UFC Betting Sites – The Best MMA Online Bookies
UFC best betting sites and the best MMA odds and gambling news
Mixed martial arts (MMA) competition can be unforgiving and there’s a lot more to lose than pride. Renato Sobral had 49 professional MMA bouts under his belt before calling it a career. He left the sport with a record of 37-12. The man most fight…
Mixed martial arts (MMA) competition can be unforgiving and there’s a lot more to lose than pride. Renato Sobral had 49 professional MMA bouts under his belt before calling it a career. He left the sport with a record of 37-12. The man most fight fans know as “Babalu” competed under the Ultimate Fighting Championship […]
The post UFC Vet ‘Babalu’ Says He Lost Sight Of Left Eye, Showing Signs Of CTE appeared first on MMA News.
Former UFC & Bellator veteran Renato Sobral has had numerous wars inside the cage, and now the damage appears to be adding up. “Babalu” made his professional MMA debut in 1997. He quickly made a name for himself and was fighting the likes of Fedor Emelianenko in 2001 before he ever made it to the […]
The post Stricken With CTE, Babalu Sobral Reveals He’s Blind In One Eye appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.
Former UFC & Bellator veteran Renato Sobral has had numerous wars inside the cage, and now the damage appears to be adding up.
“Babalu” made his professional MMA debut in 1997. He quickly made a name for himself and was fighting the likes of Fedor Emelianenko in 2001 before he ever made it to the Octagon a year later.
Sobral, now 43, has enjoyed a 15-plus year MMA career. His last fight was in 2013 but he still competes in grappling matches. Sobral ended his career with a record of 37-11. It’s important to realize that even though he won 37 fights, “Babalu” [and other fighters] often take a tremendous amount of damage in fights they win. Just ask Justin Gaethje.
Unfortunately, Sobral feels like the damage sustained in those 49 fights is starting to catch up with him.
“I already have [chronic] traumatic encephalopathy, actually. People barely talk about it,” Sobral told MMA Fighting. “You can do a research, [professional fighters] have peaks of depression, we have seizures, you don’t listen that well. I don’t have speaking issues yet, but I lost the eyesight of my left eye, I have osteoarthritis on my entire body. My knee. I have 13 surgeries through my entire body. So, there’s a price (to pay). It’s not in there for free. I don’t even think it’s about glory, because it’s not for enough time.”
Sobral says he first noticed inconsistencies in his behavior as far back as 2007. That could explain his actions when he choked out David Heath at UFC 75 and refused to let go even after the referee stepped in.
”Today I can’t walk a straight line, I lost sight of my left eye, which is a big price (to pay). I have no balance today, my balance is almost zero,” Sobral continued. “The guys that start fighting have to know that the price to pay will come one day. For everyone. People only talk about the good things today, what they have accomplished, what happened, but what about what you’ve lost? What happened to you?”
Sobral is not the first MMA fighter to claim to have CTE. Former fighters T.J. Grant and Krzysztof Soszynski were forced into early retirement as well as combat sports legend Gary Goodridge.
The post Stricken With CTE, Babalu Sobral Reveals He’s Blind In One Eye appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.
It goes without saying that Dan Henderson has had one of the most storied careers in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. He added yet another chapter to his astonishing track record with a stunning knockout of Hector Lombard 10 days ago (June 4, 2016) at UFC 199. In his post-fight interview, “Hendo” mentioned that he may
The post 10 Times Dan Henderson Rocked The MMA World appeared first on LowKick MMA.
It goes without saying that Dan Henderson has had one of the most storied careers in mixed martial arts (MMA) history.
He added yet another chapter to his astonishing track record with a stunning knockout of Hector Lombard 10 days ago (June 4, 2016) at UFC 199. In his post-fight interview, “Hendo” mentioned that he may have just been in his last battle.
If we have indeed seen the last of Henderson, he will leave behind an unassailable legacy. Over the course of a career that began back in 1997, he fought probably the most difficult slate of opponents in the history of the sport. Across three weight classes, from middleweight to heavyweight, Henderson consistently fought the best of the best. He squared off with the likes of both Nogueiras, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, Quinton Jackson, Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, Michael Bisping, Fedor Emelianenko, Daniel Cormier, Lyoto Machida, and Mauricio Rua.
This list will look back at the accomplishments of a true all-time great and consensus first ballot hall of famer.
The post 10 Times Dan Henderson Rocked The MMA World appeared first on LowKick MMA.
MMA’s Great Debate Radio closes out the week with two of last weekend’s biggest winners as Stipe Miocic and Josh Burkman join the show, as well as all new debate about Steve Mazzagatti, Anthony Pettis’ future and the legacy of Renato “Babalu” Sobral. F…
MMA’s Great Debate Radio closes out the week with two of last weekend’s biggest winners as Stipe Miocic and Josh Burkman join the show, as well as all new debate about Steve Mazzagatti, Anthony Pettis‘ future and the legacy of Renato “Babalu” Sobral.
Fresh off his win over Roy Nelson at UFC 161, Miocic joins the show today to talk about the strategy employed to beat the former Ultimate Fighter winner, and where this win ranks in his career.
Also on the show, Josh Burkman will discuss his stunning first round submission over former UFC title contender Jon Fitch and if he believes referee Steve Mazzagatti made a mistake in not stopping the fight sooner.
Finally, we hit the debate desk to go over some of the biggest news stories in MMA from the past few days.
Today’s debate topics include:
—Dana White rips Steve Mazzagatti‘s latest issue after the fight with Josh Burkman and Jon Fitch. Nevada State Athletic Commission Executive Director Keith Kizer defended the referee. Who is right in this situation?
—Should Anthony Pettis return as a lightweight and challenge the winner of Benson Henderson vs. T.J. Grant or should he stick around to face Jose Aldo at featherweight instead?
—Renato “Babalu” Sobral retired from MMA—what do you think he will most be remembered for in his career?
This is MMA’s Great Debate Radio for Thursday, June 20, 2013
(If the embeddable player does not work please click HERE to listen to the show. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or listen on Stitcher Radio)
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
With a career that spanned nearly 16 years competing in MMA, Renato “Babalu” Sobral said goodbye to the sport on Wednesday night after suffering his second straight defeat in the Bellator cage. The former Strikeforce champion retired after a loss to Ja…
With a career that spanned nearly 16 years competing in MMA, Renato “Babalu” Sobral said goodbye to the sport on Wednesday night after suffering his second straight defeat in the Bellator cage.
The former Strikeforce champion retired after a loss to Jacob Noe in the opening rounds of the latest light heavyweight tournament, being stopped in the third and final round by TKO.
The fight moved Sobral’s record to 2-4 over his last six fights, but during the biggest part of his career, the Brazilian grappler was consistently ranked as one of the top 10 light heavyweights in the sport.
Starting out his career all the way back in 1997, Sobral fought all around the world, battling some of the best in the MMA game, including names like Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson.
He finally landed in the UFC in 2000 and fought there on and off for the next seven years.
One of Babalu’s crowning achievements in the sport actually happened outside the UFC in 2003 when he entered the IFC: Global Domination tournament. It was a one-night tournament throwback to the early days of the UFC when fighters would routinely compete two or three times on a single card.
On that night, Sobral had to battle through three different opponents to win the tournament crown. He defeated Trevor Prangley and Jeremy Horn by decision, and finished future UFC and Pride champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua by guillotine choke.
He was the first fighter to ever hand Rua a defeat.
As the years passed, Babalu remained relevant in the division going as far as winning the Strikeforce light heavyweight title in 2008, but it wasn’t long after that where the battles he endured over the years started to catch up with him.
Following a loss to Dan Henderson in Strikeforce in 2010, Sobral left the sport for a year-and-a-half after a snowboarding accident left him injured and contemplating retirement.
Once again, the tough-as-nails Brazilian refused to give up and returned with a victory in his lone appearance as part of One FC in Asia with a win over Tatsuya Mizuno. That now stands as Sobral’s last victory before he would sign with Bellator and lose the last two fights of his career by TKO.
At 37 years of age, Sobral retires with a 37-11 record overall, having fought in the UFC, Strikeforce and Bellator during the course of his career.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
(Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting.com)
If we needed any more proof that Michael Chandler deserves to be mentioned among the world’s best 155’ers, we got it last night at Bellator 85 in Irvine, California, when the reigning Bellator lightweight champion made decorated judoka Rick Hawn look like it was his first time on the mats. Chandler completed his takedowns with impressive ease, and when he saw an opportunity to take Hawn’s neck during a scramble in round two, he seized on it, sinking a rear-naked choke and showcasing the killer instinct that has now become a hallmark of Chandler’s game. To be honest, it wasn’t much of a fight, and this season’s lightweight tournament field doesn’t suggest that his next challenger will make things any harder for him. On the bright side, Chandler may have just established himself as Bellator’s greatest home-grown fighter — a budding superstar for the promotion’s new Spike TV era.
While Michael Chandler made his title defense with little resistance, reigning featherweight champion Pat Curran faced a much trickier test in Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. Their title fight (which led off the Spike TV broadcast) played out as a 25-minute kickboxing match, which started slow but built into an entertaining and evenly-pitched battle. Curran’s striking was just a little more active and accurate, however, and if you were judging on facial damage through the fight, Pitbull’s swollen-shut right eye and bloodied mouth didn’t exactly scream “winner.” When the scores were announced, “Judo” Gene LeBell saw it for the challenger, but the other two judges made the right call in awarding the win to the defending champ.
In addition to the two title fights, Bellator 85’s main card also featured a pair of light-heavyweight tournament quarterfinals. Unfortunately, those UFC castoffs we mentioned yesterday are well on their way to becoming Bellator castoffs as well, as Renato “Babalu” Sobral and Seth Petruzelli were steamrolled by their lesser-known competitors. Russian M-1 Challenge vet Mikhail Zayats stunned Sobral with a spinning-backfist near the end of the first round of their fight, then swarmed him to the canvas and fired down punches until the fight was stopped. (Eddie Alvarez’s wife called that shit, you guys.)
(Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting.com)
If we needed any more proof that Michael Chandler deserves to be mentioned among the world’s best 155′ers, we got it last night at Bellator 85 in Irvine, California, when the reigning Bellator lightweight champion made decorated judoka Rick Hawn look like it was his first time on the mats. Chandler completed his takedowns with impressive ease, and when he saw an opportunity to take Hawn’s neck during a scramble in round two, he seized on it, sinking a rear-naked choke and showcasing the killer instinct that has now become a hallmark of Chandler’s game. To be honest, it wasn’t much of a fight, and this season’s lightweight tournament field doesn’t suggest that his next challenger will make things any harder for him. On the bright side, Chandler may have just established himself as Bellator’s greatest home-grown fighter — a budding superstar for the promotion’s new Spike TV era.
While Michael Chandler made his title defense with little resistance, reigning featherweight champion Pat Curran faced a much trickier test in Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. Their title fight (which led off the Spike TV broadcast) played out as a 25-minute kickboxing match, which started slow but built into an entertaining and evenly-pitched battle. Curran’s striking was just a little more active and accurate, however, and if you were judging on facial damage through the fight, Pitbull’s swollen-shut right eye and bloodied mouth didn’t exactly scream “winner.” When the scores were announced, “Judo” Gene LeBell saw it for the challenger, but the other two judges made the right call in awarding the win to the defending champ.
In addition to the two title fights, Bellator 85′s main card also featured a pair of light-heavyweight tournament quarterfinals. Unfortunately, those UFC castoffs we mentioned yesterday are well on their way to becoming Bellator castoffs as well, as Renato “Babalu” Sobral and Seth Petruzelli were steamrolled by their lesser-known competitors. Russian M-1 Challenge vet Mikhail Zayats stunned Sobral with a spinning-backfist near the end of the first round of their fight, then swarmed him to the canvas and fired down punches until the fight was stopped. (Eddie Alvarez’s wife called that shit, you guys.)
It was an unexpected finish, but not nearly as strange as Petruzelli’s anti-climactic showing against Jacob Noe, in which the Silverback blew out his knee during a takedown attempt midway through the first round, and immediately turtled up as Noe ground-and-pounded the crap out of him. Ah well. We still have King Mo, right?
In prelim action, Emanuel Newton advanced in the LHW tournament bracket by choking out Atanas Djambazov, and UFC vet Jason Lambert pulled off a slick first-round armbar against Hector Ramirez in a non-tourney bout. Plus, Savant Young ended Mike Guymon’s brief lightweight comeback in violent fashion, and Jamie Yager indeed got his ass kicked. Hooray! Full results from Bellator 85 are below…
Main Card
– Michael Chandler def. Rick Hawn via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:07 of round 2
– Jacob Noe def. Seth Petruzelli via TKO, 2:51 of round 1
– Mikhail Zayats def. Renato Sobral via TKO, 4:49 of round 1
– Pat Curran def. Patricio Freire via split-decision (48-47 x 2, 47-48)
Preliminary Card
– Aaron Miller def. Joe Camacho via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
– Jason Lambert def. Hector Ramirez via submission (inverted straight armbar), 3:59 of round 1
– J.J. Ambrose def. Brian Warren via submission (guillotine), 0:50 of round 2
– Emanuel Newton def. Atanas Djambazov via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:21 of round 2
– Savant Young def. Mike Guymon via KO, 0:48 of round 2
– Joe Williams def. Jamie Yager via TKO, 4:02 of round 1
– Cleber Luciano def. Mario Navarro via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
