Anthrax and Cyanide dove into battle against one another, both simultaneously beginning with a gunshot, then rushing to close range combat with their knives. This would be a tough battle for Cyanide, unlike any other fight he'd experienced before. All his tricks and moves were taught to him by Anthrax himself, and thus he would know how to counter all of them.
If Cyanide wanted to win this fight, he would need to use some moves of his own. Break free from the shackles of 'student', and become his own independent person. Perhaps that was why Anthrax wanted this fight to happen as his last. Even though his death was set in stone against his will, he was still taking his fate into his own hands to the best of his abilities, and fulfilling his role as teacher one final time.