THAT!!!...You roll with enough people better than you and you find yourself in terrible positions, many that induce panic. You will start to learn to think through that panic. THAT is the single largest asset ...
When you learn to control yourself - your mind, your inner monster, your adrenaline, and your emotions - in the heat of combat, your making real progress. When getting put in really bad spots by a superior opponent becomes 'normal' to you, that puffed up chump is just a warm up exercise.