Renato Sobral vs. Chael Sonnen ended in a draw at Metamoris 6, and “Babalu” blames Sonnen for the lack of a finish.
Sobral, who tapped Sonnen with a triangle choke 10 years ago at UFC 55, had Sonnen in his guard for most of the time during the 20-minute match in California, but couldn’t force the fellow UFC veteran to tap with any kind of attack.
“It was a good match, despite the fact that he stalled a lot,” Sobral told MMAFighting.com. “I couldn’t tap him. I did my game, but couldn’t finish him.”
According to “Babalu”, Sonnen only survived because he didn’t try to win.
“I expected him to actually try to defeat me,” he said. “He didn’t want to fight. It was a monologue. I attacked him for 20 minutes and he defended himself for 20 minutes. I thought he would actually try to submit me.”
The weight difference was also an important factor, “Babalu” says.
“I felt the weight difference. He was at 250 pounds and I was at 215 pounds,” he said. “He came in very strong. That’s what I felt. I tried to lock some attacks, but his strength and weight helped him hold me.”
Following his first experience at Metamoris, Sobral is open to another 20-minute match.
“I like to compete under those rules, submission-only matches. It’s cool,” “Babalu” said. “That makes you open up more and expose yourself, not worry about points and go for the submission all the time.”