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Chapter 392 - 359 Hell Difficulty, Special Competition Format

Chapter 392: Chapter 359 Hell Difficulty, Special Competition Format

The American Team spent much more time on stage than the other teams, but this was hardly to be criticized, After all, they were the host nation, and indeed, they shined brightly with all the big names.

After the American Team came down from the stage to the competitors’ area, another famous American singer took the stage to perform.

Then came the last segment of the evening, the group draw!

Everyone perked up, looking at the stage either nervously or with anticipation.

The 32 teams were divided into eight groups, and each group had only one qualification spot. Being grouped with the American Team basically meant having no hope of advancing. Even without facing the American Team, if you were placed with several strong teams in the same group, the battle for survival in the group stage could be fierce, and teams might be too battered to continue even if they managed to advance.

After all, this was a combat sport; injuries were common, which is why there was no need to allocate twenty slots per team.

So, the drawing of lots was set to directly influence the fate of many teams, making it no wonder that everyone was tense.

A few staff members carried a table onto the stage with a transparent box on top, filled with dozens of white balls.

"Let’s proceed to the lottery," Dana White said with a smile from beside the table, holding a microphone.

The drawing order was based on the time of registration; the big screen displayed the timetable for the national teams’ registration. The American Team, of course, was first and, therefore, the first to draw.

Team Captain Jon approached the lottery box, reached inside to grab a ball at random, and without even looking, handed it to a staff member next to him before turning and descending from the stage.

Arrogant and overbearing, this was the Demon King Jon!

Dana White’s expression remained unchanged; he was used to Jon’s style. He gestured for the staff to pass him the ball, then gently twisted it open, taking out the slip of paper inside and unfolding it in front of the camera.

"E3."

This was the group number for the American Team, Group E, third spot, in the lower half of the bracket.

After Jon, the captain of the Italy Team ascended the stage. Unlike Jon, he didn’t just walk away without checking the number; he personally twisted the drawn ball open, glanced at the slip, and a visibly more relaxed expression spread across his face.

"Italy, A4."

Not grouped with the American Team.

As the team captains continued to take the stage in order, it wasn’t long before the Brazil Team’s turn to draw came up.

The Brazil Team was considered the second-strongest team in the Combat World Cup, with the majority of their twenty members being UFC fighters, and their captain, Silvar, a UFC legend. Thus, the Brazil Team was also a hot favorite to win the championship.

"Brazil, A1."

That was the group placement for the Brazil Team. As soon as this number was displayed, the area previously allocated to the Italy Team, which had drawn into Group A, immediately erupted in groans.

With only moderate strength, the Italy Team found itself likely without hope of advancing, grouped with the Brazil Team.

Similar fates continued to unfold, with the teams subsequently drawn into Groups A and E feeling largely the same.

"Russia, B2."

Another strong team’s number was determined. The Russian Team also boasted many masters, the lightweight champion Habu being the team captain. In addition, a significant portion of UFC’s heavyweight and light heavyweight fighters were Russian!

This nation, famed for its capability to fight bears with bare hands, had a clear advantage in the heavyweight category. In the Combat World Cup championship rankings issued by several authoritative American media outlets, the Russian Team was placed third!

Before long, the Thailand Team went up to draw lots, drawing considerable attention from all sides.

The Thailand Team was unique. Currently, there were no Thai fighters in the UFC, but that didn’t lead other teams to underestimate Thailand. The country was profoundly steeped in martial arts culture, with Muay Thai enjoying a reputation on par with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Thailand was home to the famous Lumpini and Rajadamnern stadiums, revered as sacred grounds by Thai boxers and dream factories for tens of thousands of Thai youths aspiring to fame through boxing. This "tactical system" and "tournament progression" have evolved over five hundred years, shaping the current Muay Thai culture.

Perhaps limited by the country’s economic strength, Thai boxing matches haven’t reached the global dissemination and scale of UFC, attracting top fighters worldwide. At least, Muay Thai culture has remained largely untouched by foreign influences.

In contrast, Hua Country and Japan’s Free Fighting events have suffered from the impact of Mixed Martial Arts, leading to declining popularity and waning interest, necessitating a shift. However, in Thailand, the absolute stand-up fighting of Muay Thai remains central, with a domestic championship bringing more honor to a Muay Thai Boxer than winning a title in the UFC! Hence, there have been no Thai fighters in the UFC, as top Muay Thai boxers prefer to compete nationally.

This Combat World Cup, Thailand’s top-tier Muay Thai competitions, RJ and LP, both dispatched their best fighters to compete, intent on proving to the world that Muay Thai is the strongest martial art!

Whether Muay Thai, with its focus on stand-up combat, could achieve results in Mixed Martial Arts competitions was a major highlight of this World Cup.

"Thailand, C2."

That was the number for the Thailand Team, also placed in the upper half of the bracket.

According to the championship rankings by various authoritative American media, the Thailand Team was ranked sixth. Thus, the upper bracket now contained the second, third, and sixth strongest teams!

In that moment, many were praying not to be placed in the upper bracket, hoping instead for a spot in the lower bracket and to avoid the American Team...

"The Hua Country Team, please come up for the draw."

At last, it was Hua Country’s turn. Wu took a deep breath and strode onto the stage.

Zhang Weili, Gao Jianping, Xu Chuan, and the others watched Wu nervously from their seats, silently praying. They might not have harbored dreams of winning the championship, but they hoped the Hua Country Team could go further.

"Hua Country, C1."

Dana White read out the slip of paper displayed by Wu Li.

"Phew!"

Zhang Weili and others let out a heavy sigh, but their expressions still weren’t relaxed.

Being assigned to Group C, although they had avoided the American Team, they were in the same group as the Thailand Team, which could hardly be considered a good outcome.

"It’s okay, we haven’t encountered the United States or Brazil."

After stepping down from the stage, Zhang Weili joked.

Wu Li just smiled and didn’t say much, fighting Thailand wasn’t bad either; they could treat it as a training exercise.

...

The draw continued, and soon it was Japan Team’s turn to go on stage.

Kamino Kei put his hand into the box and stirred at the bottom for a while before taking out a ball.

"Japan, C4."

Dana White read out the number for the Japan Team, and the hall erupted.

Japan ranked fifth in the championship standings, even above Thailand!

Previously, Japan’s K-1 was known as the event with the highest level of Free Fighting in the world, and although its popularity has fallen a lot, its foundation was still there, placing them fifth, just behind the ’Combat Kingdom’ the Netherlands.

And Hua Country ranked eighth; although this ranking might not be accurate, the fact that Japan, Thailand, and Hua Country were among the top ten in this World Cup was beyond doubt.

Now, fifth, sixth, and eighth were all placed in the same group!

On the stage, Kamino Kei looked at Wu Li below with a meaningful gaze and a slightly upturned corner of his mouth, as if he was very satisfied with the grouping results, then turned and stepped down.

With this outcome, the audience could not help but start discussing, and many members of other teams in the players’ zone looked over at the Hua Country Team with either schadenfreude or sympathetic gazes: with not weak abilities, yet assigned to such a group, the hope to advance was slim, too unlucky!

Wu Li’s face showed no expression, Li San frowned slightly, Guo Dongyang swore softly, and the expressions on Zhang Weili and others’ faces were also quite grim. Xu Chuan and Wang Ruojun, the younger generation, turned pale, suddenly feeling an enormous pressure.

"Fuck, what kind of luck is this?"

"To be in the same group just with Thailand or Japan would have been enough, but facing both at the same time is just too unfortunate!"

"I don’t think this is fair; the competition should have selected seeded players beforehand to ensure they don’t clash; this random draw is just too unfair!"

"Exactly, our Hua Country Team has two UFC champions; we should enjoy the treatment of a seeded team."

"After all, as it’s the first edition, determining seeded teams is actually unfair to the other teams as well."

...

At the same time, Hua Country’s netizens watching the drawing ceremony were also complaining non-stop.

Many had already pointed out the various strong teams of the Combat World Cup, so most netizens were aware of what it meant to be in the same group as the Japan and Thailand Teams.

Madison Square Garden, the drawing ceremony continued.

The much-anticipated Group C’s final slot was confirmed: Nigeria Team.

This team had average strength and had not made it into the championship rankings (which only listed the top eight).

When Nigeria Team members saw this result, they were first stunned, then relaxed, feeling a lack of pressure. Since the chances of advancing were not great, being placed in such a group meant they wouldn’t be blamed even if they lost.

The drawing went on for about an hour, and the list for all eight groups was finally completed and displayed on the big screen.

Among the top half of the tournament’s strong teams were Brazil, Russia, Japan, Thailand, and Hua Country.

The bottom half of the tournament’s strong teams included the United States, Netherlands, and Canada, which looked much easier than the top half.

Looking at these group allocations, for the Hua Country Team to make it to the final from the top half of the tournament, the difficulty was definitely hellish!

After the draw ended, Dana White, smiling, looked at the crowd below and, with a microphone in hand, said, "The first Combat World Cup group matches will start on October 20, 2021, and end on October 26, with a two-day interval between each match."

"I’ll now announce a special rule. During the group stage, each team has one opportunity to request a special match format. Once requested, the opposition cannot refuse."

"Special Match Format: Each player who takes the field can choose to stay on after defeating an opponent and continue to challenge the next player, but the total challenge time is only ten minutes. If defeated or when the challenge time expires, the player is eliminated."

"Once the special match format is initiated, it will end only when all seven players from one team are eliminated according to the match order, with the winning side scoring 7 points directly, and the losing side scoring none!"

(Thanks to Yuyou Xingchen for the generous donation)