Rousimar Palhares, better known by his nickname Toquinho, is a professional mixed martial artist (MMA) from Brazil. Rousimar, who competes for Team Nogueira, is renowned for his submission techniques. He has fought in 28 battles over the course of his career and has won 19 of them. The majority of his victories have been from his exceptional submission and grappling abilities. Known for his Brazilian jiu-jitsu, GJJ, and Luta Livre techniques, he is one of the few men in the mixed martial arts community who can terrify their opponents prior to the start of their respective bout. He has formerly competed in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, and he currently competes in the welterweight class. In the arena, Palhares has always exhibited an aggressive and somewhat reckless demeanor, and he is notorious for his longer-than-required submission holds. After his unsportsmanlike battle against Tomas Drawl, he was once banned from MMA for 90 days due to his hostile behavior.
Youth and Early Life
Rousimar Christian Palhares was born in Dores do Indaiá, Minas Gerais, Brazil on February 20, 1980. He was born into a poor family and, as a result, had to begin working on local farms at a young age.
Palhares grew up alongside his nine siblings. His family earned a living by working on a plantation. On a few unfortunate occasions, people were compelled to consume the animal feed.
Midway through his teenage years, Palhares began to watch mixed martial arts competitions. Inspired by the achievements and strength of mixed martial arts (MMA) competitors, he decided to become a fighter and began his training. Iran Brasileiro, a Pantera Negra gym black belt, instructed and coached him.
Shortly after beginning his training, Palhares began to compete in a handful of local shows hosted by the Pantera Negra gym. This strengthened his confidence, and he began to believe he could compete on larger platforms; however, in order to do so, he had to leave his home and find a professional mentor.
He relied on his gut and borrowed $170 from his brother before departing for Rio de Janeiro to chase his dream of making it great in mixed martial arts.
Palhares trained at BTT, the most renowned MMA academy in Brazil. Due to his lack of funds, he frequently slept in bus stops and under bridges. When the owners of BTT, Murilo Bustamante and Bebeo Duarte, learned of this, they provided food and shelter for Palhares.
This was a pivotal moment in his life. During his first few days of training, he attracted the attention of team owners and other MMA superstars. Eventually, he obtained a Purple Belt by mastering the Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) style with the aid of his fellow fighters.
Palhares was now participating throughout Brazil and winning numerous contests. With the prize money he won, he repaid the amount he had taken out from his brother. He also contributed to the family’s domestic bills. After establishing his reputation in BJJ, he went on to become a full MMA fighter.
Palhares mastered grappling and submission techniques after enduring months of intense training. Subsequently, his coaches persuaded him that competing in the ADCC, the most famous submission and grappling competition in the world would aid him in UFC.
In 2005, Palhares was recognized after defeating World Black Belt Champion Romulo Barral in the Brazilian trials. The critics were amazed by the fact that he won with a surrender move. Unfortunately, he was unable to compete in the finals since his visa was denied.
Palhares achieved his Black Belt in jiu-jitsu at the end of 2007. He was now prepared for worldwide competition.
Rousimar Palhares’s Career
In 2008, Palhares fought in his first international match at UFC 84, which took place in the United States. Dan Henderson, the lightweight and welterweight champion, defeated him. In 2009, he was invited to the ADCC finals in Barcelona, Spain, however, a bone fracture sustained during training prevented him from attending.
In the same year as his first UFC loss, he defeated Jeremy Horn. On December 12, 2009, he won another UFC match against Lucio Linhares.
In 2010, Palhares was suspended for 90 days for holding his opponent Tomas Drawl in a submission lock for too long. He stated in the post-game interview that he did not hear his opponent and instead waited for the referee to interfere. He also expressed regret for his misbehavior.
In 2011, Palhares was once again invited to compete at the largest grappling competition in the world. Not only did he attend the event this time, but he also competed at the highest level.
Palhares performed admirably in the weight class of less than 88 kg by knocking out his first three opponents. He finished in second place after displaying remarkable leg lock techniques. He was defeated by the veteran MMA competitor Andre Galvao, who won both the middleweight and open weight divisions.
Palhares lost his UFC FX 6 bout against Hector Lombard on December 15, 2012. This defeat compelled Palhares to drop down to the welterweight division. On October 9, 2013, he defeated Mike Pierce via knockout at UFC Fight Night 29 in the welterweight division.
On March 29, 2014, at WSOF 9, Palhares competed in his debut World Series of Fighting (WSOF) match. He defeated Welterweight Champion Steve Carl in a fight. This time, he knocked Steve out with his inverted heel technique.
In 2016, Palhares and Garry Tonon’s No-Gi match has officially deemed a draw. Many Garry Tonon supporters opposed the verdict, as the contest appeared to be lopsided. Palhares initially appeared to have an easy victory as he was tossing the much tiny Tonon around. However, Tonon proved to be a pleasant surprise by bouncing back and counterattacking to make the contest exciting and enthralling.
Rousimar Palhares’s Controversies
Palhares was suspended from the UFC after the World Series of Fighting 22 event in 2013 because he repeated his previous error. Even after the referee intervened, he refused to release his opponent Mike Pierce from a submission hold this time.
The WSOF 22 main event between Palhares and Jake Shields is arguably one of Palhares’ most controversial bouts. He was punished for repeatedly poking Shields in the eyes and for maintaining the submission hold after referee Steve Mazzagatti intervened.
Jake Shields did tap multiple times, but that simply prompted Palhares to exert additional force. He was charged with dirty play during his welterweight championship bout against Jake Shields.
Immediately following his UFC battle versus Lombard, Palhares was suspended for nine months due to a positive doping test.
Rousimar Palhares Achievements
Palhares has once won the WSOF welterweight title and twice won the UFC Submission of the Night contest.
Estimated Net Worth
Rousimar Palhares is one of the wealthiest and most well-known fighters. According to our investigation, Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider, Rousimar Palhares has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million.