So long Paul Harris.
WSOF president Ray Sefo announced on The MMA Hour that Palhares will be stripped of his welterweight belt and suspended indefinitely. The punishment is the result of an incredibly filthy defence against Jake Shields in which the Brazilian fighter gouged the challenger’s eyes and held onto a kimura too long after the tap.
“Not only did he did it (eye-gouge) once or twice, he did it numerous times. And he was warned by the referee on four different occasions.”
“He should have taken a point or maybe even disqualified him after he did it four times,”
Shields is facing a six-month layoff due to injuries sustained in the bout. He injured his right shoulder, caused by Palhares’ lengthy kimura, as well as his right knee and will require orthopedic clearance on both before he can fight again. If not medically cleared, Shields be unable to compete until February 2016.
Palhares was released by the UFC for repeatedly holding on to heel hooks long after the referee had stopped the fight. His submission victories against Steve Carl and Jon Fitch in the WSOF were also highly suspect.
Sefo explained that Palhares’ persona inside the cage is very different to how he portrays himself outside of fighting. He suggested that the fighter seek help in order to right the wrongs in his game.
“I think he needs to speak to somebody and they’ll be able to tell us exactly what the issue is. When you talk to the guy outside of the guy, he seems like a very polite, very nice guy. When he’s in there, something triggers and I don’t know what that is.”
The Nevada State Athletic Commission is currently reviewing the fight and could punish both Palhares and Shields, who may be in trouble for hitting Palhares after the bell.
