Shields: Palhares is a dirty, mentally weak bully
Jake Shields: “Rousimar Palhares is an amazing fighter, he bullies people around, but he’s also kind of weak mentally. You can see in that fight how he just quits.”
World Series of Fighting welterweight champion Rousimar ‘Toquino’ Palhares and challenger Jake Shields took part in a media conference call Thursday. Palhares is on a three-fight win streak. All wins were by leg lock. None of his opponents – Jon Fitch, Steve Carl and Mike Pierce – have fought since.
Shields has been working on his striking, training with leglock expert Dean Lister.
Palhares is a guy I don’t really care for; He’s a dirty guy who likes hurting people then he plays the nice guy after he breaks their legs, said Shields to Mike Bohn for MMAjunkie on today’s WSOF 22 media call. He’s a bad person so it makes me want to go out there and punch him. … I might not care for Palhares, but he is extremely good at leg locks.
Alan Belcher did a great job of surviving leg locks; he stayed composed and he did some very good things there, I’ve definitely been watching that. The other thing I learned from that fight is it seemed almost that Palhares gave up after Alan Belcher escaped. You see him at the end of the round, Alan gets out and you see his face just change. He quit in that fight.
Palhares is an amazing fighter, he bullies people around, but he’s also kind of weak mentally. You can see in that fight how he just quits.
I would love to knock Palhares out, and it would be nice to win that way. You never know until you get in there, but I think I do have better striking. I have better boxing, better kicks and he doesn’t like to get hit. He turns away when he gets hit so I’m going to put my hands on him.
The champion replied evenly.
It doesn’t really bother me; everyone is very good at jiu-jitsu and I know I have to have very tight positions to submit great fighters, said Palhares through an interpreter. It used to bother me, but not any more. …I think Jake Shields is pretty good, but I’m better. He’ll find out.
Rousimar Palhares fights Jake Shields at the main event of WSoF 22 on August 1, 2015 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Main Card (NBCSN)
Rousimar Palhares (c) vs. Jake Shields
Marlon Moraes (c) vs. Sheymon Moraes
Thiago Silva vs. Mike Kyle
Abubakar Nurmagomedov vs. Jorge Moreno
Jimmy Spicuzza vs. Islam Mamedov
Prelim Card (WSOF.com)
Jake Heun vs. Davin Clark
Donavon Frelow vs. Carlos Garcia
Jimmy Jones vs. Marco Simmons
Cory Hendricks vs. Julio Hinojosa
Gil Guardado vs. Pete Martin