Rousimar Palhares is one of the most dangerous welterweight fighters on the planet and this weekend he will introduce himself to the World Series of Fighting’s 170lb division. Palhares starts 2014 with a new promotion and in his debut will take on current champion Steve Carl in the headliner for WSOF 9.

This is a great opportunity for Palhares to start afresh, prove that he is one of the best in the world by winning a title and start rebuilding his reputation in the sport. One of the main things about joining a new promotion is that a fighter will have new opponents to face. A whole division stacked with hungry, talented fighters who want to climb to the top and become champion. In WSOF’s recent “Road to WSOF 9″ video Palhares said the following:

“I was approached by several organizations and had many offers on the table, but I felt that World Series of Fighting was the best option for me at the moment. Their welterweight division is very deep with top talent like Steve Carl, Jon Fitch, Josh Burkman, Tyler Stinson, Gerald Harris, and I am anxious to test myself against all of them.”

Palhares has built up a reputation for himself over the years as a dangerous ground fighter, this is due to his ability to put opponents in devastating leglocks. Although this has been an effective way for Rousimar to finish fights, the Brazilian native has made a habit out of holding on to submissions for too long and in turn he has put his opponents at risk of injury.

As such, in his last fight against Mike Pierce, Palhares did end up causing an injury after holding on to a heel hook for too long, despite the referee’s efforts to signal the end of the fight Palhares seemed to get caught up in the moment and forget to release the hold.

Holding on to submissions for too long is something that “Toquinho” has done on more then one occasion, so the Pierce incident was the final straw for the UFC, who ended up releasing Palhares due to repeated incidents involving unsportsmanlike conduct.

“I don’t have much to say about the past at this point. I am focusing all of my energy on this fresh start with World Series of Fighting and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue fighting elite fighters on an internationally televised and well respected organization.” - Rousimar Palhares

Regardless of the past I think we will see Palhares try and take the fight to the ground, after all it is his strongest area and he is very comfortable finishing fights there. However, I hope he has learned from past mistakes and remains fully aware of his opponents safety, and the referee’s instructions, when locking up a submission.

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