(This is a make or break fight. The winner will be the fans.)
Up-and-coming Quebec light heavyweight Steve Bosse will face the toughest test of his career in May when he takes on former Strikeforce 205-pound champ Renato “Babalu” Sobral at Instinct 4: Babalu vs. Bosse in May.
Instinct MMA preent Stephane Patry, who was the founder of Quebec’s most successful promotion, TKO, announced the bout today via press release. Patry also stated that a date and a venue for the show have yet to be locked down, but should be finalized in the coming days.
Former hockey enforcer Bosse (9-1) hasn’t fought since October after sustaining a broken hand in his hisidghlight reel knockout win over Houston Alexander at the promotion’s inaugural event. A fan-favorite in his home province, “The Boss” holds wins over UFC vets Marvin Eastman and Wes Sims as well. The 30-year-old trains out of Tristar under Firas Zahabi.
5-2 in his seven fights since being released by the UFC for failing to relinquish a choke on David Heath at UFC 74 in 2007, Sobral (36-9) hasn’t fought since being knocked out by Dan Henderson at Strikeforce: St. Louis in December 2010. He was rumored to be in talks with Bellator, but nothing came out of the negotiations. The 36-year-old signed a contract with OneFC in December, but the Singapore-based promotion has yet to announce when he will debut under its banner. In the meantime, he has been helping friend Wanderlei Silva coach on the inaugural season of “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil.” He will be cornered by Kings MMA training partner Fabricio Werdum for the bout.
According to Patry, other notable fights are in the works for the spring event.
“A lot depends on the outcomes of certain fights at Instinct 3 on March 31 in Sherbrooke,” explains Patry. “However, I can say that we are talking to some big name international fighters in order to give fans the fights they want to see: their favorites taking on the world elite.”