The Nevada Athletic Commission disciplinary process has begun for Rousimar Palhares and Jake Shields.
The NAC issued temporary suspensions Wednesday to both Palhares and Shields for their roles in a messy World Series of Fighting main event Saturday night in Las Vegas, executive director Bob Bennett confirmed with MMAFighting.com.
Amber Dixon of NBC Las Vegas broke the news Tuesday night on Twitter.
Palhares is being accused of gouging Shields' eyes multiple times during the WSOF 22 main event and also holding onto the kimura submission that won the fight too long after the bell. Shields punched Palhares after the fight was over in retaliation. Shields is facing a penalty for that, as well as for making "disparaging remarks" to referee Steve Mazzagatti after the fight, Bennett said.
Bennett called the actions of both men "inappropriate" and "unacceptable."
Palhares retained his WSOF welterweight title with the win, but was stripped of the belt and suspended indefinitely by WSOF on Tuesday, president Ray Sefo announced on The MMA Hour. WSOF will wait to see what the NAC does before taking further action. There is also a chance the bout will be overturned into a no contest. No decision has been made about what to do with the title yet, either.
This is not Palhares' first rodeo when it comes to holding onto submissions after the referee breaks up the action. He was cut by the UFC for doing that to Mike Pierce in 2013 and suspended in New Jersey for a similar action against Tomasz Drwal in 2010.
The matters regarding Palhares and Shields will be brought up at the next NAC meeting Aug. 13, but Bennett said the two men will likely have disciplinary hearings at the September meeting.