Joe Rogan and Theo Von dive into the bizarre reason behind UFC exit of Rousimar Palhares: "You can't do that"

Veteran UFC commentator and analyst Joe Rogan recently went down memory lane and discussed the infamous stint of Rousimar Palhares in the UFC and WSOF. Palhares, known as 'Toquinho' in the community, was one of the most feared men in sport - and not for good reasons.

The stocky Brazilian Jiujitsu blackbelt was a menace inside the cage, refusing to release his submission holds well after his opponents had already tapped. His favorite weapon is the inside heel hook, a leg lock that, if not released in time, can seriously destroy someone's knee.

Exemplifying this highly unethical behavior in multiple fights, Palhares was fired from both the UFC and World Series of Fighting (WSOF).

In a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast with fellow comic Theo Von, Rogan said (17:36):

"Do you remember Rousimar Palhares? His name was 'Toquinho' which means 'tree trunk'. That's like his nickname... He was the scariest guy of all time. Because he was all leg locks and he was built like a tank. He was like, 5'8", 185 pounds, just this f*cking ball of muscle. And he would dive on dudes' legs and just rip them apart. Wouldn't let go. Wouldn't let go of the legs...He's the only guy to ever get kicked out of the UFC [while] winning. Because he was holding submissions. They kicked him out. They said, 'You can't do that'."

Check out Joe Rogan's comments below:

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Joe Rogan cites the importance of MMA referees knowing how to fight to protect fighters from the likes of Rousimar Palhares

Joe Rogan's mention of Rousimar Palhares' bizarre UFC exit was predicated by a discussion of MMA referees' major role in keeping fighters safe. The MMA legend notes that referees have the most difficult job in all combat sports, other than being a fighter.

Their task of making split-second decisions to keep the fights fair while keeping everyone safe is insanely difficult. He also said that it's imperative for referees to have significant MMA/grappling experience to avoid fighters getting victimized by the likes of Palhares.

Rogan said (17:05):

"Most of them [referees] are massive fans. Most of them train. Like Marc Goddard. I believe Marc Goddard's a black belt in Jiujitsu... Herb Dean I know had a few MMA fights... You have to have some [MMA/combat experience]. You have to know what's going on because sometimes, especially in, like, submissions and things like that. Things get complicated real quick. Like someone not letting go of an inside heel hook."