It’s rare that fans actually root for a particular fighter to fall victim to a brutal knockout.
But Rousimar Palhares’ repeated and remorseless affronts in the cage have resulted in him filling that role.
Palhares has been dubbed by many as the dirtiest fighter in MMA for a number of offences based around holding on to submissions long after his opponents tap out.
Palhares was dropped from the UFC payroll in 2013 after he held on to a heel hook on Mike Pierce for several seconds after Pierce had submitted.
The thickly muscled Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt then went on a vicious tear in World Series of Fighting, beating Steve Carl, Jon Fitch and Jake Shields, but his nasty habits followed him and he was let go by WSOF after, again, failing to let go of a submission on Shields last August.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuUqoqgwoiQ
It came as no surprise then that his brutal defeat to Norway’s Emil Meek at Venator FC in May was celebrated by many in the MMA community as evidence of karma showing itself in the cage.
There was a similar reaction this weekend when Palhares suffered back-to-back knockouts on the European stage.
Relatively unheralded Polish middleweight Michał Materla was tasked with facing the ligament-ripping behemoth at KSW 36 on Saturday night.
Materla came out on top in devastating style as he arced a crunching uppercut into Palhares’ jaw early in the second round of the main event.
https://twitter.com/GrabakaHitman/status/782325118441758720
Palhares went limp and it was a popular result among fans who felt that the 36-year-old was deserving of a little justice given the lack of sportsmanship he’s shown over the years.
I love watching Rousimar @ToquinhoMMA getting knocked the f out. No honour. Vai se fuder.
— BluntC4ctus (@K4ktusC4ctus) October 2, 2016
https://twitter.com/downiesunbrown/status/782395355409158144?lang=en
As much as I don't like seeing people getting KO'd, that's karma, bitch @ToquinhoMMA 🖕
— Gary (@SpoutHandle) October 2, 2016
https://twitter.com/ltdlawless/status/782453226385842176?lang=en
https://twitter.com/mrdc89/status/782499780056518656?lang=en
