Toquinho (photo) defended himself from criticism after the fight with Shields. Photo: Disclosure/UFC
Faced with yet another controversy in which he became involved, this time in the fight against Jake Shields, Rousimar Toquinho spoke publicly about the case and defended himself from the criticism he received.
Last Saturday (1st), the Brazilian once again defended the WSOF welterweight belt, becoming the first to submit Shields. However, the fight caused controversy due to the fact that Toquinho once again took a long time to release the submission, something recurring in his career and which even caused his dismissal from the UFC.
Furthermore, the Brazilian was accused of insistently placing his fingers in Shields' eyes, something prohibited by the rules. Toquinho, however, declared that it was the North American who spoke with sportsmanship during the fight.
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“In my view, a lack of professionalism and fair play There was my opponent, who purposely punched me in the face at the end of the fight and threw objects at me while I was giving an interview. Furthermore, it was inconceivable that his trainers and cornermen tried to invade the cage to deliberately attack me”, said the fighter, in a statement issued by his press office.
I don't think it's correct for Shields to justify a legitimate defeat with this argument. Every MMA athlete must know how to respect victory and defeat, and not try to debate situations that had no impact on the outcome of the fight. (…) I surprised him with a kimura in a very technical movement, which many wouldn't have imagined could happen. Yes, that is what should be exalted by the media”, continued Toquinho.
The Brazilian, however, acknowledged that he needs to work more on the time it takes to release his submissions, but also stated that the referee could have intervened more quickly. “This is something I have worked on a lot, I am humble enough to admit the things I need to improve. However, I understand that the referee could have been better positioned and could have intervened in a better way. I'm not a malicious person, if I were I could have, in fact, broken Shields' arm. I have enough strength to do so, however, about 1,06 seconds after the referee's contact I had the reflex to release the submission and celebrate the victory. Each athlete has a different adrenaline rush, the reflex movement of my body when feeling the judge's touch is clear in the video, I didn't continue to increase the pressure or adjust the blow, I simply let go of my arm”, he argued.
Due to all the events, Toquinho ended up having his belt taken away and was suspended indefinitely by the WSOF. “I don't agree with the decision to be suspended and punished by losing the belt, but I have to accept it. We are subject to this when we sign a contract to participate in a show. What I don't accept is being called a dirty fighter. (…) Finally, I would like to say to Mr. Shields that all this drama is not necessary to have a rematch. I accept any challenge with you. This time, I won’t give you opportunities to complain, as I will knock you out,” he added.
Check out Toquinho’s note in full:
In order to maintain the respect and transparency necessary for the full understanding of all those who, united, recognize the value of sport and the tolerance that sport can provide, with the Brazilian and global MMA community, I come to the public to recognize and clarify the doubt generated due to the interpretation of the facts that occurred in my fight against Jake Shields, last Saturday (1), in Las Vegas (USA).
Firstly, I would like to express my opinion regarding professionalism and fair play. Lack of professionalism and fair play, for me, is when an opponent spends weeks making statements in the media that he would seek to seriously injure me at any cost. I believe that there are several ways to promote a fight, but we should never encourage violence in exchange for hatred, the world is already tired of wars. If we want MMA to be a sport, attitudes like this should be curbed to promote positive values, as all professional and Olympic sports do.
In my opinion, a lack of professionalism and fair play resulted in my opponent purposely punching me in the face at the end of the fight and throwing objects at me while I was giving an interview talking about my victory. Furthermore, it was inconceivable that his trainers and cornermen tried to invade the cage to deliberately attack me.
The mixture of all the martial arts that involve MMA often does not allow the general public to have full knowledge of the complexity of the movements that we fighters make inside the cage. During the fight, Shields and I went through several moments of fighting for positions in the grappling fight, I am fully aware that, if my fingers hit my opponent's eyes, it was never intentional. Furthermore, Shields' chin hit my eyes several times, we were simply competing for every space, every inch.
It is very common in MMA, due to a miscalculation, for the athlete to be hit by kicks in the genitals, as well as in the eyes, invariably. I remind you that, at no point during the fight, did Shields request medical assistance or time to recover from a possible injury caused by my finger, which could have even ended the fight as a no-contest.
I don't think it's correct for Shields to justify a legitimate defeat with this argument. Every MMA athlete must know how to respect victory and defeat, and not try to debate situations that had no impact on the outcome of the fight.
I dedicated a lot to training for this fight, and I wouldn't risk anything to put my victory and my belt in doubt. I simply did my job and submitted an athlete who had never suffered this type of defeat in his career. I surprised him with a kimura in a very technical movement, which many wouldn't have imagined could happen. Yes, that is what should be exalted by the media.
Regarding the time to release the shot, that's something I've been working on a lot, I'm humble enough to admit the things I need to improve. However, I understand that the referee could have been better positioned and could have intervened in a better way.
I'm not a malicious person, if I were I could have, in fact, broken Shields' arm. I have enough strength to do so, however, about 1,06 seconds after the referee's contact I had the reflex to release the submission and celebrate the victory. Each athlete has a different adrenaline rush, the reflex movement of my body when feeling the judge's touch is clear in the video. I didn't continue to increase the pressure or adjust the blow, I simply let go of my arm.
I have been through many difficult situations in my personal and sporting life. I have more than 20 fights in my career, and no one will ever name a single opponent who broke their arm or leg fighting me, I have never ended anyone's career due to injury. I have never left anyone blind, or purposely stuck my finger in an opponent's eyes. This is real, these are facts.
Some outlets love a villain, be it a bad boy-style loudmouth, or someone to be labeled as the perverse side, the dark side, in the best style of Hollywood films, but that character is not me, I'm not a horror film actor, I'm just an athlete who loves jiu-jitsu. Unfortunately, the fact that I do not speak English does not allow my vision on the subject to be expressed to demystify this image that does not match the values I value in life.
I don't agree with the decision to be suspended and punished with the loss of the belt, but I have to accept it. We are subject to this when we sign a contract to participate in a show. What I don't accept is being called a dirty fighter. Throughout my preparation for this fight, Shields said a lot of things about me and my family, in addition to taking advantage of the fact that I didn't speak English numerous times to generate an atmosphere of animosity. On many occasions, the people closest to me didn't tell me about these insults, so that I wouldn't lose my concentration. This kind of attitude, yes, is a dirty thing. Using this to promote combat is regrettable. He already knew he was going to lose and tried every way to get to me. During our fight, I gave him every opportunity to show off his jiu-jitsu skills, but he didn't do anything and, as always, just tied up the fight.
Finally, I would like to say to Mr. Shields that all this drama is not necessary to have a rematch. I accept any challenge with you. This time, I won't give you opportunities to complain, because I'll knock you out.
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