UFC Fight Night 29: "Maia vs. Shields" from Jose Correa Arena in Barueri, Brazil, has officially concluded without Rousimar Palhares earning an extra $50,000 in bonus money (yet) because his official 31-second submission of Mike Pierce was initially ruled "unsportsmanlike."
For a complete list of UFC Fight Night 29 bonuses and awards click here.
Palhares, undoubtedly, should have been greased extra for "Submission of the Night;" however, "Toquihino" seemingly held onto the heel hook longer than necessary as Pierce writhed in agony and the referee struggled to stop the Welterweight contest in sheer panic.
But, according to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) international executive, Marshall Zelaznik, at UFC Fight Night 29 post fight press conference (watch full video replay here), Palhares is currently under investigation by the "commission" thanks in large part to outrage from company president Dana White.
His explanation:
"The commission is investigating the length of time he held that submission, so, we're pending that investigation and we're not actually issuing a 'Submission of the Night' bonus.... There has obviously been a bit of history with 'Toquinho' where he has held some submissions in the past -- he has had some controversial issues surrounding his submissions. Dana reacted very strongly to it, and a lot of the executives in the company and the commission reacted strongly to it. We've decided in the betterment of judgement to just withhold any judgement at all and I suppose that if the commission comes back with a favorable finding that we can re-evaluate whether or not an award is given. But, right now. we're not making a commitment to it."
Palhares has a history with this type of situation. He infamously held on for too long against Tomasz Drwal at UFC 111, which resulted in a 90-day suspension courtesy of New Jersey State Athletic Control Board. There were also accusations of him doing this during fights on jiu-jitsu scene in 2007.
In fact, watch Palahares "crank" a submission out of bounds at ADCC 2011 on an unsuspecting David Avellan, while the referee yelled "STOP!:"
Does Palhares deserve more punishment than just missing out on $50,000? Or do his actions in the heat of battle -- and prior history -- somehow indicate that he is a dirty fighter who deserves another time out?
Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below. Meantime, make sure to catch up with EVERYTHING UFC Fight Night 29-related here, watch the press conference and check out highlights from what was an overall entertaining card from Brazil.