The match was underway

"Where did this dumbass crawl out from? How dare he talk so big?"

"Oh, we're done for. Qin Dagang just went down, and now an even bigger idiot has jumped out."

"Damn, we've embarrassed ourselves beyond belief today."

"You big idiot, get down from there!"

The spectators had just been crushed by Qin Dagang's defeat. Almost none of them thought Zhang Hongxing stood a chance, and not one dared pin any hopes on him.

Especially after he shouted that he would challenge every UFC fighter with one hand.

No one could possibly believe such a boast.

Even Chu Yunxuan, who had just goaded Zhang Hongxing into entering the ring, felt the same way.

A few minutes earlier.

When Banjo Ichito knocked Qin Dagang down, Chu Yunxuan, who was sitting below the ring, suddenly turned to Zhang Hongxing and said:

"If this is the result you wanted, congratulations. You got it. But the price of achieving it was far too high. After doing this, can you honestly call yourself a man of the Xia Kingdom?"

"Don't bother trying to provoke me. You must have anticipated this result yourself, yet you still stayed with me every step of the way. Ask yourself whether you deserve to call yourself a man of the Xia Kingdom."

"Hahaha... anyone Lin Kui thinks so highly of certainly isn't ordinary."

Chu Yunxuan laughed to cover his embarrassment, then continued, "I'm just curious how you're going to resolve this now."

"Resolving this isn't exactly difficult, but calling it easy would also be..."

"You have a death wish!"

Just as Zhang Hongxing was answering Chu Yunxuan's question, the four Chinese characters for "Sick man of East Asia" suddenly appeared on the screen behind the ring. The instant they appeared, Chu Yunxuan clenched his fists and stood up.

But before he could explode, Zhang Hongxing had already jumped into the ring ahead of him.

"Mr. Banjo Ichito, if you dare accept my challenge right now, I won't just fight you with one hand. I'll even let you tie my legs together."

"Bastard!"

Banjo Ichito was utterly enraged. He had never seen anyone so arrogant. This was nothing short of an insult, and all he wanted now was to tear Zhang Hongxing apart.

"I accept your challenge!"

Banjo Ichito roared. Only knocking down the opponent before him could quell his fury.

"Mr. Banjo, please calm down. You mustn't fall for this Xia Kingdom man's trap."

His agent stepped forward and held Banjo Ichito back. They had already won the match; there was no need to accept another challenge like this. They had no reason to take the risk, even if that risk was practically nonexistent.

But there was an old saying in the Xia Kingdom: it wasn't the odds you feared, but the one chance things could go wrong.

The people of Cherry Blossom Country, who had studied and imitated the Xia Kingdom's culture since ancient times, naturally understood that principle.

Unfortunately, Banjo Ichito did not see it that way.

"No. I won't let him insult me like this."

"Mr. Banjo, a few empty boasts mean nothing. As long as you refuse to fight, this Xia Kingdom man will end up as nothing but a laughingstock."

It had to be said that this agent from Cherry Blossom Country was quite levelheaded. If things really unfolded as he predicted, Zhang Hongxing would very likely end up a laughingstock.

But Banjo Ichito had no intention of following his agent's advice.

Neither Zhang Hongxing's stance nor the muscles in his arms and legs showed any sign of martial arts training. Someone like him was very likely just stepping into the ring to gain fame.

Perhaps he had even counted on Banjo Ichito refusing the challenge.

Otherwise, who would be stupid enough to challenge every UFC fighter with one hand?

Besides, this man had publicly promised a reward of fifty million.

Fifty million was no small sum. Even as a three-time UFC lightweight champion, Banjo Ichito would need quite some time to earn that much.

So he had no reason to refuse.

"Ladies and gentlemen, don't go away. The most unexpected incident in UFC history has just unfolded here today. Mr. Zhang Hongxing from the Xia Kingdom has flown into a rage over Qin Dagang's defeat.

"Like a madman, he has boldly declared that he will challenge every UFC fighter with one hand, promising a reward of fifty million Xia Kingdom dollars. You heard that correctly. I said fifty million Xia Kingdom dollars.

"I suppose this Xia Kingdom man must have more money than he knows what to do with.

"Now, our Banjo Ichito has accepted Zhang Hongxing's challenge. Their fight will begin in half an hour, and it will be a fight with no rules.

"Please note: this will be a fight with no rules.

"Let me repeat: this will be a fight with no rules.

"The fight will begin the moment the bell rings and will only end when one side surrenders or is knocked out by his opponent.

"Even more unbelievably, Mr. Zhang Hongxing from the Xia Kingdom will have both his feet and his left hand tied up for this match. Is there any way he can win a fight like that?

"Perhaps he thinks God will help him."

Hosts on livestreaming platforms, online streamers, spectators at the venue, and viewers watching elsewhere—almost everyone thought Zhang Hongxing had gone mad.

He had gone mad trying to generate publicity for himself.

The half-hour wait before the match began drove interest in it up another two notches. He was indisputably the top trending topic on every news platform in the Xia Kingdom.

Many foreign platforms also turned their attention to the event.

If attention was what Zhang Hongxing wanted, he had already succeeded.

But success like this would bring him no benefit. It would even generate endless negative coverage, which was precisely what everyone found so baffling.

The only explanation that made sense was that Zhang Hongxing really had gone mad with rage.

The half hour finally passed.

For most of the spectators following the match, at least, that half hour had truly been agonizing.

Before the official start, Zhang Hongxing readily allowed himself to be searched. Almost every inch of his body was checked, and even the inside of his mouth was not spared.

Then came the binding of his hand and feet. The rope was finger-thick nylon cord fetched from backstage, and Banshang Ichiro's agent was the one responsible for tying him up.

Zhang Hongxing had proposed this himself. Only this way could everyone feel more reassured.

He had caused this commotion, so naturally, he had to resolve it.

Clang.

The bell officially rang. The previously noisy venue suddenly fell completely silent. The vast arena, packed with a hundred thousand people, became so quiet that a pin could have dropped. The atmosphere was intensely oppressive.

Even Banjo Ichito, standing in the ring, found his composure shaken by it.

This was the power of a crowd.

Whether Zhang Hongxing was seeking attention or had truly gone mad, the vast majority of the spectators present wanted him to win deep down.

As that desire spread from person to person, it created this eerie atmosphere.

"Hah!"

Banjo Ichito let out a shout. He had to break this atmosphere. He had to defeat the opponent before him.

No, he had to knock this opponent down quickly.

Only then could he settle his nerves.

At that moment, he even forgot that Zhang Hongxing could move only one hand.

His first probing move was still a sweeping kick, exactly like the one he had used against Qin Dagang in the previous match. With his hand and feet tied, Zhang Hongxing seemed unlikely to dodge it easily.

At least, that was what both the spectators at the venue and the viewers watching the livestream believed.

Quite a few people even closed their eyes.

They did not dare, nor did they want, to watch Zhang Hongxing fall.