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Jamie looked like a deer in the headlights when Hiro came running at him. At the last second, he dropped down, Hiro's tricep grazing the top of his hairline as he did so. He snaked behind his opponent and redirected his momentum, instead pushing him into the closest set of ropes.

If Hiro wanted his title back, he was going to get it and then some.

Bang!

The metal of the title clicked off of the side of Hiro's face courtesy of Dallas Cruz. As quickly as she appeared she vanished, ducking down below the sightline of the ring.

Welcome to crimson city, population Hiro. Jamie had just checked out and Hiro was checking in. Once more his eyes widened in shock, but he would not allow indecision to paralyze him this time. Scrambling over to Rosario, he decided that now was the time to do his duty as an upstanding member of society and help the injured referee.

"Get up! Get up! Pin, pin, pin, c'mon, c'mon." He rushed Rosario before sliding over to Hiro's downed form and covering him.

Hiro's arm shot up off the canvas across his whole body, sending him on to his stomach in a quick jerking motion. He managed to flop his whole body 180 degrees in what was an act of defiance towards Jamie Bader and survival in this match by no longer being on his back. Hiro coughed a bunch of blood out, blowing a blend of blood and mucus from his nose with violent thrusts of air. The fans popped majorly, screaming on the Hiro of the Day. He was still in it, and it didn't make too much sense -- but the fact that he was revealing to the world that he was fully capable of taking things this far, taking this much punishment and continuing to fight...it was thrilling for any fan that had followed Hiro when he was active prior. Rosario may not have been feeling too great himself at this point, but one thing was for sure...he was getting a front row seat to something violently special tonight.

As it turned out, in a series of missteps in this match, the kickout just now may have been Hiro's worst. For the sake of his body, his mind, his career, and his life -- letting Jamie Bader pin him probably would have been the best course of action. However, instead Hiro kicked out and tried very hard to prevent the opportunity of Jamie pinning him once again. That plan was backfiring as he was left on his stomach and in the perfect spot to be locked in Jamie's grasp -- the crippler crossface was cinched in and the blood indeed flowed harder from Hiro's head. The pooling, which was stopping a bit thanks to clotting, was not back in full force. It covered Jamie's hands and made them slightly sticky, it was blinding Hiro was part of the blood was shoved up into his eyes as Jamie struggled to keep the lock in properly because of the blood itself -- though being the professional outlaw that he was, Jamie kept his grip on as tight as he could, constantly adjusting it to make sure he wasn't losing any leverage. Hiro ripped away at his own wounds and Jamie's hand, digging his finger nails in deeply to the Snake's arm. He was being drowned by his own blood, his throat becoming tight. He wouldn't tap but slammed his fist into the mat as he tried so very hard to alleviate the stress.

Jamie's violent nature, his evil demeanor that took control when in a situation like this, it was crating a volatile situation as he gave Hiro only a modicum of respite in the pain he felt. He would launch punch after punch to the back of Hiro's head, each one jarring him worse than the last. This was the point where Hiro couldn't even believe he was still conscious -- but he took that as a sign: don't give up. However, those thoughts were all but crushed when suddenly he was locked right back in the crossface. The desire to quit was actually at the forefront. He could feel his hand preparing to tap, looking to slap the mat as it was still being extended as far as it would go in an attempt to grab the ropes...but the men were center ring, that wasn't going to be an option. The Ethnic Enigma again would claw at the Snake's hands, trying to tear apart his grip -- even if it meant nothing, he still had the slightest bit of fight left.

I'm sorry -- was this King of the Canvas, or UFC Fight Night on ESPN+? Jamie's mat game was impeccable as impressively he transitioned from the crossface into a triangle choke which kept all the pressure on Hiro and again caused him to begin bleeding from the wound beneath his eye. Hiro would try to support himself by planting his still free hand and getting his feet to lift off the mat. He was still stuck in a horrible move but wasn't in as rough shape due to it offering a little more leverage for him -- it meant clawing away had it's benefit after all. Hiro tried to roll Jamie back up, perhaps stealing a pinfall -- but it became clear he couldn't as Jamie would tighten up and cause him to back off from the idea. What was he going to do? Well, it looked like he would have to tap into that little bit left in the tank that he still had and was trying to preserve. He began to rock Jamie a little bit, and slowly but surely would attempt to rise him off the mat a little bit while shifting his legs into a position that could support their weight. There was no way this could work, right?

Jamie's elbows came back in a little bit causing Hiro to place him back on the mat, but not for long. He started to lift him some more, eventually past the six inch mark. We're talking a foot...and that's when Hiro's shaking legs would flex mightily, revealing he hadn't been skipping leg day. Hiro dipped himself down as he brought Jamie up higher, until finally the Ethnic Enigma was able to straighten his legs entirely and drop forward, looking to drive Jamie Bader right down into the mat with an aggressive powerbomb! If there was going to be any moment that Hiro had to get out of the submission moves, it'd be this right here -- Jamie had to let go, and if he didn't, Hiro was prepared to tap out. His spirit would be crushed, and the will to go on snuffed out.