Palhares tapping Pierce (photo via UFC / FOX Sports)

By FCF Staff

Rousimar Palhares will no longer be competing in the UFC, as a result of not immediately releasing the heel hook he used to defeat Mike Pierce at UFC FN 29, but it remains to be seen how long the latter will be sidelined.

Following the bout, Pierce was handed a six month medical suspension from the Brazilian commission (or pending clearance from a doctor), but the extent of his injury is not yet known. The experienced wrestler said on the latest edition of “The MMA Hour” that he has a MRI scheduled for Tuesday and that:

“I felt it pop a couple of times, once in my ankle, and once in my knee, but the MRI is going to be the determining factor,” Pierce said on the program. “I felt it [pop] after the ref was already on top of us and I was tapping the ref. So it was long after the fact.”

Pierce had won four straight fights heading into his fight with Palhares. The loss dropped the 33 year-old welterweight’s record to 17-6.