Rousimar Palhares Avoids Punishment for Brutal Submission of Jon Fitch

Rousimar Palhares, the World Series of Fighting welterweight champion and one of the most dangerous fighters in all of MMA, will not be punished by the California State Athletic Commission following yet another brutal and controversial submission victory Saturday.

That news came Monday evening from Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting, who spoke with CSAC Executive Director Andy Foster. Though Foster said Palhares will not be punished by the CSAC, he expressed frustration over Palhares' continued and dangerous behavior in the cage.

"As soon as [the tap] touches you, he should have let it go," Foster said. "He chose to keep it going another few seconds. You can say it's the heat of the moment—I've heard that too many times from him. I don't think it's enough to punish him or anything. It's real borderline. I'm pretty mad."

Palhares successfully defended his WSOF title at WSOF 15 in Sacramento, using his signature leg lock to force Jon Fitch to submit. The controversy came when Palhares refused to relinquish the knee bar—one of the most painful and potentially destructive submission moves in jiu-jitsu—despite Fitch repeatedly tapping on Palhares' leg and screaming in pain.

The referee moved in to stop the contest but had to act fairly forcefully to get Palhares to let go.

Though it was only a few extra seconds, that's all you need to seriously injure an opponent. Fitch was unable to walk from the cage under his own power after the bout.

Palhares, for his part, seemed unapologetic following the fight:

"

I will always respect my opponents, but I'm 100% sure that I will defend my world title with all my strength #GoToko http://t.co/4ckexf9IZ3

— Rousimar Palhares (@ToquinhoMMA) December 15, 2014"

As fans know, this is not the first time Palhares has done something like this. Last year, Palhares was released from the UFC for holding a heel hook too long on Mike Pierce. In 2010, he was suspended for 90 days for doing the same against Tomasz Drwal. 

Despite Palhares' history, WSOF signed him soon after his UFC release. However, WSOF President Ray Sefo asserted there would be a zero-tolerance approach to Palhares.

After WSOF 16, Sefo offered a different assessment than the CSAC's Foster, noting in an email to MMA Junkie that he believed Palhares' submission was "perfectly clean."

It is unknown what will happen with Palhares in terms of his next opponent. It may not be surprising if WSOF has a hard time finding a willing opponent despite the fact that Palhares holds the welterweight title.

Palhares, 34, is 17-6 as a pro, with 14 wins coming by way of submission.