Renato 'Babalu' Sobral (L) & Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney (R)
Former UFC and Strikeforce veteran Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral (37-9) has signed with Bellator Fighting Championships and is set to join the promotions season eight light heavyweight tournament this January. This marks the Brazilians first major signing with a North American promotion since his last fight with Strikeforce in December 2010.
In a release from the promotion both Sobral and Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney commented on the Brazilians signing.
“Babalu is an awesome addition to the Bellator family,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He’s beaten some of the greatest fighters in the sport, and poses a tremendous threat to every fighter in our Light Heavyweight Division. From a fans perspective, he’s incredibly exciting to watch, and I’m expecting big things from Babalu in January on Spike.”
As the proud owner of an impressive 37-9 record, including submission victories over Chael Sonnen, Mauricio Rua and Travis Wiuff, “Babalu” has big things in mind when he steps inside the Bellator cage.
“I’m really happy to be a part of the Bellator family,” Sobral said. “This is my new home, and I can’t wait to get into the tournament. My only wish was that it could all be in one night, but I don’t think we can do that, so I’ll just put one more tournament under my belt, and I’m going to take this opportunity and get my shot at the Bellator World Title.”
Sobral last saw action this past June when he debuted with the Asian based ONE Fighting Championships promotion, submitting Tatsuya Mizuno in 31-seconds during the main event of the ‘Destiny of Warriors’ show. Previous to that bout, ‘Babalu’ lost the Strikeforce light heavyweight title to Dan Henderson in December 2010. Sobral won that title in November 2008 when he beat Bobby Southworth by first round TKO.