If you keep an eye on just one fighter in the near future, make sure it’s the man known as “Toquinho,” a.k.a. Rousimar Palhares. The Brazilian native is poised to carve out a name for himself in the UFC middleweight division, as he prepares to take on Dan Henderson at UFC 88.
At a stout 5'8" inches and 185 pounds, Palhares is no doubt every bit as strong as he looks. Though he may be 28, with only nine professional fights, the future looks very bright for this Jiu-jitsu standout.
Palhares has eight wins, with six coming by way of submission, and one decision loss. All of his matches were contested in Brazil, save the most current one. Though Palhares lacks any world-class championships in Jiu-jitsu (as far as I know), on the ground, he brings an impressive array of maneuvers designed for one purpose: to make his opponent quit.
After three consecutive wins by leg locks, “Toquinho” made his UFC debut against grizzled veteran Ivan Salaverry at UFC 84. The man from Dores do Indaia finished the fight within three minutes, via a very slick armbar after taking Salaverry’s back.
It may have been one of the craftiest displays of submission skills ever displayed inside the cage. If there’s one thing “Toquinho” knows how to do, it is finish MMA fights with flair.
Making a seasoned fighter like Salaverry tap out in such a dominating fashion raised a lot of eyebrows in the MMA community. With the seemingly invincible champion Anderson Silva destroying everybody put in front of him, it seems like a tall order for anybody to enter the cage with him and stay competitive, let alone win.
Yet the popular opinion amongst many MMA fans is that it will take a Jiu-jitsu expert with good wrestling to finally defeat the middleweight champion inside the octagon. Travis Lutter and Nate Marquardt failed already, but there are many more fighters who fit the bill.
Besides Palhares, other potential middleweight contenders with an extensive background in Jiu-jitsu include Demian Maia, Thales Leites, and Ronaldo “Jacare” de Souza (though the latter currently fights for DREAM in Japan). These men all pose a legitimate threat to Silva on the ground.
But Palhares has a ferociousness that you just can’t teach, and he may very well prove to be Silva’s sternest test yet, if they ever face each other. Middleweights will be hard-pressed to knock out or ride out a decision victory against the champ, but it is entirely possible to submit him, and if anyone can do it, it would be Palhares.
First he has to get past Dan Henderson though, which is no small task in and of itself.
“Toquinho” is an absolute master of the ground game, with excellent takedowns and slams to get the fight to the mat. He favors using leg locks, with his patented heel hook and kneebar serving literally as bone-crushing finishing moves.
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