SAN JOSE, Calif. – Adam Piccolotti isn’t exactly sure how Carrington Banks made it so deep into their Bellator 199 main-card opener.

In Saturday’s Paramount-televised bout at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., Piccolotti (10-2 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) delivered fellow lightweight Carrington Banks (7-1 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) his first career loss.

And though Piccolotti dominated most of the fight, he couldn’t put away the durable Banks for the longest time. The prized prospect fought off one choke after another, escaping one dangerous position only to end up in another, where he still found a way to survive.

It could drive even the most patient opponent a little crazy, but Piccolotti was diligent, and he finally got the rear-naked-choke win with just 19 seconds left in the three-round fight.

“He was tough as hell,” Piccolotti told MMAjunkie after the event. “I give him all respect. He hung in there.

“I felt – I felt – his air leaving his body. I felt him struggling with the body triangle and the neck crank together, and a lot of times, even with the neck crank, they’ll actually lift their chin. He didn’t do that. I’ve just got to give him props for his submission defense.”

With the hard-fought win, Piccolotti – once a top prospect himself – halted a two-fight skid to Goiti Yamauchi and David Rickels. The 29-year-old Californian, who now has seven stoppages (five submissions) in 10 career wins, is happy to get back in the win column and move forward, and he’s hoping for a quick turnaround in Bellator’s competitive 155-pound division.

“I feel very relieved,” he said. “It feels really good to go out there and kind of perform the way I know I can and the way I know I should have been the whole time.

“Dealing with the loses in 2017, it was very hard on my emotionally, so to be able to come back, make some changes in camp … to be able to turn it around and feel comfortable, to feel confident, to feel like I know exactly what’s happening … it was absolutely emotional. I’m just very happy, very relieved, very glad I was able to show my true skills.”

For more on Bellator 199, check out the MMA Events section of the site.