Palhares joins new fight: to rebuild his reputation

An impressive 45-second victory over Tomasz Drwal in March should have been a glorious moment for Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight Rousimar Palhares.

Instead, his actions for a few seconds at the end of the bout might have placed a negative label on the Brazilian.

Palhares, 30, has seemingly perfected the heel hook, a type of leg lock applied by twisting the foot of an opponent to put pressure on multiple joints. Drwal became the fifth submission victim of the move in Palhares’ last eight fights.

But when Drwal tapped out, Palhares did not let go. He continued to put pressure on Drwal’s foot as the referee rushed in and tried to break the hold.

The incident prompted accusations that Palhares is a dirty fighter, but he says it was a matter of confusion, that he didn’t feel the tap and held on to the hold until the referee stepped in to prevent any misunderstanding.

New Jersey, the site of his victory over Drwal at UFC 111 in Newark, disagreed. The state athletic commission suspended Palhares for 90 days.

Palhares said he was more bothered by the hit to his image than the sentence.

“The only thing that upset me was that I saw a lot of people saying and implying that I am somebody that I’m really not,” he said through a translator. “I had no intention to hurt anybody.”

Palhares will get his first chance to repair his reputation Wednesday when he takes on Nate Marquardt in the main event of Ultimate Fight Night 22 in Austin, Texas, a card that will air tape delayed on Spike TV (Cox 29) at 8 p.m.

Palhares had to wait longer than expected to return to the cage. This bout was scheduled for UFC 118 in Boston last month but was moved when the Austin card needed a replacement main event.

Palhares said he’s excited to go against a fighter with Marquardt’s grappling skills.

“The fact he has a black belt in jiu-jitsu means he will accept to play that game with me, and I find it easier when I fight people with that kind of a background,” he said.

The card, which includes a lightweight matchup between Efrain Escudero and Charles Oliveira, serves as the lead-in to the premiere of the new season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” featuring coaches Georges St. Pierre and Josh Koscheck.

Drwal, who appeared badly injured by Palhares in March, also fights on the card against Dave Branch. Tests showed no structural damage to Drwal’s leg.

■ BARNETT SIGNS — Former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett has signed a multifight deal with Strikeforce, the organization announced Monday.

Barnett, 32, last fought in the United States in January 2009 and was largely blamed for the downfall of the Affliction organization last year. Barnett was scheduled to fight Fedor Emelianenko in a main event in Anaheim, Calif., but tested positive for steroids 10 days before the card, causing it to be canceled.

■ SHARK FIGHTS RECAP — Former UFC light heavyweight contender Keith Jardine on Saturday lost his fifth consecutive fight, and first since being released from the UFC, dropping a split decision to Trevor Prangley in the main event of a Shark Fights pay-per-view card at Amarillo, Texas.

Houston Alexander knocked out Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou in a matchup of former UFC fighters. Also, Paul Daley and Danillo Villefort won by unanimous decisions.

■ TUF FINALE CONFIRMED — As expected, the UFC will host “The Ultimate Fighter 12” finale card at the Palms on Dec. 4. It will be the organization’s first card in its home state since UFC 116 in July.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.