The Most Dangerous Fighter in the World

Kassim Ouma steps behind a shoulder-height towel bin to piss in a cup for the Nevada Athletic Commission. The other fighters on tonight's card cool in utility tents behind the outdoor bleachers at Caesars Palace, but Kassim, lithe and lit with excitement, greets a procession of those who have pushed, pulled, or clung to him for this moment.

He squares off with one of his mentors, Lou Duva, the eighty-two-year-old legend known for managing the careers of Evander Holyfield and Pernell Whitaker. Duva, built like a floret of cauliflower, dips his shoulders, floats a jab to the body, and pulls his fists close to his face. "That serves as your offense and defense," Duva says. Kassim obliges and follows his movements.

Folded on a table with towels, tape, and empty water bottles rests an Arizona Cardinals jersey with Pat Tillman's number 40; Tillman, the former Cardinal safety who joined the Army, was killed in a firefight in Afghanistan last spring. Kassim will wear the jersey into the ring tonight, before the thousands gathered at the Roman Plaza Amphitheatre on the Strip, as a statement of warriors' honor. Two soldiers, both professional athletes. Something like that. It's a ... // 94% Remaining