Tired and sweaty, I lift my right leg up to go to escape the vicious half guard. As I drag my leg up, his hip quickly escapes straight to full guard leaving me in a dazed and tired spot. Struggling to breathe, I slow my pace to catch my breath. 

I lay my head next to my opponent’s chest and hear his heartbeat as I rest to regain consciousness. Sweat trickling down my face, I lift my head up to be caught in the infamous triangle. The aroma of fabric comes upon me as I frantically try to escape. I stand up to escape the bounds of the triangle, but my left leg is hooked by his arm in an attempt to drag me to the floor. 

And it works.

I fall backwards as he sweeps me leaving him in the full mount triangle. I look up at the lights, losing consciousness and eyesight. I manage to move my arm to the other side giving me a small pocket of air. My eye is exempt from the blurriness and I regain consciousness.

As he sits on top of me with the locked triangle, I hip bump my opponent just for him to lock up the triangle even tighter. Very small hints of air go through as all I can breathe through is the fabric of his shorts. With the last of my ability, I hip bump him. He loses his balance and falls to his back with the submission still locked in tight. I feel my throat tightening as I continue to regain posture.

Now we’re back to the original guard triangle. Tired and in shock, I try to remain calm. I moved my arm back over to the other side so I can regain my stamina. One crack goes and another one goes: the sound of my jaw tightening is occurring. About to tap, my opponent relieves some of the pressure while still maintaining the submission. 

In my last attempt, I get to one knee, then two, then both legs. The right hook is coming, but I quickly evade it by bringing my left leg back. The submission is loosening, now is my chance. I slip my head to the left which releases my head. However, my arm is still stuck. 

His last attempt at submitting me, he grabs my arm but forgets to position his legs. Quickly, I pass his guard to side control where I stay for a good thirty seconds. 

Both exhausted, we waited for a submission attempt. Fearing his buggy choke, I make my move and go straight for the armbar, my head still dazed from the extremely tight choke. I manage to get his arm across, however he turns into me and falls for my trap. I get him in a triangle. 

My opponent reaches for my head to try and distance himself. I keep it tight knowing this is my last attempt at submitting him. I see his left eye wince in pain, as I tighten my grip. His arm trying to push through and break out catches my eye. I quickly grab his arm and push it to the edge of my leg. 

I take it slow in fear that his arm may snap. Slowly, I advance and I hear light tapping on the floor. Ears being disoriented, I continue my submission until I feel light taps on my thigh. I release the choke as I can feel all the pressure and tension release.

We get up to our knees, still gasping for air. I lay back down to rest my head. A good minute goes by until I’m able to continue. I sit back up and stare my opponent in my eye. We shake hands, and we roll once again. 

This time, I’m on the bottom, and he maintains top control. I try to get him back by throwing my legs up hoping for a swift triangle. My opponent, fatigued and exhausted, leans back and passes me to my right. I knew that complete top control was the worst position I could be in, so I quickly turn to my left, and go to turtle. Both knees and elbows on the floor, he hugs my body hoping to open up a choke or to tire me out. His weight crushes me and he takes my back. 

“At least he’s not on top of me”, I think as he attempts to lock in the choke. The sweat pouring down my head to my neck is quickly interrupted by my opponent’s fast crossface. The fabric wipes off the sweat leaving my face bare and dry. Not in too much pain, I try to relax. 

Swiftly, he releases the crossface and goes straight for the neck crank. The pain starts to set in. My chin feels as if it’s going to pop. I act quick, and go straight for the pry. Most of the pressure is now relieved but I know I have to defend myself until the round is over. My arm is strained leaving me doubtful that I will survive to the end of the round. I let go, which leaves the crank wide open. 

As it tightens, I squint in agony. I turn to my side, hoping to escape but the crank stays. I try to get to the turtle again, but the crank is too tight. I get my hands positioned again and relieve a little bit of the pressure. I can start to hear my chin crackling, so I know I have to act. 

As I use the last bit of my strength to turn into him, he follows me back to turtle and flattens me. A worse position, but at least now the submission is released.

Tired and not having energy to flail my arms, I quickly position them around my neck to protect the crank or choke. It works, but he gets off my back to the front headlock position. All I can smell is the sweat coming off his stomach. 

I drive into him hoping to get up to my feet. It works, but now the choke is tighter. The standing guillotine is complete as he pushes my back against the wall. With no air or strength left, I tap. My opponent releases the choke, and I can finally breathe the cool air. The overpowering smell of sweat fills my nose, as we come back for the last roll. 

The trilogy.

Now we’re on our feet, each hoping to get an advantageous position. Shooting for the legs is not an option. We’re both gassed out with little to no strength. I clinch with him, over-under position. Swiftly, I go to the head and arm position and trip him. 

He falls to the floor quickly, which leaves me not only in an advantageous position, but now I’m past his guard. I go for the full mount with my legs trapping his. I posture up and I lock eyes with him. Defenseless, all he can do is wait for me to move. I grab the back of his head as he fights my hands. Quickly, I try to put the head into my armpit for the mounted guillotine. 

I get it. The feeling of anxiety and worry is now gone. There’s nothing he can do. He tries hip bumping which only tires him out even more. All I see is the mat, as his head is tucked into my armpit. I pull his head up while I move my hand down. He tries to hip bump again, but to no avail. The choke sinks in and he immediately taps. 

Both on our knees, he moves his head back and forth to see if it wasn’t dislocated. We shake hands and we give respect to one another. The handshake is a mutual agreement to never roll this hard again.