The UFC released veteran light heavyweight Renato “Babalu” Sobral from his contract after a questionable decision to choke David Heath unconscious despite a tapout and attempts by the referee to have him release the submission hold.
UFC President Dana White revealed the news in a conference call today to promote UFC 75: “Champion vs. Champion” that our friends at BloodyElbow.com were able to listen in on.
Here’s a paraphrased snip from White:
“It’s the fight game and anything could happen, but that had Babalu had an arm, knee, or ankle he’d never fight in the sport again. Even though he was a fan favorite, fans turned on him and he made a big mistake.”
The beef began when Sobral and Heath exchanged unpleasantries during the UFC 74: “Respect” weigh-in for the 205-pound tilt.
During the fight, Babalu sunk-in a fight-ending anaconda choke on a bloodied and beaten Heath in the second round. Heath tapped, but Sobral didn’t relent despite verbal and physical commands from the referee in charge of the action, Steve Mazzagatti.
Heath eventually went to sleep.
It’s important to note that Heath suffered no ill effects from the choke. Regardless, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) withheld half ($25,000) of his purse ($50,000) following the bout to review the tape and determine whether or not disciplinary action is required.
No decision from the NSAC has been made at this time.
In post-fight remarks, Babalu was quoted as saying the Heath “deserved it” and needed to be “taught a lesson.” Since that time he has tried to distance himself from those comments.
Babalu made his Octagon debut as a heavyweight against Maurice Smith (unanimous decision win) back in 2000.
107 Comments »


















Real tough guy … PUNK, Mania I vote we take this headline off the site just so we dont waste our breath wit this guy.
BS!!! Babalu is the man! Granted he was a retard for doing what he did. But that was strike 2.
There really isn’t room in the LHW division for this guy anymore.
There really isn’t any room for this guy in the LHW division anymore.
Im glad, there is no room for this in the sport. Make an example out of this fool. All the rules and so forth are meant to protect the fighters, and if you break a rule there are consequences.
that is total BS! he is one of the mostexciting fighters to watch in the octagon, plus he’s also one of the most talented LHWs in the world ~ f*!k dana white ~ oh well, i guess he’ll go own bodog or ifl or some s*$t! WAR BABALU!!!!
dana could make up for it if he gets off his ass and signs Fedor today!
Correction: **It has been confirmed that Heath did *not* wear a shirt with Babalu’s pic on it.**
In fact he wore a shirt of his sponser.
Right on. For all those people who thought he should get away from this, there you go, that’s what a real organization does when one of their athletes unneccesarily endangers another athlete and blatantly dimisses the authority of the ref. And if you are one of those fans who though, fuck it, he had it coming to him. Hopefully you’ll be cut loose too as the UFC becomes more established and you can go watch unlicensed boxing or some other such garbage and reminisce about the days when UFC fighters could give people “what they had coming to them” in the cage. So long Babalu. Have fun in Extreme Crazy Cage Assassin League or whatever junk org signs you.
[quote comment=”138898″]Correction: **It has been confirmed that Heath did *not* wear a shirt with Babalu’s pic on it.**
In fact he wore a shirt of his sponser.[/quote]
so did the the police department that took the mugshot sponser heath?
but in all seriousness i really liked Babalu and i still like the guy, what he did wasnt right but im still a babalu fan… i really hope he gets picked up by another org like bodog, strikeforce, eliteXc or even IFL because it would be nice to see his fights for free on IFL and im sure he would run through the competition in the IFL.
The mug shot rumor was completely false, and has already been proven so
Keep in mind Babalu got arrested for trespassing/assault a few weeks before the event. The ufc doesn’t need that kind of negative publicity while already having to deal with the steroid scandal.
Good riddance imo
it was not sportman like to do what babalu did…but…what do dana do with the cheaters (read SHERK,FRANCA) they dont loose any contracts???
[quote comment=”138916″]The mug shot rumor was completely false, and has already been proven so
Keep in mind Babalu got arrested for trespassing/assault a few weeks before the event. The ufc doesn’t need that kind of negative publicity while already having to deal with the steroid scandal.
Good riddance imo[/quote]
Thanks, I missed that update.
Good Riddens to Babalu!!!! He is a disgrace to the the sport and now he will make the money to prove it!!!! He is not a top 10 light heavy weight and will not get the chance to become one again. All pro sports need to look to the ufc as an example to treat someone who really crosses the line!!! Great job Dana!!!
I completly agree with the UFC decsion. Babalu is not good for the sport.
..I actually met Babalu in Rio..he is a beast when training..and he has that old school vale tudo mentality..if anyone has ever seen the Gracie in Action flicks..” there is one clip where a corner throws in the towell cause there fighter doesn’t know BJJ and is getting hammered..someone from ringside takes it out the ring.. the ref goes to take it..and b4 he pulls the guy off..he wipes his face with it!!!..during the time the towell hit the canvas til when the ref pulled the fighter off the guy..the dude ate like 17 or 18 more shots..”
Babalu’s case he F’d up.. He put together a BJJ clinic on Heath..by the 2nd round Heath was closer than farther from Baghdad..he sunk in the choke.. He is wrong for two reasons
1. The ref was physically trying to have him brake the choke. 2. He admitted that he did it on purpose..in front of like 12,000 people..he F’d up..he knows and his manager knows.
it looked bad cause of all the blood coming out of Heath’s head..
I put money that if he had kept his mouth shut..and not blown up his own spot..this all wouldn’t off blown up in his face like this…it still would be bad..but not that bad.
That is the kind of brutality that made the UFC wilter away back when it first started with Gracie. Dana made rules for a reason to help make it a legitimate sport, not a death ring. Heath being put to sleep after the sporting event has ended doesnt represent the UFC very positively. They are suppose to be professionals, and when I say professionals, I dont just mean in fighting. I mean to be a professional role model for the sport, kids, and others as well. I knew this would happen, and Im glad it did. As good of a fighter Babalu is, the UFC doesnt need thugs.
Thank God…Babalu deserved this shit.
The guys a bum, he will be arrested soon anyways and he wont be fighting anywhere. I’d put money on it.
I’m fine with this if they apply it evenly. Next time BJ takes 3-4 seconds to let go of the choke…
It does suck to see a top submission LHW get canned though.
If BS would have kept his mouth shut, not making the statement of his intentions, would we even be talking about this though?
It really didn’t seem that long that he held it. I agree that UFC needs to take action, but man that sucks. I love to watch him fight.
Give him a year or so. He’ll be back and I’ll be rooting for him to choke out Heath again. Only this time, he should let go when the ref acknowledges the tap.
[quote comment=”138933″]That is the kind of brutality that made the UFC wilter away back when it first started with Gracie. Dana made rules for a reason to help make it a legitimate sport, not a death ring. Heath being put to sleep after the sporting event has ended doesnt represent the UFC very positively. They are suppose to be professionals, and when I say professionals, I dont just mean in fighting. I mean to be a professional role model for the sport, kids, and others as well. I knew this would happen, and Im glad it did. As good of a fighter Babalu is, the UFC doesnt need thugs.[/quote]
Exactly.
Didnt Big John break some dudes nose while stopping fight. the ref should of kicked him in the face.(then run behind chuck or somethin.lol)
[quote comment=”138938″]I’m fine with this if they apply it evenly. Next time BJ takes 3-4 seconds to let go of the choke…
It does suck to see a top submission LHW get canned though.[/quote]
A big portion of this whole scenario is due to the comments made after the fight by Babalu. BJ never said anything along those lines after his choke. All the blood gushing out throughout the fight, and during the choke, didn’t really help much either.
Just went back and watched a few of my old Royce Gracie
fights. Shoot Royce never let go till he was good and ready.
Isn’t he in the “Hall of Fame”?
I think Dana’s just a media whore.
Well, we all knew something would be done to Babalu because of this, but I didn’t think the UFC would drop his contract. But he did deserve it. A lot of people were saying it was no big deal, only 2 seconds. NO WAY. It was more like 5 seconds from the time he first tapped, and a SOLID 3 seconds of Mazzagatti trying to rip his arms off.
Back when he got arrested, in that thread, I said that it doesn’t matter all that much because Babalu will never be TOP 5 and he’d be lucky to even scrape the TOP 10 again with all the new talent. Now he never will.
Did you guys read the notes from the conference call?
Here are the things that really stood out to me:
“Dana says after this fight they’ll be getting rid of the Pride 205lbs belt. With respect to the lightweight title picture, says he still has no clue what to do.”
Well, there’s the answer to John’s Question of the Day!
“Rampage says he knew Henderson was going to KO Wanderlei Silva because Henderson hits very hard and that “Silva’s brains were still scrambled” from his KO loss to CroCop. Also says Wanderlei couldn’t “juice” like he wanted. Says it was a great fight by Dan, but that it wasn’t the same Wanderlei he fought.”
So now Juanito Ibarra and Rampage have accused Wandi of taking steroids in PRIDE. It really makes me wonder how true it is? Epsecially since guys like Josh Barnett get kicked out of the UFC back in the day for steroids, and then go fight in PRIDE only to look even bigger and find out that they don’t do any sort of testing at all. Hmmmmm, could the Chute Box camp be in for a rude awakening upon entering the octagon???
“In regards to Josh Barnett’s comments about Randy Couture being a “paper champion” Dana White says, “Nobody gives a shit about Josh Barnett, especially me!”
WHAT A CLASSIC DANA WHITE LINE!!! Love him or hate him, he has some great one liners…
“Dana says Denis Kang is a very talented fighter, but not a “big star” coming out of Pride.”
REALLY? I’d disagree Dana, especially with the current state of your MW division. I think you are just trying to protect your boy Rich. He already has Anderson Silva from PRIDE who he can’t beat. Dan Henderson is fighting at 205. You put Paulo Filho in the WEC when Jason freaking MacDonald is ranked in the Top 5 of the division! C’mon! And now he says that Kang isn’t a ‘big star’? What is that all about. I sure as hell wouldnt consider Okami a ‘big star’.
this is bs didn’t BJ just did the same thing to jens in his last match.
That is the kind of brutality that made the UFC wilter away back when it first started with Gracie. Dana made rules for a reason to help make it a legitimate sport, not a death ring. Heath being put to sleep after the sporting event has ended doesnt represent the UFC very positively. They are suppose to be professionals, and when I say professionals, I dont just mean in fighting. I mean to be a professional role model for the sport, kids, and others as well. I knew this would happen, and Im glad it did. As good of a fighter Babalu is, the UFC doesnt need thugs.
it was three seconds!!!! none of you guys have ever held a sub for a couple extra seconds…come on! Heath talked shit = babalu put him out. nobody said shit when BJ held on to Jens in the RNC cause jens didn’t go sleepy sleepy. plus great call on Royce ~ he used to hold on for dear life, he made a dude tap with both hands while the ref was yanking on him and now he’s been made a HOFer after Zuffa bought UFC. Whatever I’m just a babalu fan
I’m glad he’s punished, and although I’m happy with the outcome, I can’t help but be disappointed as well. I think Babalu deserves everything he gets but I’m sincerely going to miss the old, slightly less crazy Babalu.
Babalu was wrong, but this punishment is way out of proportion to the offense. Please watch the fight, it was 3 seconds from Heath’s tap to Babalu’s release.
This is only an issue because: 1. Babalu is an idiot and said he did it intentionally, and 2. Heath was already covered with blood and passed out quickly.
I thought that the $25,000 loss was enough punishment to make him think twice before doing something that stupid again. Babalu could have choked out Heath in the parking lot and wouldn’t have lost $25,000 in a civil lawsuit. Cutting his contract is excessive.
BS
right, how can you not love a guy who has beat shogun, horn & prangley in one night ~ not to mention gone the distance with the likes of Fedor, Hendo & Randleman! i’ve been waiting to hear about this and fedor…however, this ain’t the result i was hoping for!
Total overreaction. Tons of people still like Babalu (myself included) and it DOES matter where he fights. Even though he has suffered two devastating losses to Liddell and dropped a tough match to Lambert, he’s still one of the top guys in the division.
In his post fight interview, if he simply said that he made a mistake, and he appoligizes to Heath, than he would still be a member of the top MMA organization in the world. Have fun fighting the likes of Alex Schoenauer in the IFL LHW division!
Geeze, I watched that choke… He didn’t even hold it that long… I think its bullshit that he’s out the UFC
I love this forum… Violent mike gives us this kick ass rant, and then the next dude gives us
this is bs didn’t BJ just did the same thing to jens in his last match.
Thanks for that rop122
[quote comment=”138901″]Right on. For all those people who thought he should get away from this, there you go, that’s what a real organization does when one of their athletes unneccesarily endangers another athlete and blatantly dimisses the authority of the ref. And if you are one of those fans who though, fuck it, he had it coming to him. Hopefully you’ll be cut loose too as the UFC becomes more established and you can go watch unlicensed boxing or some other such garbage and reminisce about the days when UFC fighters could give people “what they had coming to them” in the cage. So long Babalu. Have fun in Extreme Crazy Cage Assassin League or whatever junk org signs you.[/quote]
Didn’t B.J Penn do the same thing against Pulver. I don’t think B.J denied doing it in a post fight interview. This seems like overkill to me.
As if the UFC would do nothing after EVERYBODY complained about it.
Funny how nobody complained when Diego shoved Kos at UFC 69 weigh-ins. Or at UFC 53 when Karo gave Renzo Gracie(who was cornering Serra(Karo’s opponet that night)the finger in the middle of the second round. What about Nick Diaz’s trash talking through ALL of his fights? I remember Phil Baroni struck referee Larry Landless and only served a suspension!
Yeah…..funny that the UFC is finally growing some balls.
[quote comment=”138989″]Babalu was wrong, but this punishment is way out of proportion to the offense. Please watch the fight, it was 3 seconds from Heath’s tap to Babalu’s release.
This is only an issue because: 1. Babalu is an idiot and said he did it intentionally, and 2. Heath was already covered with blood and passed out quickly.
I thought that the $25,000 loss was enough punishment to make him think twice before doing something that stupid again. Babalu could have choked out Heath in the parking lot and wouldn’t have lost $25,000 in a civil lawsuit. Cutting his contract is excessive.[/quote]
..I agree..but I think if you add into the mix his recent Florida arrest and now with this..He is Politicaly/Morally incorrect..You may to keep low for a while till things cools down..and then you never know.
It’s garbage. Penn has admitted he did it on purpose, too (says he didn’t hold the choke long enough, in fact). Granted, Babalu and his corner shouldn’t have played it up. Still, the crime was holding the choke, and that’s exactly what Penn did, too.
I think the 205 division is so stacke it just made Dana’s decision easy on this one. Cut Babalu make an example, and in a year if he is needed bring him back. There are so many dream match ups at 205 right now even without him.
I really want to see Shogun vs. Babalu someday…
why are my messages always moderated?
I guess he deserves getting kicked out. If he just said he messed up rather than saying he deserved it he’d still be here. What an idiot. Sure he’s a great fighter, but he’s a dumb guy. We’ll see him fight on Monday nights on the IFL in no time.
The problem is, Babalu put the whole sport in jeopardy. I mean I like the little bastard, but I like the sport more. Had Heath gotten hurt, or had it been a slow news week, all the sudden shows start losing permits, and athletic commissions start becoming Draconian. Gotta protect the sport not the fools.
ufc dont need em
what a shame,
they take 25 g’s from him and release him they should have suspended him for a year and make him go see a shrink instead. it’s just him if it were lidell, or hughes or ortiz or someone markee name i bet they would not have been released from contract. he will probably go to bodog now
Guys, it’s not the length of the choke that matters. It’s the complete disregard he had for the rules which were set in place to ensure the safety of the fighter. When the ref is forced to try to pry your arms open, and you’re still hanging on, that’s INTENTIONALLY endangering the life of the other fighter. Whether it’s for 3 seconds or 6 or 10, the crime is just as bad.
Dropping Babalu is the best thing the UFC could have done. He didn’t seriously injure Heath, but the next tough guy that ignores the referee to “prove his point” may end up seriously hurting his opponent. Releasing Babalu sends a message to everyone else that this behavior will have absolutely not be tolerated AT ALL, and your ass will never work again.
REALLY? I’d disagree Dana, especially with the current state of your MW division. I think you are just trying to protect your boy Rich. He already has Anderson Silva from PRIDE who he can’t beat. Dan Henderson is fighting at 205. You put Paulo Filho in the WEC when Jason freaking MacDonald is ranked in the Top 5 of the division! C’mon! And now he says that Kang isn’t a “big star’? What is that all about. I sure as hell wouldnt consider Okami a “big star.
Yeh I agree…. Kang is a tough fighter, and compared to the UFC middle weights , he is a huge star. I also think Dana is stil trying to protect Rich. Enough already. Dana, rich aint the man any more, and he wont b, give it up, he will never hod the middleweight tite again. So Dana needs to stop sabotaging the MW division in hopes that rich wil regain the championship cuz he wont.
B4 Babalu eft the UFC I would have like to c Shogun avenge his only loss
So a fighter would be better off taking steroids?? Poke some needles and get suspended for a year as opposed to holding a choke hold for 2-3 seconds longer and you get released from your contract?????
Does it make any sense?
Heath was OK after the fight……I could understand if he was seriously injured but Dana must have had a Roid rage himself.
Dang, I wanted to see him get worked by Chuck again.
I’m not surprised. It was the last fight in Babalu’s contract (someone correct me if I am wrong), so it was easy to let him go.
Concerning Babalu coming back to the UFC later to face Shogun:
I doubt it. If that was really on Dana’s mind he probably would have given him a suspension and kept him on ice for a while. Releasing him or not resigning him enables Babalu to sign with any organization. Even if Dana has plans to bring him back at some point, Dana will probably make some stupid comments, as usual (ie: thug, bad for the sport, washed up, etc.) and knowing Babalu’s demeanor it will be a bridge burnt. Plus, the worst thing that could happen is a Shogun loss to Babalu. Dana will chalk it up to Babalu’s stupidity that the fight will never happen.
I like Babalu and his style, so it is a hard pill to swallow, but I figured this was coming.
He’s a smelly Brazilian any way with horrible tats.
This UFC really isn’t about the best fighters anymore. They protect marketbable fighters but they don’t care about signing excellent fighters like Kang since he’s isn’t as marketable as lame TUF fighters. Also this Babalu situation is completely being blown out of proportion. They’re already withholding 25 grand. All they needed to do was slap him with a suspension and even the hardliners would be satisfied.
[quote comment=”139085″]So a fighter would be better off taking steroids?? Poke some needles and get suspended for a year as opposed to holding a choke hold for 2-3 seconds longer and you get released from your contract?????
Does it make any sense?
Heath was OK after the fight……I could understand if he was seriously injured but Dana must have had a Roid rage himself.[/quote]
There’s a massive difference between taking steroids, and intentionally continuing a fight after the referee steps in to stop it. I’m flabbergausted that you can’t tell the massive disparity between the two acts.
“This person was speeding down the highway, and this other person sucker-punched a guy in the face. So it’s better to drive 10 mph over the speed limit than to punch someone in the face? Why is one guy only getting a ticket and the other going to jail?
Does it make any sense?”
i think for the most part people are acting like this is a fashion show. BIG DEAL OKAY HE F UPD. THIS IS FULL CONTACT SPORTS YOU CAN’T COME IN HERE THINKING THAT THIS TYPE OF THING CANT HAPPEN! YEAH HE MESSED UP, KICK EM OUT SHUT UP AND FORGET ABOTU IT.HE DIDN’T KILL ANYBODY SO GET YOUR PANTIES OUT OF A BUNCH GUYS.
And just think this guy fought for the LHW title not too long ago….Wow. Talk about what have you done for me lately. I bet he would take that Dana White boxing challenge about now….you know…the same one Tito sissy’d out on. And how bad did Jenna look last weekend? She looks like a duck.
RIght on with BJ PENN he did the same thing.
ITs not right. treat everyone equil, this is just a fancy way to get rid of him.
I wish him good luck.
JENNA LOOKED CRACKED OUT.
I’d prolly have done the same thing that Babalu did…
What makes this worse… BJ did the same thing with Jens… but yet no one said shit about that…
I GUESS THIS WAS THE BEST TIME FOR THE UFC TO DISGARD
A FIGHTER THAT HAS BECOME SHOULD WE SAY……DEFECTED.
DEFECTIVE. SORRY GUYS
Babalu gave Heath a good old fashioned beating. At least he took it to the cage instead of pulling Circus acts like trying to push him off the stage in the stare down and talking all kinds of trash on camera.
I would love to see a rematch between these guys. To Hell with the Tito Shamrock, or Hughes vs Serra grudge matches… Bring on Babalu vs Heath part two. haha
[quote comment=”139105″]This UFC really isn’t about the best fighters anymore. They protect marketbable fighters but they don’t care about signing excellent fighters like Kang since he’s isn’t as marketable as lame TUF fighters. Also this Babalu situation is completely being blown out of proportion. They’re already withholding 25 grand. All they needed to do was slap him with a suspension and even the hardliners would be satisfied.[/quote]
WAKE UP BUDDY… everything you said is WRONG.
YOU KNOCK THE TUF FIGHTERS .. are u drunk? TUF brought
bisping , joe stevenson , Kenny Florian , Forrest Grifin ,Ed Herman , Rashad Evans , Nate Diaz and they brought back guys like Matt serra , Din Thomas , chris liddle .
DENIS KANG IS SO OVEWRATED he sucks , he would get smoked in the ufc, im sick of people bigging him up.
A SLAP HIM WITH A SUSPENSION?? its guys like you that give MMA a bad name.
Babalu is a punk for doin that. Shows how much of a pussy he really is.
No Shogun - Babalu rematch?!
REMEMBER WHEN TANK MADE THAT GUY MATUA START DOING AB CRUNCHES BACK IN LIKE UFC WHO KNOWS HOW LONG AGO? HE STARTED SHAKING..HE LOOKED PRETTY BANGED UP, STIFFED UP. IT’S PRETTY FUNNY
Dana has to show the main stream public that this sport is well regulated and will not tolerant those that do not show good sportsmanship. But he has to do the same with those that use steriods. The problem is that there is a double standard you aren’t going to end the contract of someone making you money.
Babalu wasn’t.
[quote comment=”139168″]Dana has to show the main stream public that this sport is well regulated and will not tolerant those that do not show good sportsmanship. But he has to do the same with those that use steriods. The problem is that there is a double standard you aren’t going to end the contract of someone making you money.
Babalu wasn’t.[/quote]
I think you nailed it. I would think the decision to release him isn’t that what he did was so terrible, it is that he intentionally broke a rule and UFC org has to make an example for the public. Probably because of all the negative publicity that is coming out against the UFC?? He should do the same with the steroid thing as well.
[quote comment=”139168″]Dana has to show the main stream public that this sport is well regulated and will not tolerant those that do not show good sportsmanship. But he has to do the same with those that use steriods. The problem is that there is a double standard you aren’t going to end the contract of someone making you money.
Babalu wasn’t.[/quote]
I can pretty much guarantee that if any big name went out and did what Babalu did, and then said what Babalu said, there’d be hell to pay. If Chuck Liddell did something like that, there’d be chatter on every sports and news outlet in the country that the UFC is still nothing more than human-cockfighting. The UFC would be forced to can or suspend him indefinately until he regains some semblence of respectability through an extensive PR campaign.
Thank God it wasn’t on the live, televised portion of the PPV. That would be a massive disaster for the UFC.
[quote comment=”138946″]Give him a year or so. He’ll be back and I’ll be rooting for him to choke out Heath again. Only this time, he should let go when the ref acknowledges the tap.[/quote]
Thats what im thinking,there going to bring him back when people forget!
[quote comment=”139155″]No Shogun - Babalu rematch?![/quote]
No shit, rematch of the year!
I vote steroid users get released from contract
Releasing him from his contract was excessive but necessary. If the UFC allowed that behaviour to slide, then other fighters would probably decide to do the same.
[quote comment=”139143″]Babalu gave Heath a good old fashioned beating. At least he took it to the cage instead of pulling Circus acts like trying to push him off the stage in the stare down and talking all kinds of trash on camera.
I would love to see a rematch between these guys. To Hell with the Tito Shamrock, or Hughes vs Serra grudge matches… Bring on Babalu vs Heath part two. haha[/quote]
word!
Good, they HAVE TO set any example some how, with a psycho like babalu they might have there first death in the octagon. I think they did the right thing, YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO THE REF FOR YOUR SAFETY AND THE FIGHTERS SAFETY.
These guys are FIGHTERS!!! I think dana is wrong. I personally would get an eliteXC pay per view just cuz Babalu was on the card. Dumping him from the UFC dumps a big part of my support.
This guy is an idiot.
He was on the ropes already with his track record. Why would he resort to this type of behavior?…Because he is a meat head.
The LHW division will move along without him.
Babalu has fought some of the greatest fighters in the sport, he’s great to watch, but he really $#@$ed up this time. However, I think the UFC is being a little harsh….a year suspension would have been more appropriate.
[quote comment=”139211″]These guys are FIGHTERS!!! I think dana is wrong. I personally would get an eliteXC pay per view just cuz Babalu was on the card. Dumping him from the UFC dumps a big part of my support.[/quote]
Babalu vs Fedor got me into mma, so im pretty sad
this guy is great i cant remember i fight of his that went the distance. and him and shogun need a rematch.
That is a bit harsh. Withdrawing the purse and the public scolding would have been enough
I might have talked shit, what Babalu did was clearly wrong i dont agree with it, but Dana White is being rediculose, im seriously considering boycotting the Ufc, Dana Whites a money greving prick, we all sat here and grew with the sport now its main srteam you cant market Babalu so lets get rid of him. Bull Shit if it was Chuck liddell who held the choke what do you think would happen?
what an idiot. He wanted to teach Heath a lesson?
Well he sure did that, get himself booted out.
Good fighter, but not so smart eh?
Babalu needs counseling, lol. What a punk, he’s got a barfighting mentality, completely amateur of him. I say you reap what you sow. I’m sure he regrets it and I’m sure he’s sorry, but he brought it on himself. Can’t blame Dana or anyone else for his actions.
[quote comment=”139251″]This guy is an idiot.
He was on the ropes already with his track record. Why would he resort to this type of behavior?…Because he is a meat head.
The LHW division will move along without him.[/quote]
If you look at Babalu’s record, it’s actually very good. Apart from losing to Jason Lambert, his losses have come against top level guys. Its harsh to cut him from the UFC, I hope to see him back in the mix sometime. He’s better than most of the bums making out that division (i.e. David Heath).
Bullshit decision by the UFC - Babalu is cool to watch and thats what matters. Should have just taken his money and fined him an extra load, punish his wallet ot his career - no one should be able to outcast him for one mistake
what will happen WHEN Wanderlei Silva stomps on someones head, you know its gonna happen, all they will do is take a point away.
Give him a year - Bring Babalu back !!!!!
[quote comment=”138920″]it was not sportman like to do what babalu did…but…what do dana do with the cheaters (read SHERK,FRANCA) they dont loose any contracts???[/quote]
Yeh they may have cheated…which i DEF do not condone, but they never endangered anyones life or well being.
If fighters are allowed to get away with what he did, it’s just a matter of time before something serious happens. Which would be REALLY REALLY bad for MMA.
[quote comment=”138916″]Keep in mind Babalu got arrested for trespassing/assault a few weeks before the event. The ufc doesn’t need that kind of negative publicity while already having to deal with the steroid scandal.[/quote]Its kinda hard to understand what Babalu would go through at a club with douchebag bouncers. Alot of club bouncers are very aggressive, talk down to you, and put hands on you for no reason. ‘Club’ security is literally a joke… Im sure someone tried to lay hands on babalu for one reason or another and got put on their ass… hence the ‘tresspassing’ in a ‘club’ and assualt. Being a fighter, well known athlete, or even just a big fit guy alot of times is like walking around with a target on your back. Im not saying this is what happened, or that Im siding with him… but my point is we dont know what happened. And prolly wont now that Babalu has been tossed to Elite/Strikeforce/Icon/Bodog whatever..
Dana is an idiot. Plain and simple
So quick to discipline Babalu yet Sherk still is walk around with A belt…
[quote post=”3200″]As if the UFC would do nothing after EVERYBODY complained about it.
Funny how nobody complained when Diego shoved Kos at UFC 69 weigh-ins. Or at UFC 53 when Karo gave Renzo Gracie(who was cornering Serra(Karo’s opponet that night)the finger in the middle of the second round. What about Nick Diaz’s trash talking through ALL of his fights? [/quote]
C’mon now Ibreed, you can’t compare what Babalu did to someone trashtalking in the octagon, or giving the middle finger to a corner man. That’s not even apples and oranges, thats more like apples and the Lochness Monster.
[quote post=”3200″]He’s a smelly Brazilian any way with horrible tats. [/quote]
That’s a good reason to decide whether or not to keep a fighter…
[quote post=”3200″]DENIS KANG IS SO OVEWRATED he sucks , he would get smoked in the ufc, im sick of people bigging him up. [/quote]
Sour Diesel, please name me 5 fighters in the UFC MW division that would have no problem beating Dennis Kang. The list begins and ends with Anderson Silva. Rich Franklin would most likely beat Kang if he fought like his old self, but he wouldn’t walk right through him.
[quote post=”3200″]what will happen WHEN Wanderlei Silva stomps on someones head, you know its gonna happen, all they will do is take a point away.[/quote]
Kicking a downed opponent in the head is the same as elbowing an opponent in the head, or holding the fence. In no way shape or form is it the same as completely disregarding the tap out by your opponent and the referee trying to pry your arms off to break the submission hold. Wandi can be in a fight, and instincts could just kick in in his first fight back in the UFC and UNINTENTIONALLY soccer kick someone in the head. Key word being, UNINTENTIONALLY . Babalu said that he did what he did on purpose to teach him respect, and he doesn’t regret it.
A HUGE DIFFERENCE!
This is so retarted.
What a joke. BJ did the exact same thing to Jens and Dana didn’t say boo. A little consistence would be nice from Dana White. I guess if you’re a friend of Dana’s the rules don’t apply. Hopefully the UFC doesn’t go the same way as boxing.
[quote comment=”139519″][quote comment=”138920″]it was not sportman like to do what babalu did…but…what do dana do with the cheaters (read SHERK,FRANCA) they dont loose any contracts???[/quote]
Yeh they may have cheated…which i DEF do not condone, but they never endangered anyones life or well being.
If fighters are allowed to get away with what he did, it’s just a matter of time before something serious happens. Which would be REALLY REALLY bad for MMA.[/quote]
I would definitely say that using banned substances to obtain unnatural and otherwise unobtainable strength advantages over an opponent, then using that same strength advantage to beat the shit out of that opponent, is endangering someone’s life or well being.
[quote comment=”139632″][quote post=”3200″]He’s a smelly Brazilian any way with horrible tats. [/quote]
That’s a good reason to decide whether or not to keep a fighter…
[quote post=”3200″]DENIS KANG IS SO OVEWRATED he sucks , he would get smoked in the ufc, im sick of people bigging him up. [/quote]
Sour Diesel, please name me 5 fighters in the UFC MW division that would have no problem beating Dennis Kang. The list begins and ends with Anderson Silva. Rich Franklin would most likely beat Kang if he fought like his old self, but he wouldn’t walk right through him.
[quote post=”3200″]what will happen WHEN Wanderlei Silva stomps on someones head, you know its gonna happen, all they will do is take a point away.[/quote]
Kicking a downed opponent in the head is the same as elbowing an opponent in the head, or holding the fence. In no way shape or form is it the same as completely disregarding the tap out by your opponent and the referee trying to pry your arms off to break the submission hold. Wandi can be in a fight, and instincts could just kick in in his first fight back in the UFC and UNINTENTIONALLY soccer kick someone in the head. Key word being, UNINTENTIONALLY . Babalu said that he did what he did on purpose to teach him respect, and he doesn’t regret it.
A HUGE DIFFERENCE![/quote]
If Wandi kicked someone in the head in the UFC, I would expect a DQ. It’s definitely not the same as elbowing, which is allowed and your opponent expects and trains for it, or holding the fence, which causes no injury but simply prevents a take down. An unexpected kick to the head could easily be fatal, and I highly doubt that it would result in a simple point deduction.
But like you said, if Wandi stomped a head then said that he did it intentionally, I would expect him to get the same treatment as Babalu. Otherwise, I would expect a DQ loss on Wandi’s record.
[quote comment=”138963″][quote comment=”138938″]I’m fine with this if they apply it evenly. Next time BJ takes 3-4 seconds to let go of the choke…
It does suck to see a top submission LHW get canned though.[/quote]
A big portion of this whole scenario is due to the comments made after the fight by Babalu. BJ never said anything along those lines after his choke. All the blood gushing out throughout the fight, and during the choke, didn’t really help much either.[/quote]
Wrong. In an interview on NBC.com BJ admitted to holding the choke longer because of the fued he had with Jens. BJ said he did not see anything wrong with it because he had to teach Jens a lesson. Although, BJ did make sure Jens was alright after the choke and made his peace with him. Lets please stop trying to make Babalu out to be Chris Benoit here. He is one of the better fighters in that division. He deserves a second chance in the UFC if he says he is sorry and makes it up the ranks again through the IFL or Bodog.
This is bs….the UFC just needs a fall guy to say that they are tough on their fighters. They cant do that with Sherk because he is a poster boy, a pretty faced, buffed up, white boy with a title belt. Now Sobral did break a rule, but the main thing is that he ran his mouth about it. The UFC is loosing a very qualified and game opponent here who puts on exciting fights with all his opponents, win or lose. BJ is also a poster boy as the UFC is looking for someone to represent the races as variently as possible. They would never cut the guy everyones says is the best Pound for Pound fighter in the world. Sobral isn’t THAT good but he is an outstanding fighter and since his fight wasn’t even viewed by most of the common pay per viewers I think they should reconsider their decision. I personally just want to see the best fights possible and the more qualified fighters in one organization is what is going to make this possible.
[quote comment=”138974″]Did you guys read the notes from the conference call?
Here are the things that really stood out to me:
“Dana says after this fight they’ll be getting rid of the Pride 205lbs belt. With respect to the lightweight title picture, says he still has no clue what to do.”
Well, there’s the answer to John’s Question of the Day!
“Rampage says he knew Henderson was going to KO Wanderlei Silva because Henderson hits very hard and that “Silva’s brains were still scrambled” from his KO loss to CroCop. Also says Wanderlei couldn’t “juice” like he wanted. Says it was a great fight by Dan, but that it wasn’t the same Wanderlei he fought.”
So now Juanito Ibarra and Rampage have accused Wandi of taking steroids in PRIDE. It really makes me wonder how true it is? Epsecially since guys like Josh Barnett get kicked out of the UFC back in the day for steroids, and then go fight in PRIDE only to look even bigger and find out that they don’t do any sort of testing at all. Hmmmmm, could the Chute Box camp be in for a rude awakening upon entering the octagon???
“In regards to Josh Barnett’s comments about Randy Couture being a “paper champion” Dana White says, “Nobody gives a shit about Josh Barnett, especially me!”
WHAT A CLASSIC DANA WHITE LINE!!! Love him or hate him, he has some great one liners…
“Dana says Denis Kang is a very talented fighter, but not a “big star” coming out of Pride.”
REALLY? I’d disagree Dana, especially with the current state of your MW division. I think you are just trying to protect your boy Rich. He already has Anderson Silva from PRIDE who he can’t beat. Dan Henderson is fighting at 205. You put Paulo Filho in the WEC when Jason freaking MacDonald is ranked in the Top 5 of the division! C’mon! And now he says that Kang isn’t a ‘big star’? What is that all about. I sure as hell wouldnt consider Okami a ‘big star’.[/quote]
Yeah Kang looks great what the hell is Dana talking about. Big star or not he could be top 5 in the UFC.
[quote comment=”139066″]REALLY? I’d disagree Dana, especially with the current state of your MW division. I think you are just trying to protect your boy Rich. He already has Anderson Silva from PRIDE who he can’t beat. Dan Henderson is fighting at 205. You put Paulo Filho in the WEC when Jason freaking MacDonald is ranked in the Top 5 of the division! C’mon! And now he says that Kang isn’t a “big star’? What is that all about. I sure as hell wouldnt consider Okami a “big star.
Yeh I agree…. Kang is a tough fighter, and compared to the UFC middle weights , he is a huge star. I also think Dana is stil trying to protect Rich. Enough already. Dana, rich aint the man any more, and he wont b, give it up, he will never hod the middleweight tite again. So Dana needs to stop sabotaging the MW division in hopes that rich wil regain the championship cuz he wont.
B4 Babalu eft the UFC I would have like to c Shogun avenge his only loss[/quote]
He might hold the title again but for how long.
Babalu is and always has been a degenerate fighter. heres a tip of the hat to MoreThanUFC in case he even reads this blog anymore, since the disgraceful brazilian is his “favorite fighter”!
Im still reading that Heath did wear ar mugshot shirt of Sobrals before the weigh ins.
That’s B.S. No consistency from the UFC. IF the NSAC doesn’t suspend him then the UFC shouldn’t. Babalu was my favorite fighter and this really sucks. I have never seen so much made out of so little. If this had been one of Dana’s boys they wouldn’t have done this.
[quote comment=”139814″]Im still reading that Heath did wear ar mugshot shirt of Sobrals before the weigh ins.[/quote]
Heath must have really pissed him off, that was way out of character of Babalu, i mean, i never seen babalu sincerely have that look of hate in his eyes.
i saw this fight. the ref poked him and the guy didnt tap his hand fell on his shoulder. he didnt know.hes a great fighter he didnt deserve to get cut because of a bogus call