UFC 142 results recap: Rousimar Palhares vs Mike Massenzio fight review and analysis

Rousimar Palhares had a nasty reputation for bringing an extraordinary amount of violence to Brazilian jiu-jitsu with his ability to wrench and torque legs into horrible positions.

He got another opportunity to showcase those submission skills last night (January 14, 2012) against durable wrestler Mike Massenzio on the main card of UFC 142 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

Massenzio had plenty of time to prepare for Palhares' leg attacks with a full training camp.

So why was he completely helpless against the compact leg lock specialist? And where do both men go from here?

Messenzio opened in a crouched stance with his lead leg way forward, which was a prime target early as Palhares directed multiple leg kicks his way including an accidental low blow. After the reset, "Toquinho" scored a quick takedown but couldn't keep the wrestler on his back as Messenzio popped immediately back to his feet.

His victory would be short-lived, however, as Palhares again closed the gap, grabbing a double leg before transitioning immediately into an attack on Messenzio's left leg.

In a flash, Palhares had "The Master of Disaster's" leg wrapped up tight in a heel hook and Messenzio was forced to tap while displaying intense pain on his face.

For Mike Massenzio, this fight lived up to his nickname as it truly was a disaster. He knew what was coming, but no one has nastier leg locks than Palhares right now in the UFC. No one is even close. This was more of a case of imbalanced matchmaking than anything Massenzio did wrong. He simply was not in "Toquinho's" league in terms of submissions and it showed.

Hopefully his knee isn't jacked. If he's able to recover quickly, potential opponents for the New Jersey native include Jason Miller, Nick Ring or Brad Tavares.

For Rousimar Palhares, this was perhaps the biggest win in terms of visibility in his career. He obliterated Massenzio and proved that, like Dan Henderson's big right hand, just because you know it's coming, doesn't mean you can stop it. If he can latch onto an opponent's leg, he's likely going to be taking it home with him and that has to be incredibly intimidating to his fellow middleweights.

Palhares should expect to face a top 185-pounder in his next bout as he's ready to take that next step once again. Potential opponents include the winner of the Tim Boetsch vs. Yushin Okami fight, Demian Maia if he were to defeat Michael Bisping, or perhaps Alan Belcher. It's time to see once more if he can be a potential title contender.

So what did you think Maniacs?

Was this the most unexpected result of the night for you? Was there anything Massenzio could have done differently to affect the outcome?

Sound off!

For complete UFC 142 results, including blow-by-blow, fight-by-fight coverage of the entire event as well as immediate post-fight reaction click here, here and here.