Issue 160

November 2017

Alan Belcher KO1 Rousimar Palhares – UFC on Fox 3. ‘The Talent’ dices with danger to pull off a spectacular upset win.

About five years ago, you needed big, brass cojones to dare to enter the Octagon with Rousimar Palhares.

The stocky Brazilian had earned a reputation for ruining peoples’ knees with his terrifying leg locks. Get caught in one, and you could expect to be on the shelf for at least nine months. Very few people were willing to fight him.

Alan Belcher, however, had no such fear. Not only that, ‘The Talent’ wanted to prove he was the baddest man on the ground in MMA, by initiating some mat time himself.

In order to carry out his game plan, he took himself into the sport’s most dangerous waters by inviting ‘Toquinho’ to attempt a leg lock – just so he could get into position to finish him off…

CALLING CARD

“It’s kind of a cliché, but almost every single day someone approaches me about the Palhares fight,” Belcher tells.

“I would say that fight is the one I’m most proud of. To go in there and execute the plan and get that reaction… that’s the best one for me.”

STEP 1:

Palhares threw everything he had into his leg lock attempt, but Belcher had the grappling nous to free his limb and turn away.

STEP 2:

Instead of backing away from danger, Belcher went back into the lion’s jaws and fended off submission attempts to finish the fight in a hurry.

STEP 3:

Though the Brazilian regains guard, he couldn't defend the relentless punches and elbows Belcher threw, and ref Dan Miragliotta steps in after 4:18 to end it.