Full Match: William Tackett Breaks Down His Win Over Rousimar Palhares

Known for his powerful and often injury-causing leg locks, Rousimar Palhares is one of the most feared competitors in grappling. At the ripe young age of 19, William Tackett traveled to Brazil to take on Palhares at a BJJ Bet show.

Tackett recently posted that match on his YouTube channel, along with his own play-by-play commentary.

In the match above, we see Tackett showing off his excellent submission defense, as he escaped numerous leg lock attempts from Palhares. Tackett would use those escapes to sweep and gain dominant position, racking up a 9-0 lead that Palhares would not be able to overcome.

A black belt out of Brazilian Fight Factory in Austin, TX, Tackett has been competing at an elite level since 2019, and has yet to suffer a submission loss. Shortly after Tackett’s win over Palhares, he competed at the Who’s Number One (WNO) Championships, where he would lose to Mica Galvao and Jacob Couch, but defeat Dante Leon. Tackett would finish 2021 by making to the finals of the ADCC East Coast Trials, losing to Kade Ruotolo.

Palhares is an ADCC silver medalist, but is best known for his career in MMA. He fought in the UFC between 2008 and 2013, but was released from the promotion after he refused to release a fight-ending submission in his final bout. Palhares continued to fight in other organizations, but has not fought since a 2018 first-round knockout loss.

Ben Coate

Ben has been involved with grappling, whether through wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu, essentially his entire life. After wrestling throughout his childhood, Ben found Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a young adult and quickly fell in love. He has been training for over ten years and currently holds the rank of brown belt, and remains involved in both the MMA and BJJ scene. Ben has been writing about combat sports since 2017. He has interviewed and profiled some of MMA's biggest stars, including multiple UFC champions.

Ben Coate has 1139 posts and counting. See all posts by Ben Coate