Fabricio Werdum says he didn’t want to pull a Rousimar Palhares against Renan Ferreira at PFL 3

PFL heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum talked about the phantom tap by Renan Ferreira, saying he didn’t want to pull a Rousimar Palhares.

Werdum lost via a first-round TKO after Ferreira landed a number of hammer fists on him from top position and finished him with ground and pound. However, replays after the fight showed that a triangle choke that Werdum had locked in moments earlier had caused Ferreira to tap out. The referee didn’t see the tapout and the fight continued, with Werdum losing by knockout. Considering what it means to win and lose in the tournament for the $1 million dollars, this is a big loss for Werdum and he is filing an appeal with the commission.

Speaking to Combate following the fight, Werdum once again criticized Ferreira for not accepting defeat, saying that the only reason he even let go of the choke was that he didn’t want to pull a “Toquinho” aka Rousimar Palhares and injure his opponent by holding the submission too long.

“The moment he gives up the fight, due to my nature and my whole career, I have to let go. As it was with Gustafsson (in the last fight in the UFC), who hit and let go. How it was when Fedor (on Strikeforce) hit just once and I already let go. It’s normal. Or do people want me to be like Toquinho, until I break my knee, break everything? I don’t think so, we know that we have an honor in the world of fighting. Renan is a very young guy, 31 years old, he’s starting his career, and I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, but I thought he was a slut. I’ve seen some testimonials from him saying that it didn’t hit, but we can see that it wasn’t quite like that. It was a shame on Renan’s part, really. If he were a real man, he would admit he hit,” Werdum said.

Do you think the Fabricio Werdum vs. Renan Ferreira result should be overturned?