10 Biggest Controversies In UFC History

6. Rousimar Palhares

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuUgl2gldCE We have already discussed fighters being unjustifiably cut from the UFC roster but if ever there was a man who deserved to be given the boot it was Rousimar Palhares. We say given the boot, but Palhares actually received a lifetime ban at the end of 2013. The Brazilian is one of the few mixed martial artists who €“ not dissimilar to a WWE wrestler €“ has built up a reputation for having an actual finishing move. Of his 16-career-wins, an impressive 13 have come through his horrifying heel hook submission. While this is all perfectly legal as per the unified MMA rules, Palhares fights with such intensity that he very rarely lets opponents go when they tap-out, forcing the referee to pry their ankles out of his ridiculously strong grip. This is clearly extremely bad conduct with any submission technique but leg-locks of any kind are particularly dangerous. A moment can be the difference between walking out of the cage and sustaining a career-ending injury. It is for this reason that leg-locks are banned from most amateur MMA promotions. After Palhares was dropped from the UFC he was quickly snapped up by the World Series of Fighting where he now resides as the Welterweight champion after beating Steve Carl with yet another heel hook. Even on this occasion there was a small delay between the referee grabbing him and Palhares actually stopping the hold.