Rousimar Palhares became one of the few fighters in UFC history to be immediately banned from the promotion despite a win.
Grappling ace Rousimar Palhares’s UFC welterweight debut didn’t go according to plan in October 2013, but the reason for it falling short of the mark wasn’t based on the result of the fight.
Palhares, regarded as one of the top submission artists in UFC history, was a headache for his opponents during his promotional tenure. While he never challenged for a UFC title, he was on the cusp of title contention multiple times, defeating the likes of Dan Miller and David Branch.
After an up-and-down run in the UFC, Palhares took on Mike Pierce for his first 170lb bout in Barueri, Brazil. Palhares was the crowd favorite and wanted to make a statement in the cage after some back-and-forth trash talk between him and Pierce leading up to fight night.
Palhares wasted no time getting the fight to the ground against the dangerous striker Pierce, sinking in a heel hook submission in just 31 seconds. The problem? Palhares wouldn’t let go of the heel hook as Pierce tapped, tearing into his opponent’s foot and dealing significant ligament damage.
Rousimar Palhares wasted UFC potential with egregious infraction
While Palhares’s victory over Pierce remained intact despite the dirty tactics, UFC CEO Dana White didn’t hesitate to fire Palhares following the win. Some believed Palhares deserved a second chance in the Octagon after the controversy, but after similar situations earlier in his UFC tenure, White and the UFC permanently banned him.
If Palhares had let go of the submission when Pierce had tapped, he would’ve likely earned a post-fight performance bonus and been a key factor in the UFC welterweight division. After his UFC release, he captured the World Series of Fighting welterweight championship months later over Steve Carl, defending it against Jake Shields and Jon Fitch.
Coincidentally, Palhares’s WSOF tenure would end similarly to his UFC stint. As he trapped Shields in a kimura submission in the third round at WSOF 22, Palhares refused to let go after Shields tapped, resulting in Shields punching him when after the fight was called off.
The WSOF cut ties with Palhares immediately following the Shields fight and brought an abrupt end to his welterweight title reign.
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Rousimar Palhares, Paul Daley among controversial UFC bans
Palhares went on to fight in promotions such as KSW, Fight Nights Global, and ACA during his MMA career after his WSOF and UFC cuts. The now 44-year-old returned to the cage last March, losing to Florent Betorangal by unanimous decision at Kongs FC 2 in France.
Palhares isn’t the only top name that the UFC has immediately cut ties with for unsportsmanlike conduct. The UFC immediately banned MMA legend Paul Daley after cheapshotting Josh Koscheck following the third and final round at UFC 113.
Like Palhares, Daley went on to compete in other promotions, but he was labeled as one of the biggest ‘what if’s in UFC history.
If Palhares gets a hold of your heel, hope that someone will immediately step in to break up the submission, or the Brazilian might deal heavy damage to your foot.
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