Bullet 12 – 0 The Amazing Spider-Mouth
October 2017
So much has been happening this summer that it does not feel like three months since I last did a session at MWM, but it actually is three months as I did sessions in Wales during August and September. Today’s match is against one of my favourites, Bullet, who has beaten me on all 13 previous occasions we’ve met and I have yet to score a point against her. It was an early start on the 0430 bus to London arriving in good time for the 0900 session, Bullet arriving right on queue. We changed in no time at all and got a quick warm up done. Bullet looks very toned in the arms and back, she’s in fantastic shape, she wore a black sports bra with white hearts on it and black gym pants. I wore red long sleeved skin tight rugby training top, and Welsh flag shorts. A couple of photos taken before the start of the match.
Locking up for round 1, and trying to get our hands over each other’s shoulders. I immediately feel how solid her arms are, they look like pure muscle and they feel like pure muscle. I can immediately feel how strong she is as she grapples me to the mats. She is feeling her way, looking at the wall rather than looking right at me, taking in the space, seeing the bigger picture and choosing her strategy. Pushing my head down, while telling me I made a mistake walking into a guillotine, she leans over me as I’m bent double, pulling her arms under my neck, pulling up and I’m tapping. 1-0 to Bullet.
Well that warmed us up. We struggle on the mats in the second round but it is Bullet who is on top and in control, looking for an Americana or possibly an arm triangle choke. I pull her arm around the back of my head to help try and roll her over onto her back, but she has me planted solidly on my back. Lying across my body she gets me with a straight arm lock. 2-0.
Bullet is gradually increasing the intensity and pace of the match, I am matching her, keenly trying to defend, eyes wide open scanning everything, trying to push up with my arm, but Bullet smiles as she pushes me back down flat on my back again. I’m doing my best to prevent her leg getting over my shoulder, but it is no good, she plants the foot on the mat and a smooth quarter turn transitions into an arm bar as she leans back pulling my elbow into her chest. I have connected my hands and keep the elbow bent but I can feel that I am about to lose my grip and the arm is going to be pulled straight so I tap out before that happens. 3-0.
Bullet is now operating at the tempo she wants and is methodically working me into a hold where she can go for the submission. I’m stuck lying on my side as she has the full mount position, pressing the side of my head into the mats with her hand. Then she brings her body down on top of my head, pressing me into the mats further and then taking my neck to score with a side guillotine / neck hold move. 4-0 to Bullet.
I am managing to put up some resistance in the fifth round, but it is taking so much effort and I still can’t get up off my back. There is a brief moment where Bullet is not forcing me down on the mats as she does a quick rotation but I fail to take the opportunity to get up. She is quick and precise with her feet, positioning them across my body and leaning back pulling on another arm bar. 5-0.
I manage to get Bullet in my half guard and roll her half onto her side but she is straight back on top. I use the momentum of her rolling back on top to try and roll her the other way onto her back, but she simply loosens her grip, letting me turn so she can take my back. Feeling her forearm on my chin, keeping the chin in to avoid the rear naked choke. However, Bullet uses her other hand to pull my chin up, sliding the forearm back in and I have to tap. 6-0.
Bullet tries to pull me into another guillotine with Thai grips but I’m able to push her arms away and pull my neck out. While we are on our knees I grab her round her waist with her right arm as well as her body caught in my grip. She manages to get the right arm free and gets me on my back. This time it’s an Americana that gets the point. 7-0.
Bullet is looking for variety and switching attack styles to make sure she is applying holds she has not used yet in the match. This truly is a master class. I’m struggling wildly to run down the clock and keep this within double figures. The opportunity arises to get on my knees to prize myself up off the mats but Bullet manages to get me with a kimoura. 8-0.
I’m on my back again but at least this time I have Bullet in my guard. She expertly negotiates her way over each leg in turn and then sticks my head between her thighs reverse head scissors mode. Controlling my head and upper body with her legs allows Bullet to put on another Americana while I cannot see what she is doing with her arms. I tap. 9-0.
It looks like it is going to be a hat trick of arm bars but I connect my hands and keep the arm bent. Bullet tries to disconnect my hands with her feet. Good effort from her but my stubborn resistance continues. It takes her a second attempt at the arm bar before she converts it into a point. 10-0.
I am gamely trying to find a way to prevent Bullet making me submit but she is in excellent physical, technical and tactical shape today. I almost get the half guar on but it is positioned on her shin rather than above the knee. She gets her leg free with ease and has me in full mount. She positions herself now so I can feel the full mount trapping me tightly between her legs. She pulls me over so I’m lying face first and gets me with a hammer lock. 11-0. Actually, I had to explain to Bullet the difference between a hammer lock and a kimoura. It would have been even better if I could apply these moves for real myself but Bullet’s defence today is excellent.
The final round, we tap hands, bump fists and Bullet goes straight onto her back, I dive on top, I guess she wants to practice escaping and it does not take very long at all for her to be out from under me. She completes the victory with a fourth arm bar, this one is much cleaner than the previous three. 12-0.
So after winning a home match in Wales in September, normal service is resumed as I go down 12-0 to Bullet. We take some photos recreating some of the holds afterwards. The camera on my phone is voice activated so I simply say “smile” and it takes the shot. It was more of a “splut splut, smile, splut splut” when Bullet was recreating the guillotine on me! It was really great to be back at MWM and taking on Bullet again. I’m going to have to train a lot harder if I am going to give her any kind of a match. She was in control all the way today. Excellent session. Thanks to Bullet as well as Cam and the venue staff for arranging everything. xx
