Just 12 days after being released from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Rousimar Palhares is still coming to grips with the fact that, despite being one of the best mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters and submission wizards on the planet, he will no longer be able to show off his skills inside the Octagon.
"Toquinho" was let go by the ZUFFA-owned promotion after he failed to release a ligament-tearing heel hook he had on Mike Pierce during their welterweight showdown (video here) at UFC Fight Night 29 back on Oct 9, 2013 in Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
While Rousimar is adamant he never intended to hurt Pierce, the apology has fallen on deaf ears as he'll now be forced to look for another promotion (not Bellator) to pick a fight.
And now that he's had a few days to digest everything, a "very sad" Palhares admits that he may have held on to the submission a bit longer than he should have, but did not realize it during the fight, as it was only after he watched the tape that he came to the conclusion.
Nevertheless, Palhares offered up his apologies and reiterated that he never meant to hurt Pierce during his recent appearance on "The MMA Hour:"
"No, I did not want to hurt him. In the heat of the fight I did not feel him tap. Afterwards, when I watched the fight I realized that I held on too long, but I really did not mean to hurt him. He is a fighter like I am and I know he does this for a living and I would never want to hurt him."
When asked about his past track record of holding submission too long, "Toquinho" says it's his aggressive style that's to blame but that he never has ill will in his heart, he just wants to make sure he gets the win.
He explains:
"I think it has a lot to do with my style, I am really aggressive when I go after submissions. There has been times where I do not hold on and people get out and then I lose the fight, I am the way I fight. I'm getting better and been working a lot on this, but, this is my style."
Rousimar went on to dispel any rumors that has hurt his training partner in practice, despite populate belief.
Furthermore, Palhares says that he respects UFC President Dana White's decision to cut him from the promotion and say despite having the door shut on him for now, he will try his hardest to make it back to the Octagon.
But after getting suspended by the Brazilian athletic commission for 120 days, it will be a while before he gets to fight again. Where that will be remains to be seen, but Rousimar did reveal that he has been contacted by other promotions, but refused to say who.
And despite not participating in this past weekend's (Oct. 20, 2013) Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) tournament -- thanks to having his phone shut off -- "Toquinho" says he will compete at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo next month.
How about it Maniacs, are you buying Rousimar's side of the story?
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