Rousimar Palhares's manager reacts to WSOF's title-strip decision

Yesterday, it was announced that reigning World Series of Fighting welterweight champion Rousimar Palhares had been stripped of his title. WSOF president and kickboxing legend Ray Sefo announced the decision after Palhares' foul play in the Jake Shields fight on August 1st.

The Brazilian successfully retained the title against Shields when he locked up a kimura in the third round, but the bout was marred with controversy. 'Toquinho' repeatedly gouged Shields' eyes and held on to the submission for too long and applied extra torque to the hold after his opponent repeatedly tapped out.

The champ's unsportsmanlike conduct in the fight came as no surprise, as Palhares was released from the UFC in 2013 after holding on to a heel hook on Mike Pierce long after the referee had intervened. Mike Pierce has yet to fight since losing to the submission ace.

Yesterday, Alex Davis, Palhares' manager defended his client to MMAJunkie. Davis claims that WSOF should terminate his contract and allow him to fight elsewhere so he can continue to make a living.

"I love and respect Ray, but you cannot suspend somebody indefinitely. I have the contract, and the contract says (WSOF) shall have the right upon notice to the fighter - which we have not received - shall have the right to suspend the term for a reasonable period until the applicable issue is resolved. That is not indefinitely.

"If WSOF does not want Rousimar's services anymore, what they should do is just end the contract and we'll just part ways. What's not going to happen is they keep him under contract so that he can't go and make his living somewhere else."

If the promotion decides to cut ties with Rousimar, it's still not certain he'll be able to make money in other organisations, as vice president Abdel-Aziz claimed that the Nevada Athletic Commission have withheld Palhares' win bonus. With several MMA fighters rallying for a lifetime ban of the Brazilian, it's possible that the NAC could administer a suspension.