The UFC will not wait for the Brazilian Commission to decide if there will be a punishment for Rousimar Palhares for his lengthy submission hold as the UFC has released the welterweight fighter.
UFC President Dana White announced the move during an ESPN interview that will air tonight.
According to a tweet from Jeremy Schaap, White stated that Palhares has been released from the UFC and will never compete in the organization again.
Palhares (15-5) defeated Pierce with an ankle lock in 31 seconds, but he held onto the hold after the referee attempted to get him to release the submission.
Following White’s appearance on ESPN, the UFC issued a statement on the situation and cited that organization released Palhares after he violated the UFC Fighter Code of Conduct.
As announced by UFC president Dana White, the UFC organization has elected to terminate its contract with Rousimar Palhares based on repeated incidents of unsportsmanlike conduct violating the UFC Fighter Code of Conduct and his Promotional Agreement with Zuffa, LLC.
At UFC FIGHT NIGHT: MAIA vs. SHIELDS on October 9, 2013, Palhares won his welterweight bout against Mike Pierce via heel hook submission in 31 seconds. Pierce appeared to tap several times physically and verbally and the ref intervened physically before Palhares let go. Despite being the only submission win on the card, Palhares was denied the Submission of the Night bonus. Managing Director of International Development Marshall Zelaznik announced at the post-fight press conference that the local commission would be investigating the length of time that Palhares held the submission.
The controversy is not Palhares’ first: In 2010, the New Jersey State Athletic Commission suspended Palhares for 90 days following his heel hook win over Tomasz Drwal at UFC 111 for not letting go after the referee stoppage.
In 2012, Palhares was again suspended for nine months after testing positive for elevated testosterone after UFC on FX 6.
After the UFC released their statement on the release of Palhares, the fighters manager, Alex Davis spoke with Globo, and stated that he felt White’s decision was “a bit radical.” Davis also spoke with MMA Fighting and said his client is “perplexed” by his release.
Stay tuned for more updates on this situation as they become available.