Zulu stayed on him. His hands were loose, his shoulders bouncing, and his eyes sharp despite the swelling over his left cheek.
His breathing was heavy, but not labored. He still had energy.
His feet kept shifting, measuring the space, keeping Elias just within reach.
Elias moved lightly too, but with more control. His arms were up, tight to his face, and his weight stayed centered.
He watched Zulu’s hips, not his hands, and didn’t blink when the next feint came.
Zulu threw a high jab, then immediately dropped low and launched a rear leg kick.
The kick slammed into Elias’s thigh, and Elias grunted, taking a step back. Zulu chased him.
He swung a wild right hand. Elias ducked under it and tried to clinch, but Zulu broke it with an elbow across the temple. It didn’t land clean, but the speed and aggression were rising again.
Zulu jabbed, then followed with a low kick that slapped hard against Elias’s calf. Then another. He wasn’t giving Elias time to reset.
Elias tried to push back. He shot a straight left, but Zulu slipped it and exploded with a leaping hook that smashed into Elias’s gloves. Elias blocked, but the impact shook him.
He threw a front kick to the body, making Elias stagger slightly.
As Elias tried to step away, Zulu burst in with a left hook, then a right, then a short elbow. It wasn’t clean, but it clipped the side of Elias’s face.
Elias threw a short knee and tried to circle out, but Zulu read it and cut him off.
He stepped wide to the left, hands up, then lunged again.
A straight punch down the middle. Elias ate it.
Then Zulu spun and threw a backfist.
It grazed Elias’s jaw, and Elias wobbled. Just a bit.
Zulu saw it. He charged again, no hesitation.
He fired a flurry, hook to the body, elbow to the head, another hook to the opposite side. Elias blocked some, but not all. He backed up, his heel brushing the cage.
Elias tried to clinch again, reaching for an underhook, but Zulu ducked under and drove his shoulder into Elias’s chest, pinning him to the cage wall.
Zulu slammed two knees into the thigh. Then he pulled back and cracked a right elbow straight across Elias’s brow. Blood started from the corner of Elias’s forehead.
Another elbow. Then he changed levels and shot for a double-leg.
Elias dropped low and spread his base, but Zulu had momentum. He lifted just enough and tripped the leg out, pulling Elias down to the mat.
Top position. Half guard.
Zulu postured up, arms wide, and dropped a heavy right hand. Elias covered, then tried to trap an arm. Zulu yanked it free and threw another punch.
Elias twisted his hips, but Zulu adjusted. He slid the knee higher, pressing down, making it harder for Elias to buck out.
Zulu raised another elbow and brought it down hard. Elias winced.
Then he did it again.
Elias managed to shrimp and recover full guard, his legs wrapping Zulu’s waist, but the pressure didn’t stop. Zulu kept his posture high, throwing short punches and elbows, one after the other.
Elias tried to control his wrists, but Zulu broke the grip and hammered another shot through.
His face was focused, but not wild. He was locked in now. This was pressure with intention.
Zulu kept his hips low and chest forward, pushing Elias’s head into the mat while dropping more ground and pound.
Elias twisted to the side, trying to frame with his arms, but Zulu postured and shoved a forearm into Elias’s neck, holding him still. Then another sharp elbow to the eyebrow.
The ref moved in closer, watching carefully.
Elias grabbed a wrist, pulled it in, tried to sweep, but Zulu adjusted again and stayed heavy.
Every move Elias made, Zulu punished. With fists. With body weight. With pressure.
Elias looked calm, but he was fading under the weight of the round.
Zulu grabbed the bicep and pinned it while throwing to the opposite side. Another strike landed. Elias blinked, then covered again.
Zulu didn’t speak. He didn’t look at the corner. He just worked.
And he wasn’t slowing down.
The ref hovered closer, ready to intervene if Elias stopped moving, but Elias twisted again and locked a leg high.
But the storm hadn’t passed.
Zulu adjusted his base again and raised another elbow. It was coming down hard.
Zulu raised his elbow again. It hovered in the air for half a second before crashing down across Elias’s forehead.
The sound was dull and sharp all at once. Elias’s head snapped sideways. His arms came up, not from panic, but from necessity.
He was still aware. Still thinking.
But the pressure was building fast.
Zulu postured up again, both knees pressing on Elias’s thighs. He drew back and rained another heavy right hand.
Elias blocked it, barely. His hips shifted, trying to open space, but Zulu stayed glued to him.
From the corner, Damon’s voice rang out clear.
"Frame the hips! Breathe, Elias! Shrimp left! Left, now!"
Elias tried. He reached across with one arm, angled his elbow to Zulu’s waist, and pushed. He created just a sliver of space. His left leg started to slide underneath.
But Zulu recognized it.
He dropped his weight and crushed the gap with his chest.
"Don’t let him move!" Ivan shouted from the opposite corner. "Hold him! Smash the arms!"
Zulu obeyed. He pulled Elias’s arm away from his chest and pinned it down with a palm. Then another elbow to the side of the face. Short, brutal, efficient.
Damon slammed his fist on the side of the cage. "Circle! Don’t stay under him!"
But Elias couldn’t move.
Zulu leaned forward again, his forehead brushing Elias’s chin. He threw two more short punches to the body, then sat up, raised both arms, and slammed down a pair of hammerfists.
Elias’s head bounced off the canvas.
Damon’s voice turned more urgent. "Turn in! Now! Use your feet, don’t wait!"