Martial Arts Livestreaming
Chapter 423 - 389: The First Appearance of 2VS2

Chapter 423: Chapter 389: The First Appearance of 2VS2

Dana White had just about finished explaining the elimination round rules of the competition. The specific details would be announced on the official website. By then, the internet was already abuzz with discussions:

"This Combat World Cup really has a variety of forms."

"The tournament format really tests strategy."

"I always feel that neither the special format of the group games nor the new format of the knockout rounds particularly favors the American Team. In contrast, with a normal format where each match compares overall strength, the American Team would be able to exhibit its maximum advantage."

"I feel the same way. I wonder what Dana White is thinking."

"Perhaps this format was set by all the countries together, just to limit the American Team somewhat?"

"I find that unlikely. The competition was initiated by Dana White and is hosted by UFC; the other countries’ teams were just invited, so it’s unlikely they had a say in the format."

"Maybe the American Team is just cocky, thinking they can win no matter the format, so Dana White decided to spice things up with new twists."

...

As many netizens speculated why Dana White would introduce so many new twists, Dana walked out of the broadcast studio with a gloomy expression.

He had just stepped out when his phone rang—a call from a high-ranking UFC official.

"Towns." Dana answered the call.

"Dana, why didn’t you consult us about the new rules for the knockout rounds?"

"Towns, it’s just a minor change; do we really need to convene a board meeting for that?"

"No, no, Dana, we discussed the special format you set up for the group stage, and that wasn’t a format favorable to us. We had already agreed that the knockout rounds should follow the normal format, without any changes, and now you suddenly introduce a new format."

"Towns, I introduced a new format to add a fresh element for the audience, to boost viewer ratings. Plus, with the strength of the American Team, we can win under any format."

"But, Dana, you should have at least discussed it with us in advance..."

"Alright, Towns. I’m a bit busy right now, how about we meet and talk tomorrow?"

"... okay, you go ahead."

After hanging up, Dana’s expression turned grim as he hurried back to his office.

He adjusted his tie and soon another call came in.

"I saw the broadcast just now; it was good," came the voice on the other end.

Dana, with a somber face, replied, "Because of this, many on the board are very unhappy with me. I don’t understand why you insist on changing the format like this?"

"Such a format allows the stronger competitors more opportunities to perform."

"... I can’t understand you."

"You don’t need to understand me. Rest assured, I’ll take care of what I promised you."

"Alright."

After hanging up, Dana went deep into thought.

Changing the format wasn’t his idea but a request from the mysterious person he was collaborating with. In exchange for helping him host the second Combat World Cup, he had agreed to modify the format.

This Combat World Cup was running so smoothly because as soon as Dana’s side released the information, many well-known combat sports events around the world quickly responded, which was helped by that mysterious person pulling strings behind the scenes. This showed Dana the person’s influence in the Martial Arts World globally, which is why he was willing to continue the partnership.

As for the mysterious person’s reasoning that the change was to give stronger competitors more room to perform, Dana couldn’t comprehend this mindset or figure out what the person really wanted.

...

At the Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall in New York, Wu was arranging the lineup for the next match, with others listening in.

Wang Kehan sat among the crowd with an awkward expression, without a doubt, she wouldn’t be on the next match list.

Initially, her decision to openly quarrel with Wu was largely because she thought the Hua Country Team had no chance to advance, and since she wouldn’t be fighting much herself, there wasn’t much at stake. But now that Hua Country Team had advanced and discussions about Wu online had temporarily subsided, Kehan was suddenly stuck in an uncomfortable position.

If she had known Hua Country Team could advance, she definitely wouldn’t have wanted to fall out with Wu, as anyone could see that the later the stage in the competition, the higher the attention it garnered.

Now that Hua Country Team had advanced and Kehan couldn’t participate in the matches, whether it was training or team discussions, everyone chose to ignore her, making her experience in the team excruciating. Leaving voluntarily was hard to explain to the public; staying, however, felt like being a ghost in the team, something she found hard to endure.

"Next, we’ll hand it over to Coach Li to make the arrangements."

After announcing the lineup, Wu stepped down, letting Li Tongyun take over.

Li Tongyun stood up, faced everyone, and spoke clearly and concisely, "The key to the next match is the two 2v2s, so I will arrange some cooperative training for you. The following is the training plan..."

After announcing the training schedule, members of the Hua Country Team dispersed and began their individual training.

"How do you feel, any chance?" Wu approached Li Tongyun.

Li Tongyun remained calm, "I’ll do my best."

Wu smiled, "Then you better get it together, after all, you are the main character in the next match."

...

On November 1st, at 7 PM, the elimination matches of the Combat World Cup will be held at Madison Square Garden.

Tonight’s match sequence is Brazil Team vs British Team, Canada Team vs Germany Team, American Team vs Netherlands Team, and Hua Country Team vs Russia Team.

Although the American Team is the host, in terms of the excitement level of the matches, the official prediction is that the match between Hua Country Team and Russia Team would be the most intense, so it has been scheduled last.

At 7:15 PM, the members of Brazil Team and British Team successively entered the arena.

At 7:30 PM, the captains of both teams stood on the platform, each holding a microphone.

According to the new rules of the match, the order of the matches will now be decided alternately by both sides.

Brazil Team, with a group stage score of 16 points, and British Team with only 12 points, meant Brazil Team had the priority to choose first.

"For the first match, we choose welterweight."

Brazil Team’s captain, Legendary Spider Silva, announced through the microphone.

Soon after, the big screen displayed a subtitle: First match, welterweight competition.

Then it was the British Team captain’s turn to choose. After pondering, he spoke into the microphone, "For the second match, 2VS2, we choose featherweight and strawweight."

The subtitles on the big screen continued, showing on the second line: Second match, featherweight and strawweight competition.

According to the competition rules, during the elimination stage, no male competitors can combat female competitors, so if competing in a 2VS2 round with female participants, both must be women.

Next, it was Brazil Team’s turn to select for the third match of 2VS2; Silva chose middleweight and heavyweight.

The remaining two individual matches continued with Britain Team and Brazil Team taking turns to choose.

With this, the sequence of tonight’s matches for the two teams was settled, though the specific participants were yet to be decided.

At this point, the spectators watching the match and the members of the other teams also thoroughly understood the new rules of the elimination matches through this mode.

The match quickly started, Brazil Team won the first match, securing one point. Next was the second match, 2VS2, the first 2VS2 match of this World Cup. Everyone was excited, eager to see what 2VS2 would be like.

The rules for the 2VS2 match differed from individual matches; any contestant falling off the platform was eliminated. However, the platform for the 2VS2 match was larger than for the individual matches, going from 100 square meters to 200 square meters, forming a nearly 15-meter square platform. For this, two platforms were specifically prepared at Madison Square Garden tonight.

Soon, four female competitors stood on the platform, paired off with two referees also present on the stage.

As the referee signaled with a wave of his hand, the match began, and teams from both sides charged forward simultaneously!

Both teams immediately found their opponents and stood together.

After exchanging a few blows, a British player suddenly abandoned her current opponent and rushed towards the other opposing side who was entangling with her teammate.

The Brazilian player was visibly taken aback and hurried forward, but she was slightly late. The two British female fighters coordinated flawlessly— one grappling with the opponent while the other punched the opponent hard in the temples twice.

The audience exclaimed in surprise, witnessing a scene they had never seen before, feeling both novelty and excitement.

Eventually, the other Brazilian fighter caught up, pushing back one British fighter, but her teammate, dazzled by the blows to her temples, was thrown to the ground by the opponent and entered into ground combat.

On the other side, the British female fighter quickly engaged the remaining Brazilian fighter, attempting to shift the battlefield.

Clearly, the British team had come prepared. After entering into ground combat, the British fighter quickly gained the upper hand, taking advantage of her opponent’s poor state to subdue her.

The referee immediately signaled the Brazilian fighter’s elimination, and the British fighter quickly got up and rushed to the other side of the fray.

The audience immediately shouted out, experiencing a two against one scenario on the Combat Championship stage for the first time, and everyone was thrilled!

The lone Brazilian fighter was visibly outmatched in a two-on-one scenario. Despite her reluctance to give up, she was easily taken down by the two British fighters and smoothly subdued.

With this, the British Team won the second match, gaining two points and overtaking the Brazilian Team.

"Wow, this 2VS2 match looks more vicious than the individual ones."

"That’s right, one misstep and you’re facing two-on-one, or getting ambushed. This is all about coordination and tactics."

"Not necessarily, I think someone fierce like Wu could possibly win even against two."

"True, but Brazil Team, Russia Team, and even the American Team have such fierce competitors, it will be interesting to see how they strategize."

...

The first 2VS2 match concluded, and the audience intensely discussed it. Normally, matches with female fighters were considered less exciting than those with male fighters, but after these four female fighters finished, the audience was left wanting more, wishing to watch them compete again.

The debut of the 2VS2 match sparked interest among all the spectators.