Rousimar Palhares is no longer the World Series of Fighting welterweight champion. WSOF president Ray Sefo made the announcement on Tuesday’s The MMA Hour that “Toquinho” was stripped of his title and suspended indefinitely following Saturday’s win over Jake Shields.
Palhares tapped Shields with a third-round kimura in Las Vegas to defend the belt, but once again took an extra second to release the submission. “Toquinho”, now a former 170-pound titleholder, spoke to MMAFighting.com about all the controversy surrounding his victory.
“That makes me sad,” Palhares said. “Jake Shields is unbelievable. He’s a total a–hole. I couldn’t believe someone could be such an a–hole. He has no respect for me, for the sport, for anyone. He’s dishonest. He had Vaseline all over his body, he was more slippery than a okra. I couldn’t grab a hold of him for nothing.”
Palhares claims none of the things Shields said before the fight affected him personally, but accuses the fellow UFC veteran of greasing.
“I wasn’t mad at him before the fight, but the things that happened during the fight made me pissed,” he said. “He’s calling me a dirty fighter, but he’s the one with Vaseline all over his body. That’s dirty. And he also threw things at me while I was talking to the media after the fight. I was upset with things he said before the fight, but I became pissed with everything that happened in the fight.
“He had so much Vaseline that I could barely stand back up after we went to the ground for the first time. I couldn’t event throw a kick or go for a takedown, I couldn’t hold him at all because he was too slippery.”
Shields also accused “Toquinho” of gouging his eyes, but the Team Nogueira welterweight fires back.
“I never gouged his eyes. I was pushing his face because he was hitting my eyes with his chin,” Palhares said. “He says his eyes were like that because I eye gouged him, but how about my kicks and punches? Is he crazy? I beat him up, tapped him, and he’s saying I did that because I eye gouged him? That’s pure crap.”
A black belt under Cesar Gracie, Shields was submitted for the first time in 41 professional MMA bouts, and Palhares claims he let the American do anything he wanted in the first couple rounds.
“I let him mount, pass my guard, everything, because I wanted to counter. I let him take me down because that’s where I wanted to fight,” Palhares said. “He was too slippery, I couldn’t take him down, so I let him take me down. He thought I would gas because of his Vaseline, but I would never get tired.
“He was so slippery I had to be fast or he would escape. It was impossible to finish him like that. I told the referee he was slippery, but the referee didn’t even take his gloves off to check. I said ‘I’m going to catch this guy and I have to be fast’, and that’s what I did. I didn’t hold (the submission). I was right, in my opinion. My goal was to win the cleanest way possible.
“He can say anything he wants, but I finished him. Who else would have done that?” he continued. “I was the only one to go to the ground with him, let him do everything he wanted, and then submit him. It’s over. He can make up any excuses he wants with those lies, but the world knows. He can’t run away from this.”
Shields could also be suspended for punching Palhares after the fight, and the Brazilian criticizes fans and media for not looking into it as they do for his actions.
“He punched me after the fight, he also tried to kick me but the referee blocked,” he said. “He had Vaseline all over his body, he put his chin in my eye, and nobody talks about it. All they say is that I held it too long.”
Palhares is interested in facing Shields a second time, but wants the athletic commission to examine Shields’ body better next time.
“He knows I’ll catch him any time I want,” said the Brazilian. “I saw he wants a rematch… If he had told me right after the fight that he wanted a rematch, I would do it right away. However, I will only agree to fight him after they check his body for Vaseline before the fight. He’s dishonest.”
Even though they want a rematch, “Toquinho” and Shields could be punished for their actions during WSOF 22, as the Nevada Athletic Commission could suspend both fighters.
“It’s not fair, I’m upset, but Ray Sefo is my boss,” Palhares said of losing the WSOF belt. “How am I going to disagree with him? I have to obey. I don’t agree, but I have to obey. I work for him. If he tells me to fight today, I will. If he tells me to fight in six months, I will. Whatever he says, I’ll do. I will fight anyone he says. I’m upset, but he’s the boss.”
“It’s up to them,” Palhares said of a possible suspension from NAC. “They will make the decision and I have to obey. There’s nothing I can do.”
Rousimar Palhares is no longer the World Series of Fighting welterweight champion. WSOF president Ray Sefo made the announcement on Tuesday’s The MMA Hour that “Toquinho” was stripped of his title and suspended indefinitely following Saturday’s win over Jake Shields.
Palhares tapped Shields with a third-round kimura in Las Vegas to defend the belt, but once again took an extra second to release the submission. “Toquinho”, now a former 170-pound titleholder, spoke to MMAFighting.com about all the controversy surrounding his victory.
“That makes me sad,” Palhares said. “Jake Shields is unbelievable. He’s a total a–hole. I couldn’t believe someone could be such an a–hole. He has no respect for me, for the sport, for anyone. He’s dishonest. He had Vaseline all over his body, he was more slippery than a okra. I couldn’t grab a hold of him for nothing.”
Palhares claims none of the things Shields said before the fight affected him personally, but accuses the fellow UFC veteran of greasing.
“I wasn’t mad at him before the fight, but the things that happened during the fight made me pissed,” he said. “He’s calling me a dirty fighter, but he’s the one with Vaseline all over his body. That’s dirty. And he also threw things at me while I was talking to the media after the fight. I was upset with things he said before the fight, but I became pissed with everything that happened in the fight.
“He had so much Vaseline that I could barely stand back up after we went to the ground for the first time. I couldn’t event throw a kick or go for a takedown, I couldn’t hold him at all because he was too slippery.”
Shields also accused “Toquinho” of gouging his eyes, but the Team Nogueira welterweight fires back.
“I never gouged his eyes. I was pushing his face because he was hitting my eyes with his chin,” Palhares said. “He says his eyes were like that because I eye gouged him, but how about my kicks and punches? Is he crazy? I beat him up, tapped him, and he’s saying I did that because I eye gouged him? That’s pure crap.”
A black belt under Cesar Gracie, Shields was submitted for the first time in 41 professional MMA bouts, and Palhares claims he let the American do anything he wanted in the first couple rounds.
“I let him mount, pass my guard, everything, because I wanted to counter. I let him take me down because that’s where I wanted to fight,” Palhares said. “He was too slippery, I couldn’t take him down, so I let him take me down. He thought I would gas because of his Vaseline, but I would never get tired.
“He was so slippery I had to be fast or he would escape. It was impossible to finish him like that. I told the referee he was slippery, but the referee didn’t even take his gloves off to check. I said ‘I’m going to catch this guy and I have to be fast’, and that’s what I did. I didn’t hold (the submission). I was right, in my opinion. My goal was to win the cleanest way possible.
“He can say anything he wants, but I finished him. Who else would have done that?” he continued. “I was the only one to go to the ground with him, let him do everything he wanted, and then submit him. It’s over. He can make up any excuses he wants with those lies, but the world knows. He can’t run away from this.”
Shields could also be suspended for punching Palhares after the fight, and the Brazilian criticizes fans and media for not looking into it as they do for his actions.
“He punched me after the fight, he also tried to kick me but the referee blocked,” he said. “He had Vaseline all over his body, he put his chin in my eye, and nobody talks about it. All they say is that I held it too long.”
Palhares is interested in facing Shields a second time, but wants the athletic commission to examine Shields’ body better next time.
“He knows I’ll catch him any time I want,” said the Brazilian. “I saw he wants a rematch… If he had told me right after the fight that he wanted a rematch, I would do it right away. However, I will only agree to fight him after they check his body for Vaseline before the fight. He’s dishonest.”
Even though they want a rematch, “Toquinho” and Shields could be punished for their actions during WSOF 22, as the Nevada Athletic Commission could suspend both fighters.
“It’s not fair, I’m upset, but Ray Sefo is my boss,” Palhares said of losing the WSOF belt. “How am I going to disagree with him? I have to obey. I don’t agree, but I have to obey. I work for him. If he tells me to fight today, I will. If he tells me to fight in six months, I will. Whatever he says, I’ll do. I will fight anyone he says. I’m upset, but he’s the boss.”
“It’s up to them,” Palhares said of a possible suspension from NAC. “They will make the decision and I have to obey. There’s nothing I can do.”
