Renato "Babalu" Sobral Released From The UFC

[MrHoover77]

BJ Penn held his rear naked choke on Jens Pulver at least this long. Nothing happened to Penn.

[omglollmao123]

It was that hopeless cunt, Mazzagatti's fault.

Worst Ref in MMA.

[MIKEYBINDACITAY]

The key mistakes Babalu made were not responding to the tap, but worse, not following the REFEREES COMMAND. In any sport, respecting the officiating (good or bad) is paramount.

Your defense of Babalu that he was disrespected before the fight doesn't matter. In the ring, you obey the rules AND treat your opponent as you'd wish to be treated. The hope is that everyone who steps into the ring is able to practice the artistry which is MMA fighting, and also be able to fight another day.

[MIKEYBINDACITAY]

I know it's been 2 years since you posted this, but anyway.. I believe your opinion is misguided &nd misses the point.

Dana White set the standard higher then other promotions. RESPECT THE SPORT. BE A PROFESSIONAL. You mentioned seeing similar antics in Pride & other promotions, I saw them too & was equally disgusted. UFC has simple rules. No matter what happened before the fight- respect your opponent in the ring. It's not too much to ask. (continued on next post..)

[Divinci]

wow who cares about good sportsmanship right? yeah people hold on a little longer. royce gracie does it all the time and he's a hall of famer. but come on when you hold someone out to knock them out? UFC is a business and that's why they let him go cause they dont want idiots like that in the league. get over it bubblicous should get chocked out but not cut the blood out but the air.

[anthony10307]

David Heath was way out of line wearing that T-shirt to the weigh-in, plus telling Babalu, "You're goin' down, motherfucker." And so far as your language goes: Son, just be yourself. If people don't like you if you're being yourself, fuck 'em! Fuck 'em against the wall - with handcuffs on, and Krazy Glue on their lips! Fuck 'em! (I guess that gives it away as to who my favorite fighter is!).

[chefry207]

I agree with you man, your point is spot on in my oppinion. Babalu is my favourite fighter in all of mixed martial arts, so I might be a bit biased but Babalu was fucking HANDLING Heath, the fight should have been stopped when Heath was mounted the blood in that fight was a horror movie. That anaconda choke was one of the sickest submissions I've ever seen and I mean that in a good way, he is one of the most talented 205ers out there, and this is the ufc BIGGEST mistake. Babalu p4p best.

[MMAheavymetal]

Your completely right man, i fucking love babalu and have been watching him since i was young, i think this realease is going to end up working out much better for Babalu, he's got his deal with Affliction, where-as UFC lose a great fighter.

[defrow16]

I Agree, However don't feel bad for Babalu! It got him out of his slave contract with the UFC. He's a friend, and is much happier without the UFC. Heath needs to have respect. Now watch him destroy Southworth.

[adamant12345]

Gotta say i disagree. On one hand the UFC has to deal with politics and all the contention that has plagued it since its early days and that kind of thing can cause trouble for them.

More importantly I think there's a certain amount of trust that is placed on an opponent when entering the ring. MMA is "potentially" dangerous and if fighters think they can pull any shit they like it IS dangerous.

It sucks that we won't get to see such a good fighter for a while, but its sobral's fuck up.

[sammyiguana222]

I have to say you're wrong man. Babalu's whole point was that he wanted to teach Heath some respect? By that logic, someone needs to teach Babalu some respect. What Heath did by wearing the tshirt with Babalu's mugshot and talking smack was unprofessional and clearly stupid, but Babalu looks just as bad now for choking him out after the tap. I'd say it was a good call by Dana booting him out, he's obviously a punk.

[javig26]

this dude is so right.... babalu deserved to be in the ufc but he made close to 100 G's on the afflcition event so i guess it worked out.

[martchart]

if babalu was american he would be fighting in the ufc again!! he does it for a b level fighter jesse taylon why not for babalu

[zoocrewsk8er]

Jesse Taylor was drunk..yes what he did was not good for UFC's image...but he sure did not disrespect another fighter and a veteran ref. Steve Mazagati

[carneyfolk1]

I think it is a little harsh for babalu to get released from the ufc but at the same time what nobody has mentioned is that babalu held onto the choke until heath passed out intentionally. He admitted that. I like babalu but you cant let someone behave like that in the octagon. Especially when the reason was that he was offended by heaths comments and shirt. So to me its hard to say if it was just or unjust. Sorry

[patsky123]

he did that because in the changeroom David Heath called him a "motherfucker", and was running around with a shirt making fun of his mugshot, and he didnt take that too well. he said "David deserved what he had coming"

[choctawdragon]

I agree. He held the choke for about 2 1/2, 3seconds. I just don't think it was enough to release him from the UFC. People deffinatly make it seem like he held it for 7 or 10 seconds after heath tapped. I've seen alot of guys both in the UFC and other organizations hold submissons on for just as long or longer.

[magicadd]

the t-shirt thing happened plenty of times before that fight i mean ortiz is famous for it!!! but there is a point where mma fighters have to make the boundry between the fight and outside the fight i mean look at fighters like the lads from the lions den against tito i mean they kept their cool and confined it to actual fights and their rivalry was WAY more intense than heath/babalu...

[lg6400]

good call!

[djcre8ive]

I agree man .. look at BJ Penn and Jens Pulver II .. BJ didn't let go right away .. I don't see what the problem is! Babalu's a bad azz fighter 2! I wanna see Shogun Babalu 2!!!

[jasonofsepsis]

personally, i loved that fight and what babalu did is what fighters do to up and comers who need to learn respect. that has always been part of the fight game. it was probably a "threat by example" to the rest of the fighters. that is probably the result of disrespecting the refs desicions.

[ASJChaotic]

I agree with you man, that was total BULLSHIT

[UfatmeSkinny]

heath was out as soon as he started bleeding, if the ref did his fuckin job he should of called it

[rplende]

I think they should make Dana White fight Fedor Emelianenko in a steel cage. If Dana wins (hahahaha!!!!) then Fedor must join UFC. If Fedor wins Dana White has to stop acting like a dictator and free the fight sport up a bit.

[UfatmeSkinny]

yah, dana's got to stop being a bitch and let renato back like wtf

you can tell he couldn't tell wtf was happening when he put heath in the anaconda choke.

[wosackslice]

yeah dana is a coward

[Zildo420]

completely agree bro, that was one of babalu's best performances inside the octagon..bullshit to let him go and take $25g's from him..at least give the man submission of the night bonus bc that was a nasty anaconda choke

[madmikeF]

yup I agree. That fight was a while ago. From what I remember it was a fun fight to watch and babalu fought well and I didn´t think that he held the submission too long.

[bostrike1]

Oh yeah and that ref was probably somewhat to blame as well for encouraging the level of aggression in that fight. The fans still needed to see an athlete fired for refusing to fight with sportsmanlike conduct imo, but the ref should also get rapped on the knuckles for not having that cut checked out. Even the announcers were questioning that.

[bostrike1]

Whether you guys that don't mind the bloodlust aspect want to admit it or not, decisions like this are going to help bring MMA to a wider audience, and in so doing, will drastically increase the level of talent at the top end of the sport. It is a good decision. If you want blood and grudge matches, you will have to be happy with bar brawlers like Tim Silvia. If you let the sport mature for a wider audience, we'll get more athletes like GSP. What do you really want, blood or a mature sport?

[Vinny0687]

does anyone know wat happened at the weigh in, i hear heath had a tshirt with babalous mugshot, is this because he was in prison? is there an footage of the weigh in?

[SadieDammit]

Anyway, for those who are interested, he's signed a three fight contract with XCESS.

[SadieDammit]

I don't think they made it out to be the worst thing ever, but they can't condone deliberately harming someone beyond a tapout. The refs are there to be obeyed and to protect the fighters.

[JoeyTribiane]

They kicked Tim Silvia and Stephan Bonnar out of the UFC for steroid use, which I think is much worse than this, and they're both back. I agree with you, Warlovski.

[Karatejin]

A $ 25.000 cut would be more reasonable. But cancelling his contract was too stupid.

[RideTheLightning1989]

It's a good thing was suspended. It was a bitch move and I'm glad Liddell kicked his ass TWICE!

[madatgravity1984]

Yeh the fight should have definately been stopped before it even got to the choke. Had the referee done his job properly in the first place this wouldnt have happened. And if he was to be punished then his penalty fine was defo enough!

[abdiver12]

I agree, cancelling his contract was too harsh. Giving him a 25,000 hit and a warning would have been good enough. If it was an armbar or kimura, then yes, cancel his contract but not for a 4 second extra choke.

[BadBoyBabalu]

ufc r saying shit like what if it was an armbar what if it was a leg lock i mean come on babalu is highly trained in bjj & noes if he held a leg lock or armbar longer some serious damage would b done he also noes that if u hold a choke the most that normaly happnes is they pass out & i no this because my instructor eddie kone choked me out 4 a demenstration so like the ufc r being a little harsh but babalu will b bk in due time

[BadBoyBabalu]

babalu is going 2 b welcome bk 2 the ufc once he has sorted out some personal issues according 2 dana white

[DarcSyde]

i would say the press has dana by the balls right now. the press blew everything out of proportion, whats dana to do?

good vid, im not so angry anymore bout the situation, mainly because time has passed and i got over it :p

[Meodread]

ufc being overly concerned about public image

this might be better for babalu though cuz, he will get signed to fight instead of his possible suspension

[ByronGiant]

Babalu is not to be fucked with. David Heath obviously thought he was a tough guy. End result is weak men losing their shit behind their desks.

Ps. Next time please turn the chime on your email off lol.

[jandjenterprises]

In my opinion, that fight should have been stopped after the 10th pint of blood leaked out of Heaths head! The reason Dana White let Babalu go is simple, the UFC is slowly becoming just like the WWE. The choke was TOO real for some people and Dana felt that HE had no control over things! Mr. McMahon anyone? Rampage knocks out Chuck with a ghost punch? Randy beats a giant at 44? Some fat bastard beats GSP? Give me a break!!! Goodbye UFC, it was fun while it lasted.

[brippie]

Lol, that's the most stupid thing I read totday...though in your defence, I haven't read any conspiracy theories today. UFC is like WWE because the fighters you wanted to win did not win ? Good reasoning dude. And check Quinton's punch on Chuck again, that is no ghost punch.

[hattrickhockey17]

none the less good video, and hope i didnt offend you any, keep up the good vids, you do a good job

[hattrickhockey17]

Babalu at the end of the fight admitted to holding the choke on longer, then he said he didnt, my opinion is that it was overplayed, but it was unecessary how his reactions, and i think the issue couldve been resolved easier.

[hattrickhockey17]

im doing a vid response, there have been these incidents in the past, and i agree this was overplayed, however mma is not a street fight, and many fights have been about fighters personal backgrounds, and it hasnt resulted in a blatent action like that, this is something that not only hurts the image of mma, but doesnt resolve anything

[hattrickhockey17]

i would def agree with ur opinion, the thing i saw and i think what the commission ruled on was the fact he was staring mazagatti straight in the eyes, even though it was only 2-3 seconds, i think personally that half his purse was the right move, and it shouldve been a 6 month suspension, not firing him, he would have no income and im sure he would learn his lesson

[jdak86]

I think Dana did the right thing by letting him go, who cares if heath was talking shit, its part of mma you play mind games to try and throw your opponents game off. Sobral has been in the game for awhile and you know how it works. what if babalu had him in an arm bar he could have broken his arm and maybe even ended his career. theres no need for that shit.

[mpukas]

Babalu ignored the referee's command and intentionally tried to hurt his opponent after he tapped. He should be fired. The UFC is professional and what he did was not ethical. If he has a beef w/ Heath, it does't justify dangerous actions. The UFC has rules to protect fighters' well being. he's lucky if he fights big again. Anyone that picks him will do it for the publicity that follows controversy.

[mrmasatoman]

free babalu

[zamplu]

Right on - put Babalu back!

F*ck Dana - he is a punk.

[hattrickhockey17]

i have to say half his purse getting taken was the right thing to do, but firing him i think was a bit to much, maybe a 6 month suspension, none the less whats done is done.

[diffun]

fuck! return babalu to ufc. he is great fighter maybe suspend but release a contract. that is mathafucka to dana white and entire ufc management.

[travesham]

I'm probably going to post a video as to why I agree and disagree with some of the points you made. Good video though, while some people might dismiss your argument as ignorant because of the language, you've thought out your points well.

[cock9696]

its such crap , plus there have been ppl getting ktfo completely and the other guy continues to punch his face

[Super8hypnosis]

i agree with you no one complaind when so called future hall of fame and greatest welterweight of all time matt hughes held the choke on frank triggss

[slyrock666]

, suspend him or something but to terminate his contract! that suxs! and i disagree with messiahuk , i think babalu is an extremely exciting fighter with some of the best submissions i've ever seen in the ufc. mazzagati should have stopped the fight when all that blood started to pour anyways. From a spectators perspective that was an awesome fight cuz lets be honest it's a blood sport.

[titohavana]

free babalu FREE BABALU, FREE BABALU.... 100% .SUPPORT BABALU

[carnalphilosopher]

I completely agree w/ you. This happens all the time. Blood runs hot when it's a fight and you have to expect this type of thing.

[ChaosVidal]

I agree with you totally

by the way, to all the fucking bleeding heart weaklings who have never participated in a fight or an mma match....

THIS IS FIGHTING!

you will see this in fighting, and if you think it is wrong to see someone get choked....DONT WATCH! because you dont know what fighting is!

[ChaosVidal]

by the way, here is my first mma fight....the referee waits entirely too long to call the match, and my opponent is visibly unconcious, but I did not know this, I was fighting for the win, holding onto the choke for the win....should this referee have been fined, or released? NO! brutal things happen in fighting, this is fighting

[howmonster]

To add to what I said, it is harsh, since similar things have happened in MMA. Fighters have thrown strikes after being stopped by the ref (Gomi?). Strikes to a defenseless opponent can do more damage then 3 seconds of a choke.

[howmonster]

Babalu is stupid. He's a professional athlete. If he just kept the truth to himself and said "I didn't feel the tap, and i didn't feel the ref", he would have been given the benefit of the doubt.

Anyway I've been watching Babalu's old fights against Shogun and Fedor and some others. He's the kinda guy who puts up a good fight against anyone, and it's sad to know that we won't be seeing him much anymore.

[MessiahUK]

Sorry to post three times in a row but I've just read that Babalu' purse was halved by the Nevada State Athletic Comission, not the UFC. I guess the UFC has to show it's displeasure in some way and being that Babalu is no longer the draw that he once was, it was a convenient time to let him go.

[sammy1995]

The ref should of called the fight when he was beating heath's face to a pulp(when the blood was spraying).Heath looked like a dying animal, but the ref didn't call the fight and was quite passive in notifying babulu to let go. Like in Pride fighting, the refs will sometime throw or push the agressor fighter down who doesn't stop striking.

[adolson]

I saw the video, and he definitely was punishing Heath. I don't like either of them, but at most, he should have been maybe fined and suspended for a short time, but to boot him out altogether? That's just ridiculous. It's OK to punch people in the face, smash them until they pass out even, but don't hold the choke for a couple seconds extra? Question for Dana White: "Do you want to be a fucking fight organization?"

[LastingImpressionsPR]

Do you think he would have let go if it was an arm lock? or do you think he would have broken his arm? If your Dana White you can't afford to keep a guy who is going to endanger other fighters. It's bad for the sport.

[MessiahUK]

We don't need stuff like that happening in MMA, choking people is dangerous, if he died you'd be singing a different song and it'd give the media more ammunition. It's not like Babalu has been that impressive in the UFC, it's not much of a loss.

[Warlovski]

I agree but, i dont see how you're going to die from being in a choke hold for roughly 2 extra seconds.

Yeah, its classes to hold onto a choke or any submission hold for that matter, but as I said, I've seen WAYYYY worse.

[MessiahUK]

I've seen way worse too and I don't agree with those either. It's just that MMA is still a new sport, some people want it banned, choking IS dangerous, check the net for info. You can't give the haters any more reasons to ban it than they do already. You'll see what I mean when MMA has it's first in ring/cage death. I'm sure it will happen eventually.

[MessiahUK]

I don't agree with Dana White' attitude on most things, he puts his fame/image before the sport too much but like on the last TUF when the fight broke out round the fire, he said that MMA doesn't need that image as it will hurt the sport in the end, damn right!

[SPQQKY]

It is only dangerous if you hold on for quite a while, like 20 seconds or more, this keeps the blood from flowing to the head, which obviously wasn't a problem as you could see the blood gushing from his head during the choke. No one cried this loud when BJ Penn did it to Pulver, so why go after Babalu like this? It's utter BS!

[mindsouljah]

agreed

[virindi73]

dido!

[Warlovski]

I might be misunderstanding your comment.

But I am against the release.

[themiz2003k]

I wouldn't go as far as to say i would hold a choke on long, but it IS stupid he got released. Dana White previously said, however, he was thinking of releasing babalu anyway.

[Warlovski]

Oh really? I never heard that.

But still, it's still the fact that

people made it out to be something

super terrible that pisses me off.