Rousimar Palhares’ return to MMA on Friday did not go well.
The polarizing former UFC contender and WSOF welterweight champion suffered a first-round knockout loss at the hands of Ibragim Magomedov in a middleweight bout at ACA 140 in Sochi, Russia. Palhares was dazed by a hard right hand just two minutes into the contest before getting put away by a barrage of lightning-quick follow-ups from Magomedov. The official time of the stoppage was 2:10 into Round 1.
Watch the finish below, courtesy of the legend Caposa.
Ibragim Magomedov stops Rousimar Palhares with a straight left to the jaw and a flurry of punches in R1#ACA140 pic.twitter.com/0ifUp1r0lV
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) June 17, 2022
It was Palhares’ first MMA bout since December 2018. The 42-year-old Brazilian has now lost three consecutive bouts via first-round knockout while fighting for Russian promotions.
Palhares is likely best known for the controversy surrounding the ends to both his UFC and WSOF runs, which were precipitated by his refusal to release submissions in a timely manner after his opponents had tapped out, particularly with leg locks. The controversy contributed to his WSOF title being stripped in 2015 as well.
Palhares is just 1-5-1 in his seven appearances since his WSOF release.
With Friday’s win, Magomedov has now won four of his last five bouts.