UFC on FOX 3 Fight Card: 5 Questions We Have About Rousimar Palhares

UFC middleweight contender Rousimar Palhares may be in for the fight of his life on Saturday night, as he battles Alan Belcher as part of the four-fight main card of UFC on FOX 3. Undefeated in 2011 and so far in 2012, Palhares has been on quite a run as of late and could very well see his name creep up into title contention with a win.

With three straight victories, Palhares' first appearance on network television could be what finally puts him on the map as a top-tier middleweight in the sport.

But as tough and dangerous as Palhares is, there are still very real concerns about this Brazilian submission specialist. Here are five of the biggest questions that still need to be answered about Rousimar Palhares.

Is His Striking Good Enough to Keep Him in Fights?

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few years, you probably know that Rousimar Palhares is one of the nastiest Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners on the planet, let alone in the UFC. 

There is a running joke around the MMA community that Rousimar Palhares literally takes the leg of his opponents home with him when he submits them. His violent jiu-jitsu skills have put him on another level that few could ever even hope to contest.

Unfortunately, like many specialists, his overall game hasn't developed enough for him to be considered an elite fighter quite yet. For Palhares, it's his striking which hasn't quite developed to the level that it needs to be.

Certainly he possesses the power to land some violent punches that could knock out just about anyone, but it's the technique that has been lacking. He has been working on that in preparation for this fight on Saturday night, and it will be interesting to see just how refined the accuracy of his striking has become.

Can He Beat a Top-10 Opponent?

Rousimar Palhares has been on an impressive winning streak over the past 18 months. His 3-0 record in the Octagon has included three one-sided victories including two disgustingly vicious submissions.

But he's doing it against guys who, quite frankly, have not been in his league.

On Saturday night at UFC on FOX 3, Palhares will finally be challenged again when he battles one of the hottest middleweights in the company in Alan Belcher.

While his jiu-jitsu isn't even close to Palhares', Alan Belcher is no joke. This is a guy who has the capability to beat almost anyone in the division.

Palhares is a bad man, but this will be the first time that he has been truly challenged since he was knocked out by Nate Marquardt all the way back in 2010. He'll need to be prepared to fight a very dangerous opponent if he hopes to walk out with a win.

Are His Personality Issues in the Past?

Known for his vicious, joint-snapping leg locks, Rousimar Palhares has been the talk of many UFC fight cards throughout his nine-fight career in the Octagon.

Many have forgotten already, but for those who haven't, visions of Palhares' actions during some of these bouts may forever be burned in our memories.

The first bizarre act took place when he battled Nate Marquardt in the main event of a UFC Fight Night in September 2010. After taking Marquardt down in the first round, Palhares attempted to grab his opponent's leg, only to realize that the leg felt unusually slippery.

Instead of continuing to fight, Palhares let go of Marquardt's leg and began complaining to the referee. This allowed "Nate the Great" the opportunity he needed to smash him with punches, leading to an eventual TKO.

It was later learned that Marquardt did not cheat in any way and Palhares was just being overly paranoid. He apologized for his actions, but it wasn't the last of his weird antics. 

In August 2011, Palhares fought a scrappy Dan Miller, who took the fight on short notice in a bout that many expected the Brazilian to dominate.

He was doing just that when he caught Miller with a head kick and followed it up with a big series of punches. It appeared that he was doing huge damage at first glance, but referee Herb Dean had a better view than any of us. Mercifully, Palhares stopped punching Miller and began celebrating by running across the cage and jumping on top of it. 

It was about that time when he turned around to see that Herb Dean hadn't stopped the fight yet and Miller was back on his feet, ready to continue fighting. 

Palhares went on to win the fight by unanimous decision, but it was a very weird situation and was the second time in the UFC that he had believed there was a stop in the action despite the referee never mentioning anything like that whatsoever.

We found out on Thursday that Palhares has been seeing a sports psychologist in an effort to gain focus during his fights when he told MMA Fighting's Dave Doyle the news. 

It'll be interesting to see whether this new and improved Palhares can keep his focus in the cage against a high-level opponent or if he will relapse into whatever weird mental state he was in before. 

Has He Peaked Already?

At 32 years old, Rousimar Palhares may be reaching a crossroads in his career. Sure, he's not as old as some of the veterans such as Dan Henderson or Randy Couture who have competed in their 40s, but there comes a point when an athlete's body simply begins to deteriorate. 

Science has helped the modern athlete remain in his or her prime for far longer than they ever have been able to in the past. Perhaps Rousimar Palhares will benefit from these scientific advances. But the real question doesn't have so much to do with his age as it does with his technique in the cage.

There's no doubting that Palhares is a bad, bad man. In fact, one could argue that given his tendency to injure his opponents, he might be the most feared man in the entire sport

But many would also argue that he's a bit of a one-trick pony.

In 17 professional mixed martial arts contests, Palhares has never once knocked out an opponent. 

Yes, he does technically have a TKO victory on his record from his fourth professional bout against Claudio Mattos, but a look back at the tape will show that this TKO came because of an injury Palhares forced from a heel hook. 

Obviously, this jiu-jitsu style has served him very well given his 14-3 record as a pro. Unfortunately, there is a belief that unless he develops himself more as an overall mixed martial artist, he's always going to remain in this second-tier in the middleweight division. 

If Palhares continues to improve his skills, he could very well see himself fighting for a title as early as by the end of 2012. But if he remains solely a fighter who looks for submissions, he's leaving himself open to a world of hurt against guys like Alan Belcher, who can knock his head off if they are able to keep the fight on the feet. 

Is He the One to Beat Anderson Silva?

December 31st, 2004.

That was the last time that someone actually beat current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a mixed martial arts contest. The consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world has mowed through the UFC middleweight division, rarely encountering much of a challenge as he has run up an unprecedented 14-0 record in the Octagon.

If Chael Sonnen is unsuccessful in his efforts to dethrone the champion at UFC 148 in July, and Rousimar Palhares continues on the path he has been on, it seems obvious that these two Brazilians will eventually cross paths.

Ultimately, if Palhares is able to lay rest to the previous four questions on this list, the question will be whether or not he is the man to defeat Anderson Silva.

It may be a long shot, as it is for everyone else in the middleweight division, but if history repeats itself, we could be looking at a new champion.

After all, the last time Silva lost, he was submitted by a ridiculous flying heel hook from Ryo Chonan. Who better to recreate that act than the guy who seems to dream of new ways to snap his opponents' limbs every night?