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Chapter 349 - 319: A Shocking Bet

Chapter 349: Chapter 319: A Shocking Bet

On March 6th, the UFC official website announced the latest rankings.

Hua Country’s fighter Wu Li ranked number one in the lightweight division, the highest ranking ever achieved by a Hua Country male fighter.

On March 10th, the UFC official website announced the fight card for UFC 259.

Among them, the main event of this edition was the number one lightweight, Wu Li, VS the lightweight champion, Habu.

A championship contest! And it was a clash between the highly popular Wu Li and the undefeated "Eagle of the Earth," the reign of the lightweight king, provoking waves of excitement.

When Wu Li had beaten Floreson and secured his shot at the championship, everyone knew this fight would inevitably come. Before this, UFC’s official site and all major media had been hyping up this battle, and now, at last, it was officially announced.

...

United States, Washington.

Inside a private villa, a dinner party was underway.

Ladies in evening gowns held glasses of red wine and, perched on high heels, mingled elegantly through the crowd, sharing laughs and conversation.

Politicians, businessmen, and military officers—members of high society from all walks were present at this gathering.

Based on their circles and the level of their status, individuals naturally grouped into various small circles to chat, and most of them occasionally glanced over at one particular group. It was where the host of tonight’s dinner and the most esteemed guests were in conversation.

There were six of them in total, the eldest around fifty-plus in age, and the youngest also around thirty.

"Geoffrey, I heard you were planning to make trouble for a Hua Country person before."

One of the men, in his forties with thinning hair, smiled at another man in the crowd with a hooked nose and a somewhat imposing air.

The man named Geoffrey was taken aback by the comment and then dismissed it with disdain, "Without you mentioning it, I would have almost forgotten that man."

"Oh, who?"

"A Hua Country person?"

"The one who became famous in the 922 incident, the Kung Fu Hero."

"Oh, that’s him. Why did Geoffrey want to deal with him?"

"After that incident, there was a bunch of people online criticizing our military and police as useless, saying they were no match for a Hua Country person."

"Huh, a group of idiots. But no wonder, Geoffrey, you got mad."

"So what happened after that? That Hua Country person seems to be doing just fine."

As everyone was discussing the topic, their gaze eventually turned to Jeffrey, tonight’s host.

Jeffrey sneered, "Dana White regards that kid as a cash cow. I gave him some face."

"Oh, Dana White, he indeed knows how to get things done."

"The UFC’s market value has been quite high these past few years."

"The boxing market hasn’t seen a superstar in a long time, but Mixed Martial Arts is developing quite well. I think the threat to boxing will only grow."

"White and his people aren’t stupid; they’ve set up quite a few matches with UFC stars lately."

"With all these fighting matches increasing, Jon, you must be the happiest. I heard you made quite a bit with the betting on the side recently."

"Ha-ha, just a little money."

...

The conversation quickly shifted, but after a few exchanges, Jon, the man who first inquired of Geoffrey, suddenly mentioned, "Geoffrey, I heard that recently someone is looking to make trouble for that Hua Country person."

Geoffrey’s expression remained unchanged, showing little interest, "Oh?"

Jon said, "It’s a group of Japanese and they’ve organized a contest with the American Hongmen. I hear James and his group are involved and intend to facilitate it."

"Hmm, I’ve also caught wind of something like that."

"Hongmen has been expanding in the United States too quickly," James mused. "They’re wary and want the Japanese to step in and shake up the situation."

"Heh, James and his crew, they usually take quite a bit of money from these gangs," murmured Geoffrey. "They must be short on cash."

Geoffrey suddenly interjected, "What does this have to do with that man from Hua Country?"

Jon replied, a smile in his eyes, "The American Hongmen selected that Hua Country man to fight on their behalf."

"Oh, that guy does have some skills."

"What are the stakes?"

"A total of six hundred million US dollars in bets, plus some side deals."

"Jon, are you thinking of getting involved?" Geoffrey asked, looking at Jon.

Jon laughed, "No wonder everyone says you have an eye for people, Geoffrey. Indeed, nothing gets past you."

Geoffrey took a sip of his drink, "Whom do you favor more?"

Jon replied, "Initially, I favored the man from Hua Country, but he seems to be a bit too arrogant."

"Oh?"

"It’s supposed to be just a competition, but due to some reasons, someone challenged the Hua Country man," Jon explained. "He accepted and asked to have both fights on the same day—he wants to fight back-to-back matches—one with swords and the other with fists and feet."

"Ah, what a proud young man."

"Sounds quite interesting."

"I’m suddenly tempted to go watch it in person."

"Haha, then you can ask Jon to arrange it for you."

Geoffrey looked at Jon, "Do you think the Hua Country lad will lose?"

Jon spread his hands, "Honestly, I can’t say for sure. Even though both his opponents are strong, he still has some real talent."

Geoffrey frowned slightly, and Jon quickly laughed, "Aside from these matches, he’ll soon be fighting for the UFC Lightweight Championship. What do you think, could he possibly win all three matches?"

Geoffrey, intrigued, "Oh?"

Jon looked around, "I was thinking, if we arranged it so that all three fights took place on the same day, wouldn’t that be interesting?"

"The other side would agree?"

"Increase the stakes," Jon suggested. "With enough incentive, any gamble is possible."

"Jon, that’s your real agenda today, isn’t it?"

"Haha, just a spur-of-the-moment idea."

"You’re betting on the Hua Country man to win all three?"

Jon looked at the others, "What do you think, gentlemen? Any interest in getting in on this?"

After some thought, Geoffrey understood that Jon’s family was in the business of off-book betting—soccer, basketball, esports, fighting competitions...they had a stake in the fringe market of all competitive sports.

In recent years, Jon’s family had slowly started branching out into UFC betting. The upcoming championship fight between Wu Li and Habu would definitely have high stakes, but it seemed Jon wasn’t satisfied and wanted to take the opportunity to expand the betting pool into a grand gamble!

Geoffrey drained his glass in one gulp, Wu Li’s image flashing through his mind. Initially, he had just wanted to make a statement, assuming Wu to be a minor player who could be easily suppressed. To his surprise, Dana White had taken Wu so seriously. In the end, he gave White face and chose not to let his pride get in the way of money.

Still, the desire for revenge festered inside him, and Jon had seen that, using Wu’s situation to entice him into the bet.

With this in mind, Geoffrey smiled, "Then I’ll put in a little."

Hearing Geoffrey’s response, the others in the room exchanged glances and spoke up, "In that case, we’ll put in a bit too, for the fun of it."

Jon’s face lit up with a grin. With the involvement of those present, he was confident that he could turn this bet into a spectacular gamble!

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