Rousimar Palhares

Rousimar Palhares, nicknamed 'Toquinho' (little tree stump) for his short, heavily muscled build, is one of the most technically gifted submission grapplers in MMA history. The Brazilian rose from abject poverty in the countryside, training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu from age 15 before moving to Rio de Janeiro to pursue MMA professionally. He earned a black belt under former UFC Middleweight Champion Murilo Bustamante and proved himself among the world's elite leg-lock specialists, placing runner-up at the 2011 ADCC under 88kg division after dispatching his first three opponents with leg locks.

Palhares debuted in the UFC in May 2008 against Ivan Salaverry, winning via armbar in the opening round and pocketing a $75,000 Submission of the Night bonus. Though he lost his first UFC bout to PRIDE veteran Dan Henderson by decision, he rebounded with victories over quality opposition, building a reputation as one of the most feared submission artists in the octagon. His submission arsenal was lethal: of his 16 submission victories in MMA, 12 came via leg locks, with the heel hook and kneebar being his preferred finishes. He earned another $65,000 submission bonus for a devastating heel hook finish of Mike Massenzio in 2012.

However, Palhares's career unraveled due to a pattern of refusing to release submission holds after opponents tapped and referees called a stop to the fight. He was suspended 90 days in 2010 for continuing to crank a heel hook on Tomasz Drwal after the tap. In October 2013, he submitted Mike Pierce in just 31 seconds with a heel hook at his welterweight debut, but Pierce tapped eight times and Palhares did not release. Dana White released him the next day, citing unsportsmanlike conduct and marking him as a repeat offender. A similar incident at WSOF in 2015 with Jake Shields, where Palhares also eye-gouged and refused to release a kimura, led to his title being stripped and his release from that promotion as well.

Palhares has since competed in smaller Italian, Polish, and Russian promotions with limited success, compiling a 1-4-1 record in the latter stages of his career. He represents a tragic cautionary tale: an elite technical grappler whose mastery of a specialized skill set and refusal to respect the bounds of sportsmanship ended his tenure in major promotions and effectively ended his career at a high level.