Who would have thought that the entire Rousimar Palhares debacle would have made it to the front page of the world’s biggest gossip source: TMZ. It’s the most publicity Toquinho received in his seven-year-long career, and unfortunately the commentary from readers regarding it is always on the lines of ‘Screw that [expletive] he deserved to get cut.’
You guys are more than aware of my stance on the issue, and apparently I’m in the minority. Judging by the timecode of the fight Palhares, held his heel hook against Mike Pierce at UFC Fight Night 29 for 1.08 seconds after the ref made contact. In comparison, it’s nowhere near how long Babalu held the anaconda choke on David Heath at UFC 74, which ultimately led to his cut. After the fight, Sobral admitted that he did it on purpose to ‘teach him a lesson,’ which obviously was a clear sign of premeditation. When Paul Daley punched Josh Koscheck after the bell at UFC 113, it was widely apparent that it wasn’t an accidental blow, which resulted in a lifetime ban from the promotion.
After watching Palhares’ UFC Fight Night 29 bout nearly 30 times, it appears that he got caught up in the moment, perhaps due to adrenaline, and when he finally left his Incredible Hulk incarnation and returned to being a human, he let the sub go.
Either way, it’s clear that most of you disagree with me, so maybe it’s better that Palhares explain himself in this interview. Props to AFrontKickToTheFace for the +100 news tip.
