Perez's Take
PEREZ: Palhares's actions last night represents MMA at its worst - a fighter injuring an opponent unnecessarily
Mar 28, 2010 - 12:21:18 PM PEREZ: Palhares's actions last night represents MMA at its worst - a fighter injuring an opponent unnecessarily

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By Anwar Perez, MMATorch Columnist

Rousimar Palhares defeated Tomasz Drwal with an impressive heel hook last night. What wasn't impressive was how long he applied the hold.

Drwal tapped several times on Palhares leg, and then had to move up his body to his arm to tap out again. That means, that since the submission was applied, it took about five seconds for Drwal to tap out to a submission that should have taken one second to release had Palhares released it properly once the fighter had tapped out.

Drwal cried in agony afterward. Announcer Joe Rogan speculuated that Palhares tore up his knee and it'll require surgery. Palhares apologized afterward, saying he waited for the referee to step in but didn't mean to hurt Drwal. There was no good excuse, though for how long Palhares held that hold as even after Drwal began tapping and even after the ref stepped in, he seemed to intensity the hold.

This same thing had happened at UFC 74 between Renato "Babalu" Sobral and David Heath. Sobral had taken offense to some words that Heath had made during interviews and vowed to make a statement against him.

In their fight, Sobral had secured an anaconda choke and refused to let go once Heath had tapped. Because of that refusal, as Sobral claimed "he needed to learn respect." Sobral was released by the UFC and had $25,000 withheld from him by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Now, the question is: When is enough, enough when a fighter is tapping out due to a submission? Drwal had easily tapped but had to continue to tap just so he could get Palhares attention and get the ref to stop it. Now, is it upon the ref to notice it or the fighter to know that the opponent is tapping on his leg in essence saying "I give up, please let go."

The opponent applying the submission should release the hold when the opponent taps out, or at the very least not cinch it on harder. If an opponent is tapping out, you should oblige him and release the hold. Holding on to the submission any longer could cause career-ending damage and make your own career damaged as well.

Babalu was able to sign with both Affliction and Strikeforce, but they are not the UFC. He's not getting paid what the UFC paid him, and also, not getting the exposure he would have gotten from the UFC. He was a fan favorite who was turned on because he held a submission a little too long. Those few seconds cost him a UFC contract.

As of this writing Palhares was suspended for 90 days. It will remain to be seen what the UFC does with him internally. Fighters who hold on to holds like this intentionally are looked upon with disgust and as being bad for the sport. They represent an era of the sport that would soon be forgotten if not for the idiocy that is conveyed by these fighters.

The worst scenario for a fighter who doesn't release a hold when his opponent taps out is the referee didn't see the tapout and continues the fight. The worst scenario is you end a career of a fighter who honorably tapped out. The burden falls on the referees to be in position to end a fight quickly.

But last night was the worst case scenario - a fighter tapping for two seconds before the ref stepped in and an opponent cinching on the hold harder for several seconds even after the referee stepped in. That's unacceptable, and stiff, stern ramifications in terms of fines and suspensions is the only way to send a message to the next fight caught up in the moment to be sure he releases his submission as soon as possible.