For the moment, it appears as if UFC welterweight Mike Pierce will not need surgery to repair the knee injured by Rousimar Palhares’ hulk-smash heel hook at UFC Fight Night 29. That’s the good news. The bad news is that an MRI shows that Pierce’s left knee is indeed badly injured and will force him out of action for a good while.
MMA Junkie reports that an MRI of Pierce’s left knee indicated a “severe MCL sprain.” Pierce and his team are awaiting results on imaging on his left ankle, which was also injured by the hold. Palhares forced Pierce to submit in just over thirty seconds during their main card bout in Brazil, but Palhares refused to immediately let go of the hold — even after the referee had clearly interceded — giving Pierce’s leg one last tug before letting go.
It wasn’t the first time Palhares refused to obey referee orders after forcing an opponent to tap out and the California Pizza Kitchen-lovin’ man-beast was promptly released by the UFC for the latest offense. Pierce was medically suspended for 180 days directly after the fight.
We’ll bring you updates on his condition as they are made known.
For the moment, it appears as if UFC welterweight Mike Pierce will not need surgery to repair the knee injured by Rousimar Palhares’ hulk-smash heel hook at UFC Fight Night 29. That’s the good news. The bad news is that an MRI shows that Pierce’s left knee is indeed badly injured and will force him out of action for a good while.
MMA Junkie reports that an MRI of Pierce’s left knee indicated a “severe MCL sprain.” Pierce and his team are awaiting results on imaging on his left ankle, which was also injured by the hold. Palhares forced Pierce to submit in just over thirty seconds during their main card bout in Brazil, but Palhares refused to immediately let go of the hold — even after the referee had clearly interceded — giving Pierce’s leg one last tug before letting go.
It wasn’t the first time Palhares refused to obey referee orders after forcing an opponent to tap out and the California Pizza Kitchen-lovin’ man-beast was promptly released by the UFC for the latest offense. Pierce was medically suspended for 180 days directly after the fight.
We’ll bring you updates on his condition as they are made known.
“All 20 UFC Fight Night 29 fighters passed their drug tests. Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) tested every fighter before their bouts on Oct. 9 in Barueri, Brazil. After the bouts, the headliners – Demian Maia and Jake Shields – were tested again, in addition to four other randomly selected fighters…all results came back negative.”
“All 20 UFC Fight Night 29 fighters passed their drug tests. Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) tested every fighter before their bouts on Oct. 9 in Barueri, Brazil. After the bouts, the headliners – Demian Maia and Jake Shields – were tested again, in addition to four other randomly selected fighters…all results came back negative.”
At least that’s the impression we get from their recent decision not to sign him. Bjorn Rebney told TMZ the following about why he his Viacom puppet master decided to pass on Palhares:
“Risks already exist for the courageous, world class fighters who either enter the Bellator cage; without adding further unnecessary risks into the mix. Fighter safety is paramount to me and my team.”
That eliminates one destination for the recently disgraced Palhares — MMA’s version of Lenny from Of Mice and Men. Maybe he’ll go to World Series of Fighting, although Jon Fitch has already refused a hypothetical fight against him due to safety concerns. But it seems like Bellator missed a good catch here. Palhares is a talented fighter coming off a win. He had tons of heat, so the signing would’ve generated tons of press — for a Bellator signing, anyway — or at least more press than signing a UFC castaway whose career highlight is getting kicked in the face.
Palhares (or his people) sensed that he was becoming damaged goods. Consequently, he issued an explanation/apology yesterday that you can check out after the jump.
(Rousimar Palhares doing “God’s work.” / Photo via Getty Images)
At least that’s the impression we get from their recent decision not to sign him. Bjorn Rebney told TMZ the following about why he his Viacom puppet master decided to pass on Palhares:
“Risks already exist for the courageous, world class fighters who either enter the Bellator cage; without adding further unnecessary risks into the mix. Fighter safety is paramount to me and my team.”
That eliminates one destination for the recently disgraced Palhares — MMA’s version of Lenny from Of Mice and Men. Maybe he’ll go to World Series of Fighting, although Jon Fitch has already refused a hypothetical fight against him due to safety concerns. But it seems like Bellator missed a good catch here. Palhares is a talented fighter coming off a win. He had tons of heat, so the signing would’ve generated tons of press — for a Bellator signing, anyway — or at least more press than signing a UFC castaway whose career highlight is getting kicked in the face.
Palhares (or his people) sensed that he was becoming damaged goods. Consequently, he issued an explanation/apology yesterday:
In case you don’t feel like watching the whole thing, here’s the important part — Palhares’ explanation for holding in the submission against Mike Pierce too long:
When the referee took his hand off, it was precisely the time that I was turning to pick up the foot and the heel. When I finished spinning, the referee was able to take his hand off the grid and he fell. When he sat down, the referee had to go to the other side, and that transition took two seconds…the referee stepped in front, and he kept tapping on the back of the referee, not on me. I only saw that in the film, nor have I seen it at fight time. The only thing I saw was the referee coming down on me, understood?
You happy with that explanation? Pierce is still a little upset, especially off the back of a 180-day medical suspension. He told MMAFighting.com that he was still “really pissed off right now.” Pierce has yet to have an MRI to assess the extent of the damage to his knee and ankle.
But what’s going to happen with Palhares? That’s anyone’s guess. The highest rated comment on Palhares’ apology video was on the right track: “Have fun in Jungle Fights, you fucking psycho.”
(“Ugh, leave me out of this.” — God / Photo via Getty)
It’s day one of the post-Palhares era in the UFC, and so many questions still remain unanswered. Mainly, what the hell is up with this guy anyway? Is he a sociopath or something? And if so, should he be forced out of the sport altogether?
Palhares’s manager Alex Davis is throwing his support behind his fighter, and has decided to follow the narrative that Palhares is a good guy who simply isn’t in control of his own actions. As Davis told MMAFighting.com:
“He’s perplexed. He doesn’t really grasp it. He doesn’t really understand that he’s doing something overly wrong. He doesn’t get it…First of all, we’re going to figure out what the problem is. This kid is not a mean kid. Everyone who is with him loves him to pieces. We’re going to try to figure out why this happens. Why does this kid do this [expletive]? Why doesn’t he just stop?”
(“Ugh, leave me out of this.” — God / Photo via Getty)
It’s day one of the post-Palhares era in the UFC, and so many questions still remain unanswered. Mainly, what the hell is up with this guy anyway? Is he a sociopath or something? And if so, should he be forced out of the sport altogether?
Palhares’s manager Alex Davis is throwing his support behind his fighter, and has decided to follow the narrative that Palhares is a good guy who simply isn’t in control of his own actions. As Davis told MMAFighting.com:
“He’s perplexed. He doesn’t really grasp it. He doesn’t really understand that he’s doing something overly wrong. He doesn’t get it…First of all, we’re going to figure out what the problem is. This kid is not a mean kid. Everyone who is with him loves him to pieces. We’re going to try to figure out why this happens. Why does this kid do this [expletive]? Why doesn’t he just stop?”
“I just gave Rousimar the news. He was very sad to hear Dana’s decision. He is not a bad person or dirty fighter, and he is not trying to hurt people. Somehow, he just doesn’t hear or feel things at these moments. He worked very hard to get this far in his career, and he is not going to give up on it. He loves fighting. This is what he does. He apologizes to his fans, and will work hard to resolve these issues and fight in another event that would be interested in having him.
I can understand Dana’s perspective, but I need to reiterate that this kid does not do these things out of maliciousness. The people that live with him and train with him every day love him, and anyone else that meets him ends up doing the same. The UFC is a company and has both the right and the obligation to do what is in its best interest. I, myself, am extremely sad that it came to this, but I will continue to help and support Rousimar in his life and career. He is an awesome fighter by any standards – dedicated, humble and extremely hard-working. He will surpass this bump in the road and continue on with his fighting career.”
Mixed martial arts already rides such a thin line between combat sport and pure barbarism. It relies on its athletes to follow the rules — don’t eye-gouge, don’t keep hitting your opponent after the referee intervenes, don’t punch the referee when he tries to pull you off, etc. — and so far, MMA has survived because the vast majority of fighters have been able to control themselves and compete within that structure. But when a fighter doesn’t possess the capacity to show basic concern for his fellow athletes, it shouldn’t matter if it’s because he’s a bad person or not. He’s a liability to the sport, plain and simple.
As of now, Palhares wants to continue competing in another organization, and I’d be very interested to see who takes a chance on him. Whoever decides to roll the dice, they won’t be doing MMA any favors.
Last night’s instance of poor sportsmanship and judgment from Palhares wasn’t his first. As we’ve mentioned earlier today, Palhares was previously suspended by the UFC for doing the exact same thing to Tomasz Drwal back in 2010.
Despite initial reports that Palhares has received a lifetime ban from the organization, MMAFighting.com is reporting that Palhares has simply been “released.”
We’ll keep you up to date as this story continues to develop.
Last night’s instance of poor sportsmanship and judgment from Palhares wasn’t his first. As we’ve mentioned earlier today, Palhares was previously suspended by the UFC for doing the exact same thing to Tomasz Drwal back in 2010.
Despite initial reports that Palhares has received a lifetime ban from the organization, MMAFighting.com is reporting that Palhares has simply been “released.”
We’ll keep you up to date as this story continues to develop.
