Mike Pierce knew he hurt his knee, but now he has an exact diagnosis in the aftermath of his controversial fight with Rousimar Palhares, according to MMAJunkie.com.
After seeing a doctor, it was determined that Pierce suffered a “severe MCL sprain” from the leg lock that Palhares tapped him out with. Of course, this is the leg lock that was released late that did the damage and got Palhares cut from the UFC.
Luckily for Pierce, he will avoid surgery, but this is still a pretty significant injury for the American wrestler.
However, his knee was not the only thing damaged by Palhares‘ errant submission hold. Pierce is also awaiting MRI results on his ankle, which was also hurt by the Brazilian while in the extended submission lock.
If you remember, Pierce received a hefty medical suspension of 180 days following the event, which led the way of all fighters on the card.
The late hold was not the only time Palhares has been reprimanded in a situation like this. A few years ago, he received a suspension when he failed to release a heel hook on Polish middleweight Tomasz Drwal, who luckily avoided any major injuries.
Of course, Palhares was cut from the company for his error. Many fans know Palhares for his unstable acts in the cage, which include late submission releases, early excessive celebration from a non-stoppage against Dan Miller and him stopping in the middle of a fight to complain to the referee against Nate Marquardt, which got him brutally knocked out.
As for Pierce, let’s hope that his ankle MRI turns out to be okay. No fighter ever deserves to take unnecessary damage after the fight is already over, especially from a submission hold that can end your career.
Stay tuned with Bleacher Report for more updates on Pierce, as well as more breaking news.
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