Sherdog.com’s 2015 Submission of the Year

2. Rousimar Palhares vs. Jake Shields
World Series of Fighting 22
Saturday, Aug. 1
Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino | Las Vegas
Where to begin with Rousimar Palhares? There is no denying his submission savvy, which is a unique blend of elegance and savagery. However, what makes “Toquinho” different from any other jiu-jitsu specialist -- or any other MMA fighter period -- is his stubborn insistence on holding submissions well after eliciting the tap.

The headlining match between Palhares and Jake Shields at World Series of Fighting 22 will probably have you feeling some kind of way, depending on your proximity to Stockton, California. Leading up to the event, the matchup was hailed as a clash between two of the most distinguished grappling aces the sport has to offer, as well as two of the finest fighters competing outside the walls of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. For the World Series of Fighting, a promotion pegged as the distant third biggest MMA outfit, it was a big night and a big opportunity to showcase its championship talent.

As the combatants walked out, the mood was tense, thanks in part to the in-crowd scuffle between Shields’ teammates and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s camp. When the excitement of a fight breaking out at a fight settled, Palhares and Shields were in the cage and ready to throw down. The matchup between Palhares’ slick leg locks and Shields’ seemingly impenetrable submission defense would soon commence.

Most of the first two rounds saw Shields take the Brazilian down and cinch a safe position to land shots. The ground-and-pound landed was in typical Shields fashion: It was enough to discomfort Palhares and likely take the round, but it never put Palhares in any serious jeopardy. Palhares’ bottom game was stifled, giving round one to the submission defense of the Cesar Gracie pupil.

Round two started off with more of the same, until Palhares started to find some success from the bottom -- some of it legal, some of it not. He landed elbows from his back that opened up a cut over Shields’ eyes, but as Shields began to advance into mount, Toquinho waged an assault on the Californian’s eyeballs, prompting referee Steve Mazzagatti to call a break. Palhares was given a warning and a rest, and when the action resumed, he bucked Shields off of him quickly and snagged a leg. Shields, visibly angered, defended the submission. Despite the cut and the eye-gouging, it appeared that Shields had locked up the first two rounds.

Then the third round began with a still-blinking Shields going for another takedown. Palhares worked his way back to his feet and started unloading on Shields, who dove in for another takedown. This time, Palhares allowed himself to be taken down in order to grab hold of Shields’ arm. Once they hit the mat, he cranked a kimura that reversed Shields onto his back, and from there, the tap was inevitable.

The tap came, but against Palhares, that rarely means what it is supposed to mean. “Toquinho” continued to crank Shields’ shoulder into a gruesome contortion, and as Shields tapped more vigorously and painfully, Mazzagatti intervened. Frustrated from the foul play, Shields kicked the triumphant Palhares after the fight had been called.

This was the third time Palhares displayed such wanton disregard for a tapping opponent. After getting cut from the UFC in 2013 for holding a heel hook extra long against Mike Pierce, Palhares was stripped of the WSOF title and denied his win bonus for repeating the same offense. It is a shame, really. Instead of talking about the brilliant submission that made Shields, a decorated grappler in and out of the cage, tap out for the first time in his illustrious career, the lasting impression is that of an extremely talented fighter sabotaging himself with a needlessly dirty trademark. MMA is a weird place.

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