Rousimar Palhares, who was kicked out of both the UFC and World Series of Fighting for failing to relinquish dangerous submission holds after an opponent tapped, took his second straight knockout loss Saturday following a brutal uppercut from Michal Materla.
The second-round knockout happened in Poland, at the latest event staged by the well-regarded KSW promotion.
It's the second bout of 2016 for Palhares (18-8), and it's probably fair to say 2016 has not been a banner MMA year for Toquinho. Seven minutes and 12 seconds of total cage time has resulted in two clean knockout defeats.
On Saturday, Materla (24-5) buried a rugged uppercut right under Palhares' chin, and Palhares immediately crumpled to a heap on the mat. As a mirror image to Palhares, it was Materla's second straight win by knockout.
In May, Palhares was stunned, literally and figuratively, by a striking storm from unknown and underdog Emil Weber Meek, who earned a clean KO in only 45 seconds under the banner of Europe's tiny Venator promotion.
For Palhares and his fans, it may be a sad sign that the 36-year-old's chin is beginning to betray him after a 12-year career. For many others, however—including several past opponents and other fighters—it may signify a dose of poetic justice.
Palhares' signature move, the heel hook, is one of the most dangerous holds in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and can easily cause knee injuries. Palhares regularly and unabashedly uses the hold, but he makes the process particularly dangerous by torquing the hold for extra moments even after an opponent has clearly submitted—and, in some cases, despite a referee's attempts to intervene.
During his time in the UFC, Palhares and his heel hook caused significant injuries to Tomasz Drwal and Mike Pierce, the latter of which earned him a lifetime ban from the promotion in 2013.
WSOF snapped him up, but apparently Palhares hadn't learned any lessons. Despite earning the promotion's welterweight title, WSOF officials suspended Palhares indefinitely after holding a kimura too long on Jake Shields. Shields also accused Palhares of intentionally raking his eyes during that bout.
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