed to be calculating the next move, the next moment you’d take the advantage. How long do you think it’ll be before we see gold around your waist?”
Isaiah laughs.
“It’s a bit early to be talking about that, isn’t it? I just got here.”
“That doesn’t have to mean anything. Dillon Shaw received a Union Battleground Championship title shot in his third match. Granted, he didn’t win due to suspicious circumstances but he was on the verge of becoming champion that quickly. You could follow in his footsteps and succeed where he failed.”
“I suppose, but he has history in this business. He has a reputation already. I’m still largely unknown. Why would they give me that opportunity so quickly?”
“Why not you? Imagine if you go on to have a very successful career, a legendary career, wouldn’t Union Battleground love to be the ones to put their stamp on it, that they gave you your start, your big break? When the name ‘Isaiah Elliott’ goes worldwide and everyone is pulling out their wallets to bring you in, wouldn’t Axel Graves want to be credited as the guy that started all of that?”
“I mean… I suppose so.”
“Just think about it for a minute.”
Isaiah thinks about it. After a few moments of contemplation, he looks back up.
“Listen, that’s a wonderful story but we’re just spitting hypotheticals here. I certainly wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to compete for the Trench War Championship or the Union Battleground Championship but those opportunities aren’t just handed out to people because they look good on paper or show promise. You have to earn those opportunities.”
“Like at Guerrilla Warfare?”
Isaiah smiles.
“Like at Guerrilla Warfare.”
“You’ll be going into an atmosphere where you’ll have to fight potentially nineteen other competitors at once. How do you plan to succeed in that environment?”
“You’re looking big picture. You have to think about it in smaller steps first. It’s highly unlikely that I’ll have to engage every other competitor in the match at one time. If I do, then I’m flattered they found me to be that much of a threat, but I certainly don’t expect it. Having studied this match-type, most times a fighter will engage one or two other fighters at a time. You have to focus primarily on that while keeping eyes all around so as to not be blindsided. You don’t want to be overly paranoid and lose focus on the fighter you’re engaging though. That’s important. It’s a delicate balance. Styles aren’t as important in a fight like this due to the anarchy element. Bodies will be flying everywhere, people will be attempting pinfall after pinfall, locking in submission holds, and going for the knockout blow constantly. To win, I don’t have to eliminate all nineteen other fighters. I just need to make sure I eliminate one right at the end.”
“What do you think of your competition?”
“It’s hard to say, really. I don’t know who the competition is going to be for certain. Hell, I don’t know if I’m even going to be permitted to compete in this huge match. Assuming I am though and considering the level of competition here at Union Battleground, it’s going to be one of the toughest fights I’ve ever been in. Dillon Shaw, whom you previously mentioned, could very well be in it. He’s a brilliant and methodical fighter and can take apart his competition piece by piece. You have Tweeder making his return. He could very well be in the fight. He’s a former Union Battleground Champion, having initially defeated the current champ. He’s proven he has what it takes to ascend to the top and is known for his wild fighting style. You don’t want to get caught on the wrong side of one of his whims or you’ll be waking up to the news that you were eliminated. Crowbar, my first opponent, could very well be in. You want to talk about a match that suits his fighting style, this is exactly it. The chaos and brawling will be on display in this one. When you need to hit hard and fast in small windows, you really hate to be in the match and see Crowbar making his way down to that ring. You have another man who’s inexperienced but proven to be a very capable fighter in Jove Belane. When he’s not wearing you down with kicks, he’s applying the pressure with submissions and high-impact moves. He’s very cerebral in his style, adapting to the competition and using whichever methods he deems appropriate to cut down the opposition. Honestly, when I talk about him, I sometimes feel like I’m talking about myself, but while we incorporate different styles, we look a bit different executing them. We might also see Emery Layton, Cassius Reed, Kimitsu Zombie, Becky Balfour, Trixie... The list goes on and on. You won’t find any weak links here.”
“So why do you think you have a chance?”
“Why not me?”
Jenna grins.
“Touché.”
“All I need is a chance. That’s all I ask for. If I look at a fight and I think, no matter how small, that I have a chance? I’m going to give it everything I have. I know what I’m capable of and I know how to take the fight piece by piece. Thinking about facing nineteen others can be intimidating to think about. But when you consider those nineteen also have to fight nineteen other competitors, the picture clears a bit. I’m not sure where I’ll enter but the important part is to take it one fight at a time and make sure you don’t get blindsided. If I get the chance to enter Guerrilla Warfare, I’m coming to fight and fight hard. Maybe I lose but more importantly… Maybe I win.”
“I look forward to seeing you at Guerrilla Warfare. Thank you for your time, Isaiah!”
“Thank you, Jenna.”
Isaiah smiles and the two shake hands before the feed ends.
“Hello everyone and thanking you for joining us today. My name is Jenna DuLeon and I represent Fight Pro Magazine. My guest at this time is new to the sport but showed that he has what it takes with a win in his first match this past week, Isaiah Elliott.”
Isaiah smiles.
“Thank you for having me, Ms. DuLeon.”
“Oh, please call me Jenna.”
“Absolutely. My apologies.”
Jenna giggles softly.
“You’re such a gentleman. You certainly live up to your reputation. Speaking of, word on the street is that you’re developing quite the number of admirers from our female fan base in such a short time. How does that make you feel?”
Isaiah’s eyes flash surprise but he immediately suppresses the reaction and smiles, blushing slightly.
“Well, I’m flattered but I’m also very happily married.”
He reaches down and begins subconsciously spinning his wedding ring on his finger. Jenna detects the behavior but smiles at Isaiah, her dimples showing clearly on her cheeks.
“What a shame. I guess the rest of us just might have to be disappointed.”
Isaiah smiles but looks away quickly.
“This past week, you fought in your first match against a former champion in this sport, Crowbar. Leading up to the fight, you felt that Crowbar was strong and vicious but unrefined in his approach. How did that compare to what you experienced in the ring?”
“I thought my assessment was accurate. The fight began with a flurry of punches, a nod to the brawling style Crowbar uses. Once he was overconfident in his strikes, he sacrificed his technique for power and I was able to counter it into an armlock. After he was able to get to the ropes, he continued his assault of wild strikes and I was able to wrap up his arms and throw him over my head. I’ll admit though, his quick recovery from that throw was surprising but I was able to strike before he could at the end and picked up the victory.”
“A sound recap of the match, I must say. You looked like you’ve been here all along with that level of poise and composure. Even as Crowbar unleashed his assault, you seemed to be calculating the next move, the next moment you’d take the advantage. How long do you think it’ll be before we see gold around your waist?”
Isaiah laughs.
“It’s a bit early to be talking about that, isn’t it? I just got here.”
“That doesn’t have to mean anything. Dillon Shaw received a Union Battleground Championship title shot in his third match. Granted, he didn’t win due to suspicious circumstances but he was on the verge of becoming champion that quickly. You could follow in his footsteps and succeed where he failed.”
“I suppose, but he has history in this business. He has a reputation already. I’m still largely unknown. Why would they give me that opportunity so quickly?”
“Why not you? Imagine if you go on to have a very successful career, a legendary career, wouldn’t Union Battleground love to be the ones to put their stamp on it, that they gave you your start, your big break? When the name ‘Isaiah Elliott’ goes worldwide and everyone is pulling out their wallets to bring you in, wouldn’t Axel Graves want to be credited as the guy that started all of that?”
“I mean… I suppose so.”
“Just think about it for a minute.”
Isaiah thinks about it. After a few moments of contemplation, he looks back up.
“Listen, that’s a wonderful story but we’re just spitting hypotheticals here. I certainly wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to compete for the Trench War Championship or the Union Battleground Championship but those opportunities aren’t just handed out to people because they look good on paper or show promise. You have to earn those opportunities.”
“Like at Guerrilla Warfare?”
Isaiah smiles.
“Like at Guerrilla Warfare.”
“You’ll be going into an atmosphere where you’ll have to fight potentially nineteen other competitors at once. How do you plan to succeed in that environment?”
“You’re looking big picture. You have to think about it in smaller steps first. It’s highly unlikely that I’ll have to engage every other competitor in the match at one time. If I do, then I’m flattered they found me to be that much of a threat, but I certainly don’t expect it. Having studied this match-type, most times a fighter will engage one or two other fighters at a time. You have to focus primarily on that while keeping eyes all around so as to not be blindsided. You don’t want to be overly paranoid and lose focus on the fighter you’re engaging though. That’s important. It’s a delicate balance. Styles aren’t as important in a fight like this due to the anarchy element. Bodies will be flying everywhere, people will be attempting pinfall after pinfall, locking in submission holds, and going for the knockout blow constantly. To win, I don’t have to eliminate all nineteen other fighters. I just need to make sure I eliminate one right at the end.”
“What do you think of your competition?”
“It’s hard to say, really. I don’t know who the competition is going to be for certain. Hell, I don’t know if I’m even going to be permitted to compete in this huge match. Assuming I am though and considering the level of competition here at Union Battleground, it’s going to be one of the toughest fights I’ve ever been in. Dillon Shaw, whom you previously mentioned, could very well be in it. He’s a brilliant and methodical fighter and can take apart his competition piece by piece. You have Tweeder making his return. He could very well be in the fight. He’s a former Union Battleground Champion, having initially defeated the current champ. He’s proven he has what it takes to ascend to the top and is known for his wild fighting style. You don’t want to get caught on the wrong side of one of his whims or you’ll be waking up to the news that you were eliminated. Crowbar, my first opponent, could very well be in. You want to talk about a match that suits his fighting style, this is exactly it. The chaos and brawling will be on display in this one. When you need to hit hard and fast in small windows, you really hate to be in the match and see Crowbar making his way down to that ring. You have another man who’s inexperienced but proven to be a very capable fighter in Jove Belane. When he’s not wearing you down with kicks, he’s applying the pressure with submissions and high-impact moves. He’s very cerebral in his style, adapting to the competition and using whichever methods he deems appropriate to cut down the opposition. Honestly, when I talk about him, I sometimes feel like I’m talking about myself, but while we incorporate different styles, we look a bit different executing them. We might also see Emery Layton, Cassius Reed, Kimitsu Zombie, Becky Balfour, Trixie... The list goes on and on. You won’t find any weak links here.”
“So why do you think you have a chance?”
“Why not me?”
Jenna grins.
“Touché.”
“All I need is a chance. That’s all I ask for. If I look at a fight and I think, no matter how small, that I have a chance? I’m going to give it everything I have. I know what I’m capable of and I know how to take the fight piece by piece. Thinking about facing nineteen others can be intimidating to think about. But when you consider those nineteen also have to fight nineteen other competitors, the picture clears a bit. I’m not sure where I’ll enter but the important part is to take it one fight at a time and make sure you don’t get blindsided. If I get the chance to enter Guerrilla Warfare, I’m coming to fight and fight hard. Maybe I lose but more importantly… Maybe I win.”
“I look forward to seeing you at Guerrilla Warfare. Thank you for your time, Isaiah!”
“Thank you, Jenna.”
Isaiah smiles and the two shake hands before the feed ends.