THE KNOCKOUT
The interface chose a man who’s never thrown a punch — and built him for the cage.
Mike “Crybaby” Hagen never won a fight. Then the interface adapted to him.
Same world as Level Up, same mysterious augmented-reality interface — but a very different man. Mike Hagen is small, broke and terrified of pain. His only fights happen in video games, where he mains an MMA brawler. So when the interface arrives, it tailors itself to the one dream he never dared say out loud.
Stat by stat, bruise by bruise, Mike grinds his body and his courage — until a beating gone wrong lands him in prison, where an underground fight club doesn’t care what level you are. This spin-off duology runs parallel to Re-Start and Hero, and stands fully on its own.
Co-written with Max Lagno. Darker, grittier, and complete — both books are out.
Step into the cage.
The duology is finished — no waiting between rounds.
Readers on The Knockout
“This is a really good follow-up for the Re-Start series.”
“This and the other parts of this series are a great push to get me off my butt and do more with what I have.”
“A good side quest to the original series.”
From Audible reviews (★4.6, July 2026).
Quick answers
- Is the series finished?
- Yes — a complete two-book story.
- Is there an audiobook?
- Yes, narrated by Ramon De Ocampo, who also narrates Level Up.
- Do I need to read Level Up first?
- No — it runs parallel to the Level Up trilogy and reads on its own.
- Who is it co-written with?
- Max Lagno.