Report: $25,000 Witheld from Babalu for Extended Submission
Update: According to the UFC Sobral has in fact been fined $25,000 and may face other disciplinary action from the NSAC.
Renato “Babalu” Sobral, who defeated David Heath last night at UFC 74 with a second round anaconda choke, has had half of his $50,000 paycheck withheld after he refused to release the choke despite a tap out from Heath and pleas from referee Steve Mazzagatti:
Sobral ended up in trouble with the Nevada State Athletic Commission over not releasing the choke for several seconds after Heath tapped out. The Nevada State Athletic Commission withheld $25,000 from Sobral’s purse after the match. The grudge started the day before at the weigh-ins when Sobral said Heath used profanity at him as they had just finished squaring off for the cameras.
No fine has been sanctioned against the fighter yet but the Nevada State Athletic Commission will review video of the incident and will then decide whether to fine Sobral and, if fined, how much of his pay he will be docked.
Tags: David Heath, Renato Sobral
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Babalu is a bad ass! It's good to see him back to his winning ways. I wonder who he might fight next?
I hope Babalu doesn't get a suspension.
He needs a rematch with Chuck Liddell. Maybe Chuck can keep punching him after he is ordered to stop. People can be b****es….. its the name of the game…you need to follow the rules.
Heath showed nothing but disrespect towards babalu and he deserved what he got…he shoulda been put to sleep…however i dont agree that he had to do it cuz its things like that that make this fine sport of ours look like nothing but bar room brawls
It is good to see Babalu get back on the winning track but it sucks he felt the need to tarnish it with an extended choke. Even if someone is disrespectful to you prove it in the cage by winning, not by doing something like this.
A rematch with Chuck would be okay with me, if Chuck loses to Jardine., but I would love to see Chuck knock out Babalu for the third time in a row for his unwarranted behavior.
i bet thats a match that Dana would never back becuz of the relative ease that liddel beat babalu the first two times….its like saying lets match up tito wit ken shamrock again for the fourth time and lets see how it turns out
I just meant lets see him fight Chuck again for the principle of the matter. We all know he doesnt stand a chance….but I would like to see Chuck keep pounding him after the bell. I like Babalu but if your a professional athlete, you should have control. I mean, look at Tito and Shamrock…I thought someone was gonna get killed in them matches with all the hate they had for each other. Tito stopped everytime. Most people dont like their opponent and some show disrespect to try to get in the opponents head.
I see what you mean FixXer. What Babalu did is uncalled for; I like him as a fighter and I hope he doesn't get reprimanded any further. $25,000 fine seems like enough to me. Even if the UFC lets him go, which I don't think will he happen; he can go to EliteXC.
I was a huge Babalu fan until Saturday evening. What he did was exactly what the UFC does not need, an excuse for sport's people to drive spikes into this great growing sport. The dirty S.O.B. choked him until he was involuntarily flopping like a fish. What would have happened had he killed him doing that. He wasn't attempting to cause injury to a limb. He intentionally cut oxygen to the brain far after Heath tapped and the ref stepped in. Dana White has an opportunity hear to lay down the law here, and show that the UFC won't stand for crap like this. Get him out of the UFC, this sport is hard enough to sell to people that don't know much about MMA, Babalu hurts this sport. Sorry for rambling but it was a horrible act.
I think Babalu has already been on thin ice with his loosing record. I wouldn't imagine he has many, if any fights left on his contract, and I am sure the UFC won't sign him again. For a secound tear fighter like Babalu to pull a stunt like that very well could kill his career. RIP Renalto Sobral.
His move was not smart plain and simple even if he "deserved" it and was disrespectful. The situation will be interesting to follow but the UFC doesn't need moves like that and, even though, he is a solid talent, there are so many light heavyweights it is hard to imagine the UFC investing much time or money into him unless he proves he's a legit contender.
Keep the sport professional dont do **** like that, just caused him 25 G's if he really hates this dude he would have said you know what meet me in the alley or something after this, let em go toe to toe for reals
For a fighter with so much talent, Babalu needs to learn how to be a professional, inside and outside of the ring. What he did reinforces negative stereotypes with MMA (ie. destructive cockfighting in a cage).
The disrespect or dissing before a fight is part of the game and promotion. Unfortunately, Babalu took it way too personally. His past actions inside and outside of the ring proves he doesn’t deserve to fight in the upper echelon of MMA.
I forgot about the depth of Light Heavyweight talent the UFC had; thinking they needed Babalu, especially for Shogun, if Shogun wanted to avenge one of his two losses with Babalu. You made some great points Kris.
If you really want a glimpse at the depth of the light heavyweight division check out 75.ufc.com and go to the light heavyweight division. It's a great overview of the division as it is now (and coincidentally still lists Renato Sobral as a top light heavyweight fighter so take that for what it's worth).
It's good to see the UFC has or had some faith in Babalu while making the site for UFC 75. If Babalu does come back and fight in the UFC, who might he fight next?
If Babalu comes back; he is no longer an undercard fighter and has proved to be amongst the main card fights. I could see Babalu fighting guys like Jardine, Griffin, Ortiz or Machida. Anyone agree with me?