UFC ban Rousimar Palhares, deny bonus for refusing to release submissions

The UFC has cut ties with middleweight fighter Rousimar Palhares due to repeated acts of unsportsmanlike conduct.

On Oct. 9, the Brazilian submitted Mike Pierce with a heel hook at 0:31 of the first round but Palhares held the hold well after Pierce tapped out and the referee tried to separate them.

In 2010, Palhares (15-5) was suspended 90 days by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board for doing the same thing to Tomasz Drwal. He is said to have done the same thing before his UFC tenure, in both MMA and jiu-jitsu competitions.

Palhares will not receive his $50,000 Submission of the Night bonus from the UFC Fight Night 29 bout against Pierce. Dana White has also made it clear Palhares is done, for good, with the organization, retweeting the following:

Palhares' manager Alex Davis said the fighter is, "very sad" and, "he doesn't get it."

"First of all, we're going to figure out what the problem is. This kid is not a mean kid. Everyone who is with him loves him to pieces. We're going to try to figure out why this happens. Why does this kid do this [expletive]? Why doesn't he just stop?"

The only response Pierce has given is to say, "I'm just really pissed off right now."