Cole bypassed the guard entirely, dropping his entire body weight heavily across Darius’s chest in a modified side control position. But it was the pressure that broke Darius. Cole didn’t just lay on him. He actively drove his shoulder directly into the soft tissue of Darius’s jawline, turning Darius’s head sharply to the side. He dug the blades of his hips into Darius’s floating ribs.

He made himself feel like a thousand pounds of lead. Darius thrashed. He kicked his legs, bucked his hips, and tried to bench press Cole off him. It was completely useless. Pushing against Cole was like trying to push a concrete pillar.