For Rousimar Palhares, the decision to hold a heel hook against Mike Pierce at UFC Fight Night 29 was a costly one.
Palhares, who scored the night’s only submission, was denied a $50,000 bonus on Wednesday for “unsportsmanlike conduct.” The Brazi…
For Rousimar Palhares, the decision to hold a heel hook against Mike Pierce at UFC Fight Night 29 was a costly one.
Palhares, who scored the night’s only submission, was denied a $50,000 bonus on Wednesday for “unsportsmanlike conduct.” The Brazilian proclaimed his innocence, with his manager telling MMAFighting.com that he did not intend to hurt Pierce.
But his protests fell on deaf ears, as UFC president Dana White told ESPN.com’s Jeremy Schaap on Thursday that Palhares is now “done” in the organization:
White compared Palhares to Paul Daley, who was banned from the organization after sucker-punching Josh Koscheck at UFC 113 in May 2010. Renato “Babalu” Sobral was also fired from the promotion in August 2007 after failing to release a rear-naked choke on David Heath at UFC 74.
It was not the first time Palhares has been accused of holding a submission after a stoppage. At UFC 111 in 2010, he defeated Tomasz Drwal with the same heel hook he used on Pierce and continued cranking the submission after Drwal tapped.
In that instance, the New Jersey commission suspended Palhares for 90 days.
During a 2007 fight in Brazil, Palhares also choked opponent Helio Dipp unconscious with a rear-naked choke and then continued the grip while the referee attempted to pry him free.
This time, he secured the hold on Pierce quickly but refused to release it when Pierce began tapping. When the referee dove onto the Brazilian to break his grip, Palhares gave one last tug before releasing.
After the fight, White told MMAFighting.com that Palhares would receive extra punishment in addition to losing his $50,000 bonus. It appears that Palhares has suffered the greatest punishment of all: a permanent ban from the UFC.
He’ll join Daley and Babalu on a short list of fighters permanently barred from competing in the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion.
When Rousimar Palhares sees a knee he likes, he snuggles up to it nice and tight and takes it as his own, but after UFC Fight Night 29, it is becoming obvious that the MMA community doesn’t feel safe with a klepto on the loose.
Fighters, fans and…
When Rousimar Palhares sees a knee he likes, he snuggles up to it nice and tight and takes it as his own, but after UFC Fight Night 29, it is becoming obvious that the MMA community doesn’t feel safe with a klepto on the loose.
Fighters, fans and journalists erupted on Twitter on Wednesday night following Palhares’ 31-second submission win over Mike Pierce.
The two welterweights had been working from the clinch when Palhares sat down and wrapped Pierce’s leg up for a heel hook. Pierce, who had escaped a leg lock attempt earlier in the bout, let out a blood-curdling scream almost immediately as Palhares ripped at his knee ligaments.
His taps for the fight to end could almost count as slaps to Palhares’ backside, but the Brazilian continued to crank the hold briefly even after the referee stopped the fight.
There was tremendous outrage for Palhares’ submission, which fueled thousands of concerned and angry tweets.
UFC President Dana White obviously wasn’t happy about the incident.
After the event, UFC News posted on Twitter that Palhares would miss out on a $50,000 fight bonus for “Submission of the Night” due to “unsportsman-like conduct.” MMAFighting.com is also reporting that White is planning on dishing out additional punishments, but he wouldn’t comment on the specifics.
Palhares is denying any wrongdoing in the fight, and according to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, he doesn’t believe he deserves critics.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Palhares has faced discipline for extending his submission holds. The New Jersey Athletic Control Board suspended him for 90 days when he failed to let go of a heel hook at UFC 111 after Tomasz Drwal tapped.
UFC matchmaker Joe Silva’s job is already tough enough finding a fighter willing to step up and fight Palhares, and it will only get harder after this incident. Knee injuries can end careers, and fighters are hesitant to put themselves at risk against Palhares.
The MMA world let out a good chuckle when Jake Shields said his brand of “American jiu-jitsu” would win the battle of the grappling chops with world Brazilian champion Demian Maia.
But who’s chuckling now, MMA world? Who’s chuckling now, indeed.
I’ll t…
But who’s chuckling now, MMA world? Who’s chuckling now, indeed.
I’ll tell you who.
After reversing, out-positioning, guard-passing and generally smothering the would-be welterweight title challenger en route to a grueling split decision victory at UFC Fight Night 29, held Wednesday night in Brazil, it’s Shields.
Maia was favored on most prediction lists, but in the end, everyone who wasn’t throwing little metaphorical scraps of torn-up wager slips above their heads was standing and applauding the masterful—if not visually scintillating—effort.
So what now for the 34-year-old who finds himself undefeated (2-0) as a UFC welterweight?
Here are three possible opponents.
Dong Hyun Kim
This one makes sense to me. Both men are on great runs at welterweight, with Kim winning his own match Wednesday night with a show-stealing knockout of prospect Erick Silva.
Despite having big hands like Shields, Kim is a position grappler first and could grind out quite a nice little chess match with Shields. He would also have a lot more for Shields on the feet than Maia did.
Nate Marquardt/Hector Lombard winner
Will the Marquardt roller coaster move upward next weekend at UFC 166, or is the bottom of the drop-off not yet in sight?
If the heavy-striking judo black belt Lombard takes the victory, that’s three straight losses for Nate the Great, and Shields would be facing a sprawl-and-brawl killer in the Cuban-Australian.
If Marquardt can outflank Lombard either on the feet or the ground, he’d make an interesting and well-rounded foil for Shields, though the Shields Blanket would probably have the early edge on paper.
With Lombard, however, all bets, as always, would be off.
Rory MacDonald/Robbie Lawler winner
This might be the highest-level matchup Shields could realistically receive.
MacDonald is the phenom hovering pretty close to that near-inevitable collision with training partner, friend, mentor and welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.
Lawler is the knockout artist who has surprised plenty of observers by mowing down Josh Koscheck and then Bobby Voelker in his latest stint with the UFC.
Though Shields would hold a grappling advantage over either, neither are babes in the woods on the mat. MacDonald and Lawler both have the complete technical game and raw finishing power (especially, though not necessarily, respectively) to give Shields all he can handle.
UFC Fight Night 29 came in lackluster form, as most of the fights failed to grab interest and keep fans around the world thoroughly entertained.
However, some big shakeups came on the card. Jake Shields upended a possible title challenger, Dong Hyun Ki…
UFC Fight Night 29 came in lackluster form, as most of the fights failed to grab interest and keep fans around the world thoroughly entertained.
However, some big shakeups came on the card. Jake Shields upended a possible title challenger, Dong Hyun Kim got his first finish since his debut in spectacular fashion and Brazilians who went to the scorecards took decisions that were contentious.
What’s next for the winners of the main card though? Let’s take a look.
Following a huge win over surging welterweight contender Demian Maia at UFC Fight Night 29 on Wednesday night, grappling ace Jake Shields has his eye on the big dogs of the UFC’s 170-pound division.
The Cesar Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt…
Following a huge win over surging welterweight contender Demian Maia at UFC Fight Night 29 on Wednesday night, grappling ace Jake Shields has his eye on the big dogs of the UFC’s 170-pound division.
The Cesar Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt called out three of the top five competitors in his weight class at the post-fight media conference, even asking for a rematch with champion Georges St-Pierre, per MMA Mania.
I think (the win over Maia) puts me really high back up. Maia was ranked number four in the world (and was on) a four-fight win streak. I already have wins over Carlos Condit, Robbie Lawler, top contenders. So I want another shot at GSP … Whether I have to fight Rory MacDonald, Carlos Condit, any of the top contenders, I just want to fight people at the top right now.
While most pundits gave Shields no chance against Maia, a fourth-degree black belt in BJJ, the American fighter’s underrated sweeps and well-documented top control made the difference in the close fight.
The 34-year-old Tennessee native, who defeated Top 10 welterweights Condit and Lawler in 2006 and 2009, respectively, is now 3-0(1) in his four bouts since losing back-to-back fights to GSP and Jake Ellenberger in 2011.
As Shields pointed out, Maia entered UFC Fight Night 29 as the No. 4 welterweight in the world.
According to the UFC’s official rankings, Condit sits at No. 2, while MacDonald is right behind him at No. 3.
Given that Shields’ unanimous-decision loss to St-Pierre at UFC 129 was a lackluster affair, immediately throwing him into a title bout seems next to impossible.
Condit and MacDonald are also booked, though. “The Natural Born Killer” faces off with Matt Brown at UFC on Fox 9 in December, while “Ares” takes on Lawler at UFC 167 next month.
The best-case scenario for Shields would be if Johny Hendricks upsets St-Pierre and becomes the new welterweight champ at UFC 167 on November 16.
Regardless of what happens in these pivotal welterweight bouts, it seems inevitable that Shields, a former Strikeforce middleweight champ, will crack the 170-pound division’s Top 10 following his win over Maia.
JohnHeinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.
(Kim vs. Silva: The moment of impact, and the aftermath. / Photos via Getty)
I wouldn’t call yesterday’s UFC Fight Night event a great card, necessarily — the headlining bout was predictably slow, and the main card broadcast dragged in the middle thanks to the light-heavyweights. Still, there were enough violent, surprising, and awful moments at UFC Fight Night 29 to make it worth discussing. So let’s talk about the interesting stuff first, and work our way down to the crap.
Rousimar’s heel-hook was the only submission on the card, and would be worthy of a $50,000 Submission of the Night bonus even if there were other subs to compete with. Instead, the UFC decided to withhold the SOTN bonus due to Palhares’s “unsportsmanlike conduct,” and UFC President Dana White claimed that Palhares would receive an additional punishment for his actions. Palhares previously received a 90-day slap on the wrist** for holding a heel-hook against Tomasz Drwal at UFC 111. Maybe the next punishment will be severe enough for him to actually pay attention.
* By the way, when Palhares showed up in the cage, he almost looked like the old Palhares again. Ah, the miracle of rehydration.
(Kim vs. Silva: The moment of impact, and the aftermath. / Photos via Getty)
I wouldn’t call yesterday’s UFC Fight Night event a great card, necessarily — the headlining bout was predictably slow, and the main card broadcast dragged in the middle thanks to the light-heavyweights. Still, there were enough violent, surprising, and awful moments at UFC Fight Night 29 to make it worth discussing. So let’s talk about the interesting stuff first, and work our way down to the crap.
Rousimar’s heel-hook was the only submission on the card, and would be worthy of a $50,000 Submission of the Night bonus even if there were other subs to compete with. Instead, the UFC decided to withhold the SOTN bonus due to Palhares’s “unsportsmanlike conduct,” and UFC President Dana White claimed that Palhares would receive an additional punishment for his actions. Palhares previously received a 90-day slap on the wrist** for holding a heel-hook against Tomasz Drwal at UFC 111. Maybe the next punishment will be severe enough for him to actually pay attention.
* By the way, when Palhares showed up in the cage, he almost looked like the old Palhares again. Ah, the miracle of rehydration.
While Palhares’s victory was the most savage stoppage on the card, it certainly wasn’t the most surprising. That honor goes to Dong Hyun Kim, who was getting soundly lit up by Erick Silva until Kim ended the fight with a blazing overhand left in round two. Of course, this fight wasn’t without controversy either. Earlier in the round, Kim blatantly grabbed the fence to avoid being taken to the mat by Silva. The ref warned him about it — but didn’t pause the action or deduct a point — and the next thing you know, DHK uncorked a one-hitter quitter. Basically, it was the greatest use of an illegal fence grab since Jose Aldo did the exact same thing against Chad Mendes at UFC 142. All together, now…”YOU SHOULD ALWAYS CHEAT IN AN MMA FIGHT.” Kim is now on a three-fight win streak in the welterweight division, and earned the first Knockout of the Night bonus of his UFC career.
So let’s talk about those light-heavyweights, huh? Thiago Silva managed to save his job by beating Matt Hamill via decision, but it wasn’t pretty. Hamill started aggressively (as he often does), before fading later in the fight (as he often does). To a large extent, you can credit that to Silva’s relentless leg kicks, which jolted Hamill around the cage and stole much of his mobility. By the end of round three, Hamill was just looking to be put out of his misery. Every leg kick from Silva had him stumbling around in a circle, and Hamill was too exhausted to even stay upright, leaning over at the waist several times with his head completely exposed to further abuse. Silva landed strikes at will, but couldn’t find the strength to deliver a merciful death-blow, which suggested that Silva might have been pretty gassed himself. When the final bell sounded, Thiago Silva had staved off the reaper of unemployment, and Hamill proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he should have stayed retired.
Speaking of fighters who faded deep into the fight, Raphael Assuncao and T.J. Dillashaw earned UFC Fight Night 29′s Fight of the Night bonuses, despite the fact that the third round was eerily quiet, with both fighters (but especially Dillashaw) seemingly losing interest in attacking. Dillashaw started off as the aggressor both on the feet and on the mat, and managed to take the Brazilian’s back for a portion of the round. But Assuncao shifted the momentum in the second frame, landing more of his shots and bloodying the face of Dillashaw.
Just when Dillashaw should have picked up the pace in the decisive final round, he took his foot off the gas, steadily walking toward Assuncao but not really doing anything productive. Outside of a few counter-punches, Assuncao seemed to be cool with riding the clock out as well, which he did en route to a split-decision win. The crowd booed the lack of activity during round three, and yet this was officially the best fight on the card. Hmm. Personally, I would have given that honor to Kim vs. Silva — who doesn’t love a comeback knockout? — but maybe the UFC wanted to spread the bonus money around a little more.
Jake Shields‘s split-decision win over Demian Maia was impressive in theory, but not particularly fun to watch. We have to give Shields props for going into enemy territory and out-grappling a grappler who was supposed to be better than him. And he absolutely did that, securing more dominant positions against Maia and abusing the Brazilian with punches and elbows from the top whenever the opportunities presented themselves. The question is, will a methodical 25-minute ground battle do anything to raise Jake’s stock in the welterweight division? Short answer: Hell no. There are too many exciting contenders currently clogging up the top of the 170-pound ladder, and once again, Shields proved that his fights are not required viewing. Seven bouts into his UFC career, he’s still looking for his first stoppage victory, and he’s never been worthy of a Fight of the Night bonus. Being a great fighter means nothing if the fans and the promotion don’t care.
As for Fabio Maldonado vs. Joey Beltran…ugh, what can you say, really? Some ugly brawls are fun to watch, some are just ugly. Maldonado proved that even in victory, he can’t avoid getting his face torn to shit, and that he’ll make it a close fight even when he doesn’t have to. Beltran proved that he might not even be a Bellator-caliber fighter, although we’ll leave that to Viacom to decide.
Main Card
Jake Shields def. Demian Maia via split decision (48-47 x 2, 47-48)
Dong Hyun Kim def. Erick Silva via KO, 3:01 of round 2
Thiago Silva def. Mat Hamill via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
Fabio Maldonado def. Joey Beltran via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
Rousimar Palhares def. Mike Pierce via submission (heel hook), 0:31 of round 1
Raphael Assuncao def. T.J. Dillashaw via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
Preliminary Card
Igor Araujo def. Ildemar Alcantara via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Yan Cabral def. David Mitchell via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Chris Cariaso def. Iliarde Santos via TKO, 4:31 of round 2
Alan Patrick def. Garett Whiteley via TKO, 3:54 of round 1
For Rousimar Palhares, the decision to hold a heel hook against Mike Pierce at UFC Fight Night 29 was a costly one. 
