Touching fists both men went to their corner after the normal rules and the special rules were explained. Standing in his corner, Jake listened to his handlers as the mouthpiece was inserted and went flush against his teeth.

The bell sounded, faint against the cheers and jeers of the crowd. Jake shuffled forward, his feet lifting and dropping with the quickness of a practiced fighter. Hands up, elbows tucked in close to his ribs, he wasn’t a fool. 

Once in the center of the ring, his stance was an orthodox one. His feet comfortably apart, the left foot forward. His weight distributed on the balls of his feet. This allowed him to feel "on balance" and able to move easily forward or back, left or right. Knees slightly bent because the explosive power of punches or kicks would come from this.  His front foot, hip, and shoulders in line, maximizing his reach and minimizing the target area while defending his body.

His gloved left hand, balled into a fist in line with top of his shoulders, elbow slightly extended but still in position to protect his body. His right hand fist close to his chin, elbow close to his ribs, perpendicular to the floor, his neck and shoulders relaxed and ready to react.

He tossed a left jab forward with a powerful snap to test his range against the bony fighter. The speed was dazzling, impressive and deadly. But Jake was sure that Tre'yan would not be caught by such a basic move. As the extended hand retracted he shuffled to his right, a quick move to test Tre’yan’s mobility.  These first few moments would be to test one another, to feel each other out to determine the best avenue and chance for success against one another.