You ever hear the saying, “Man’s best friend”?

That’s what I thought I was.

To you.

A companion. A partner. A brother.

I followed you through every fire, Doom. Never questioned. Never barked when I was told to stay quiet. I didn’t bite when you took the spotlight. I sat by your side. Faithful. Loyal.

A good dog.

But the truth is, that loyalty? It was never mutual.

You didn’t see me as a friend. Not really.

You saw me as a mutt.

Some pathetic stray who wandered into your life and never left. Something to keep around when it suited you, and get rid of when it didn’t.

And one day… you decided you were done.

You took me out into the yard like some worn-out old hound, and you put a gun to my head.

Not because I turned on you.

Not because I betrayed you.

But because I didn’t matter.

Because to you, I was just noise. Just a pair of eyes following you too long. Just something to be put down.

You treated me like a dog, Doom.

But you forgot one thing.

Dogs?

They fight back.

You thought the bullet would end me. You thought you’d bury me in the dirt and walk away with no scars. But I didn’t die, Doom. I got up. I clawed my way back. I survived.

And not just survived…

I thrived.

I won the world title.

This collar you tried to hang around my neck?

I turned it into a crown.

You thought I’d roll over. You thought I’d heel. But I stood tall.

And now you want to come back. You want to circle me again. You want to take what I’ve earned. But I’ve got news for you, old friend…

I’ve got a bone now.

And I’m not letting it go.

You see, when a dog finds something he loves—something he’s fought for, bled for, crawled through fire for—he doesn’t let go. He guards it. He growls. He bites.

And Doom?

You’ve backed me into a corner.

You’ve put me in the dirt once before, and I’m still here.

Still breathing.

Still fighting.

That makes me dangerous.

That makes me hungry.

Because you didn’t just try to end my career—you tried to erase me.

But I’m not going anywhere.

I’m not lying down.

I’m not going quiet into the night.

I’m the dog you failed to kill.

And now?

Now I’ve got my teeth in your leg.

I’ve got something to protect. Something that matters more than you ever understood.

This title?

It’s not just gold.

It’s proof.

Proof that I wasn’t just the mutt at your feet.

Proof that I belonged. That I deserved better than what you gave me.

So come and take your shot.

Try and pry it from my jaws.

Because I promise you…

At Ascension, when the leash is off and the bell rings—

You’ll see what happens when a dog with a bone gets cornered.

And men like you?

They get bit.