Joe Rogan has been with the UFC since Day 1. Thus, it is no wonder that the UFC color commentator has witnessed a plethora of scary fighters. But in a recent episode of ‘The Joe Rogan Experience,’ the UFC commentator mentioned who among them stood out. It was none other than the Brazilian mixed martial artist, Rousimar Palhares. Debuting in the Dana White-led promotion, Palhares soon became quite a phenom.
Nicknamed ‘Toquinho,’ the Brazilian was one of the most gifted fighters in the octagon. Specializing in jiu-jitsu and grappling, Palhares had one of UFC’s most dangerous leg locks.
“He was particularly scary when he fought because he was so strong and his body was so well designed for heel hooks, he could just grab your body and rip you apart, man,” said Rogan, trying to paint a visual imagery.
Unfortunately, Palhares’ scary nature made his UFC career cut short. The Brazilian was notorious for holding onto his submissions. Such an incident first happened in 2009 when ‘Toquinho’ refrained from letting go of a heel hook over Lucio Linhares.
A few years later, once again, he repeated the same thing with Mike Pierce in 2013. This was the final nail for Dana White. He immediately cut ties with the fighter and had him released from UFC. Meanwhile, behind Rousimar Palhares’ scary nature, there lies an even scarier tale of childhood poverty.
Joe Rogan Throws Light On Rousimar Palhares’ Sorry Childhood
Rousimar Palhares grew up in abject poverty in the Brazilian countryside. In an attempt to help his family, he started working in the fields at the age of 7. As he grew up, things became worse, as he had to take shelter under a bridge in a tent.
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“He came from a really really bad childhood, and he’s talked about it in depth about growing up on a farm and being forced to eat pig slop when he was a little boy. The cut he has on his chest, he had to seal that up with glue (himself),” said Rogan, further detailing his horrifying childhood.
Maybe we were too harsh on Rousimar Palhares for holding on to that sub on him (also I forgot how slick this shit was) pic.twitter.com/xGK1G315Eu
— Big_Sootah (@ULTRA_1301) December 12, 2024
However, fighting against all the odds, the ex-UFC fighter began to practice jiu-jitsu at the age of 15. Soon, his talent began to bloom, and Palhares started to compete as a professional fighter. ‘Toquinho’ earned his jiu-jitsu black belt and also won the middleweight title in the Fury Fighting Championship. Thus, despite not being able to hang around long enough in the UFC, Palhares has left behind a deep impact on the minds of many.
Also Read: Joe Rogan Becomes Japanese Translator After Kai Asakura Fails To Answer In English
