Rousimar Palhares is Talented but Dangerous
By Christopher Jester
Rousimar Palhares is a beastly creature. A man who is dangerous and calculating when it comes down to submissions dealing with heels, feet, and knees. The owner of 11 submission wins, all but three have of them have come via the heel hook or kneebar. He has a patented style when he gets a hold of a lower limb. But he is also a man without a job, for the very reason that once he gets a hold of one of those limbs he has a bad habit of not letting them go.
Following his victory over Mike Pierce at UFC Fight Night 29 last Wednesday, Palhares was released from the UFC because of the heel hook he submitted Pierce with was held on a bit longer than it should have been. The fighter was in obvious pain. He tapped. Palhares continued with the hold. The referee attempted to break the lock. The fighter screamed. The referee continued in his attempt to break the hold. Palhares refused to release. For Palhares’ refusal to release the hold, ironically he was later released from the UFC.
Since the fight took place, many have questioned whether the release was prudent or even necessary. Sure, Palhares has been criticized and suspended for not releasing a previous submission against Tomasz Drwal back in 2010 at UFC 111. So he has a reputation of doing such things.
But still any viewer of Palhares’ fights has also seen one of the more comical occurrences in the Octagon when Palhares fought Dan Miller. When he thought he had the finish, Palhares released the hold and went on top of the cage to celebrate. The referee had never called off the fight. So was he simply thinking, “I should hold on this a bit longer for good measure?”
Perhaps, from a certain point of view. The problem is when a fighter is in a submission hold of any kind – every second counts. If a fighter is in a rear-naked choke, a successful one gives a fighter seconds before oxygen stops reaching the brain. In an armbar, a fighter only has a few moments before that arm is broken. With that in mind, the few extra seconds that Palhares held the hold could have permanently damaged Mike Pierce and his career could have been over.
So, why does it seem like something just isn’t right? Maybe one of the reasons is that Palhares won a very convincing debut at welterweight. Perhaps, people are wondering what could have come of his career at this weight class in the UFC.
After his release, Palhares’ manager, Alex Davis, told MMAFighting.com that Palhares was “perplexed” about his cut from the UFC’s roster. He should not be; given his background and the reputation he has. He may be a calm and collected guy in the gym, but in the Octagon he is a fierce monster. That may not represent him well, but what he does in the Octagon is what matters because it is what is shown to the masses.
Those who may never have seen a Palhares fight might now think he is just an evil guy who purposely wants to hurt others. The sad part is from their viewpoint, they are correct. What makes it worse is his previous history and it becomes even worse. Friends and colleagues may say otherwise. No one is wrong or right – that is why this decision to release him becomes so convoluted. The UFC wants to protect their fighters and their public image.
With previous talks of retirement, hopefully this is not the last we will see of Rousimar Palhares. He is a talented fighter with a unique style of finishing fights. Perhaps with a little luck and a few fights with another organization, the UFC will open their doors to the Brazilian fighter. His only way back into the UFC though is going to be through showing and proving that he can finish submissions safely. Only time will tell if Palhares is up for the challenge.
Rousimar Palhares talks about UFC Fight Night 29 and the Consequences that Followed
Follow Christopher “sLapDatSuCKa” Jester on Twitter @sLapDatSuCka
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