Rousimar Palhares suffered broken foot, ligament damage versus Hector Lombard

UFC Middleweight Rousimar Palhares was short work for Hector Lombard last weekend from Australia, and today news comes that an injury may have been a big reason why. Palhares has reportedly remained in the United States for medical issues surrounding ligament damage and broken bones in his right foot. Suffered early on in the first round, Palhares spoke to MMA Junkie to discuss his injuries:

“During the fight, my kick was working well. But soon in the first round, one of my kicks hit Lombard’s shin below his knee. I heard a snap, and I knew something bad happened. From that moment on, I started feeling my foot more and more numb and without strength to walk around the octagon. It was a very complicated situation. I went through something similar in the fight against Jeremy Horn when I broke my hand during the fight.”

Sounds like quite a debilitating injury for Palhares, who got unusually dominated last Friday. No credit taken from Lombard, who showed the strength and skill that he used in Bellator to steamroll all comers. But with the ability to walk taken away, Palhares was obviously a sitting duck against a power puncher like Hector Lombard.

Would he have suffered the same fate regardless? I personally thought that Lombard fought well but Palhares was not his normal self. Perhaps Lombard was more healthy, motivated, and just that much better, but when you’re a fighter who relies on strength and power like Palhares does, a bad foot injury will almost certainly spell doom. We’ll see where both fighters end up, as it seems Palhares will be on the shelf for some time while Lombard continues to campaign for a fight against Michael Bisping.