One of the most exciting finishes in UFC history is Chuck Liddell punching out Tito Ortiz at UFC 66. Liddell overwhelms Ortiz with a flurry of punches as Ortiz covers up.

While there are no strikes in jiu-jitsu, there are attacks and defenses. Sometimes, I watch students roll and they stay in defense mode for too long.

If you’re constantly in an inferior position, it’s only a matter of time before you get submitted. By attempting to escape (or counter attack), you force your partner to deal with that, rather than deal with your defense.

Don’t get stuck in a cycle of defense. Stop the attack, but counter as soon as you can. Better than escaping and then stabilizing a safe position, is to begin to attack immediately.

The point of having a good defense is to be able to get aggressive on offense. We may hesitate attempting submissions because if we fail to get the tap, we can give up position. But if you’re good at defending submissions, you ought to be comfortable taking those risks.

And if you’re not good at defense and escapes, then make them a priority. To be good at offense, you need to be good at defense.