UFC Releases Babalu Sobral

Sam Caplan of FiveOuncesOfPain.com has reported that in a conference call earlier today, UFC president Dana White said that veteran mixed martial artist Renato "Babalu" Sobral has been released from his contract after Sobral refused to let go of an anaconda choke to opponent David Heath at UFC 74 last Saturday that left Heath unconscious. Whether Sobral will ever fight for the UFC again is still not certain.

This is probably a shitty way of looking at things, but Sobral, who did look impressive against the hard-hitting Heath, could now be billed (from a marketing perspective) as the perfect villain - should the UFC ever want him back. His actions at UFC 74 drew the ire of UFC management, fighters, and fans, and I'm sure that plenty of hype could be generated from his malicious performance this past weekend. Just a thought...

Josh Barnett: Still UFC Heavyweight Champ?

The following was taken from Josh Barnett's official MySpace profile:

Let's get straight to it and say that Randy did a phenomenal job at UFC 74 in defending his title. As a fan and a fellow Washingtonian I was happy to see him win. But as for the title itself -- it still sits in my house. No one in UFC ever beat me for it, and as far as I am concerned, no one in the UFC can be the heavyweight champion until they take that belt off of me in the cage.

At the post fight press conference, Dana White said "there isn't anyone in the world that can beat this guy" in reference to Randy. All this because Randy beat a guy that had less than ten fights and only one noteworthy win? That's not even a world championship level fight, let alone reason to proclaim the winner as "unbeatable". This comment was made even more ridiculous by the fact that I was standing right there, living proof that Randy Couture is definitely beatable.

"Unbeatable", Dana says. If he actually believes that, I'm more than willing to step into the cage and prove him wrong. It wouldn't even have to be for the belt. I already got the real belt. They can keep their pile of brass they purport as the UFC Heavyweight Title and put it on their next paper champ.

- Josh

Babalu's "Lesson" in Respect Will Cost Him

The Nevada State Athletic Commission will reportedly withhold half of Babalu's $50,000 purse after the Brazilian light heavyweight held onto an anaconda choke well after opponent David Heath tapped out in Round 2 of their undercard UFC 74 fight last night. Referee Steve Mazzagatti worked to pry Babalu's arm off of an already bloodied and battered Heath, who had tapped, but by the time Babalu let go, Heath was out.

"I just thought that I needed to teach him respect after he showed me so much disrespect. I think that you can be fearless and tough and still maintain sportsmanship. He needed to be taught a lesson," said Babalu, who claims that Heath hurled obscenities at him.

If you saw the weigh-ins, it was clear that Babalu seemed to be the one intensifying things; Heath just kind of smiled and played along. I don't know what - if anything - happened between the two before or after that, but Babalu's "he cursed at me" explanation for holding onto the choke is almost laughable.

For more on this story, click here.

UFC 74 Wrap-Up

What a great night.

Clay Guida def. Marcus Aurelio via split decision - One of many fights on this card that I correctly predicted. As expected, Guida was too athletic, too aggressive for a waning Maximus Aurelio.

Thales Leites submitted Ryan Jensen via arm bar at 3:47 of Round 1 - Jensen fought well early on, aggressively and calmly throwing punches and kicks and pressing the action, but Leites' submission skills prevailed once again, as Jensen rolled into a picture-perfect arm bar from Leites, who picked up his third UFC win in as many bouts. The high point of this fight came when Leites came out to a Bob Marley "Get Up, Stand UP" remix. Smooth.

Frank Mir submitted Antoni Hardonk via kimura at 1:17 of Round 1 - Mir scored the early takedown and displayed some his submission prowess against an overmatched Hardonk. I called this one, as well.

Renato Sobral submitted David Heath via anaconda choke at 3:30 of Round 3 - Babalu caused quite a stir when he held onto the choke well after Heath tapped. And he later admitted to it! More on this fight later on...

Patrick Cote TKO Kendall Grove at 4:45 of Round 1 - Both fighters jockeyed for position and landed some good strikes in a Greco-Roman clinch against the cage for most of the first round. But it was Cote who, after losing hold of a leg as he went for a takedown, landed a big overhand right to the side of Grove's noggin that dropped Grove. Cote pounced, secured a rear naked choke from which Grove somehow escaped, mounted Grove and pounded him out fir the stoppage win late in the round. I picked Grove to win this, but Cote was the better man last night and deserved the win.

Joe Stevenson def. Kurt Pellegrino via unanimous decision - This was a great fight: technical, hotly-contested, and exciting. Just as I called, Pellegrino shot in for a takedown and was almost caught in a Joe Daddy guillotine! Pellegrino opened plenty of fans' eyes with his excellent grappling, strong takedowns and crisp punching. Unfortunately, Joe Daddy was just a little better at all of them and outlasted the Team Armory leader for the win. Joe Daddy really turned things up in the final round, where he maintained dominant position and landed some vicious punches from above. Joe Daddy was in great shape and pulled out a big win over a very tough opponent in Pellegrino. In the post-fight interview, an obviously excited Stevenson seemed to have lost command of the English language altogether. I had no idea what he was saying. Nonetheless, this win was a big step for Joe in becoming the top lightweight contender.

Roger Huerta TKO Alberto Crane at 1:50 of Round 3 - Huerta is an excellent athlete: fast, powerful, indefatigable. I had Crane pulling off the upset, but his top-notch Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills weren't enough. Huerta displayed excellent submission defense all night and absolutely punished Crane with strikes from just about every position. At one point, Huerta even used the big screen to land elbows while Crane controlled Huerta's back. To Crane's credit, he displayed some outstanding sweeps and transitions, but this was unfortunately not a grappling match. Huerta didn't even look tired after the fight - probably because he wasn't. I was certainly impressed by Huerta, but I'd still like to see him fight tougher competition.

Georges St. Pierre def. Josh Koscheck via unanimous decision - I said that GSP would steamroll Koscheck, and he did. As expected, GSP outstruck the shcmucky Koscheck and seemed to have no problem putting the decorated wrestler down. Koscheck, on the other hand, managed only one takedown against GSP, and his punches were wild and ineffective. Koscheck had no answer from his back and was completely outclassed on the ground and on his feet by the young Canadian. Remember when I said not to be surprised by GSP surprisingly good wrestling?

Randy Couture TKO Gabriel Gonzaga at 1:37 of Round 3 - Soon enough, people will learn not to bet against Couture, who only seems to be getting better. Couture and Gonzaga wasted no time letting their hands go, and Couture roused the crowd with a dramatic takedown that ultimately busted Gonzaga's nose. Couture worked masterfully from the clinch, landing big uppercuts to a bloodied, rattled Gonzaga. Couture continued to score with punches and takedowns in the second round. Gonzaga, still bloodied and obviously distracted by the busted nose, saw his best chance at victory come in Round 3, when he landed a crushing head kick to Couture. Instead of crumbling to the ground like Cro Cop did, Couture smiled, walked through the kick, took Gonzaga down, mounted him, and teed off on the bloody Brazilian, prompting Herb Dean to stop the fight. Randy Couture is the perfect man.

UFC 74 Pre-Fight Jitters

Anyone else get that anxious feeling the day before a big event? The odds are that the only physical activity I'll be doing during the fights is getting up for some more White Castle, but I feel as if I'm fighting tomorrow.

Anyway, here's how I see tomorrow night's UFC 74 card. Please note that my picks are a combination of whom I think will win, as well as whom I want to win.

Randy Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

I truly believe that Gonzaga has the right combination of size, power, grappling, submission skills, and striking to dethrone the older, smaller Randy Couture. Gonzaga's stand-up attack benefited greatly from his time with Wanderlei Silva, Shogun Rua, and the rest of the Chute Boxe guys a few years back, and we all saw how dangerous he could be from inside the guard. Wanderlei and Rua have each said, on separate occasions, that they believe Gonzaga has the tools to defeat Couture.

Nonetheless, my heart is with Randy tomorrow. I didn't think he could beat Liddell, and he did. I didn't think he could beat Belfort, and he did. I thought, for sure, that Sylvia would overwhelm the newly un-retired Randy. Wrong again. I believe that tomorrow night we'll see a Randy Couture that's better than the one who beat up on Tim Sylvia at UFC 68. No one devises and executes a game plan like Randy (well, maybe Fedor), whose game is constantly evolving and surprising millions.

My Pick: Randy Couture


Roger Huerta vs. Alberto Crane

I think Huerta has a lot to lose in this fight. If he wins, look for him to be in the forefront of the lightweight championship picture. He's young, the ladies seem to dig him, he's got a great story, and he speaks Spanish: Dana's all over that. In Crane, Huerta definitely faces his toughest opponent to date, so don't buy into all the ridiculousness about Huerta only fighting UFC first-timers.

Well, that is true, but Crane is a King of the Cage lightweight world champion and a Ring of Fire lightweight champion. He earned a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Gracie Barra academy in Rio de Janeiro and is a former world jiu-jitsu champion and three-time Brazilian National jiu-jitsu champion. Not to mention that he's also a highly decorated grappler.

My Pick: Albert Crane (upset of the night!)


Josh Koscheck vs. Georges St-Pierre

Luke Cummo said it best: "This fight will be a battle of athleticism." Both are supremely athletic, but as I've said all along, I think that GSP does a better job of putting it all together as a mixed martial artist.

I know that the UFC wants us to believe that Koscheck is more than just a wrestler and that his much-improved striking is also a dangerous weapon, but I'm not buying it. In fact, the UFC seems to have had a tough time collecting highlights of Koscheck on his feet. How many times do we need to see Koscheck land a stiff jab to Diego Sanchez' forehead in slow motion??? His highlight reel even shows him throwing the same head kick (that did not connect) to Diego from different angles -- also in slow motion. Diego Sanchez virtually stood in front of Koscheck as if he wanted to box him, and although Koscheck was the aggressor, he didn't seem to overwhelm Diego with his striking.

In the days leading up to the fight, Koscheck seems to be pulling a Rashad Evans - an obvious attempt to show some "personality" by offering dim-witted, obviously fabricated trash talk, which I find both frustrating and amusing.

I think that GSP will come out with his head in the right place and give Koscheck the beating that Diego didn't. Look for an improved guard game from GSP, and don't be surprised by GSP's surprisingly good wrestling. GSP is the better fighter and will show the world that tomorrow night.

My pick: GSP (all day)


Joe Stevenson vs. Kurt Pellegrino

Joe Daddy is a Kodiak MMA favorite, and I think that a win over Pellegrino would catapult him to the forefront of the UFC lightweight class. Joe Daddy has had a pretty easy run as a lightweight, overpowering and choking out both Melvin Guillard and Dokonjonosuke Mishima.

Pellegrino is a bad-ass wrestler with great jiu-jitsu who will surely be fighting with friend and Team Armory stablemate Hermes Franca in mind. Pellegrino is a decorated grappler whose strength lies in his takedown abilities, particularly his slams. His stand-up game, however, has been underwhelming in the UFC.

Not only is Joe Daddy himself an accomplished wrestler, but if Pellegrino goes in for a takedown, sticks his head in the wrong place, and gives Joe an opportunity to slap those powerful arms around Pellegrino's neck, we might very well see The Daddy earn a third consecutive submission win by choke. Not that crazy a scenario, actually.

Overall, I think that Joe is a stronger, more experienced fighter with far superior striking. Look for Joe to keep this one on the feet for as long as he can.

My Pick: Joe "Daddy" Stevenson


Patrick Cote vs. Kendall Grove

I've been waiting for Grove to make a big splash in the middleweight division, and I think this is the fight in which he'll do it.

Cote is definitely a tough striker, but I think that Grove presents a lot of problems for Cote. At 6'6" Grove is a nightmare in the clinch - knees, elbows, punches, everything. Grove has also been working out as part of Xtreme Couture, so we can expect a solid takedown and submission defenses from the big Hawaiian. Cote loves to bang (even though his most recent win over Scott Smith was lackluster) but so does Grove, who attacks with relentless precision.

Stylistically, a forward-charging slugger with decent submission skills, like Cote, is a good match for someone like Grove, who can punish you in a number of ways. And based on how Cote looked against Scott Smith, whose not nearly as complete a striker as Grove, Cote's best chance at victory is a knockout blow.

My Pick: Kendall Grove

Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Davis Heath

Simply put, Babalu needs this win. Badly. He's lost his last two UFC fights and did so in similar fashion: he rushed in against powerful strikers and was dropped. Babalu said that if he loses this fight, he's retiring (which I don't entirely believe). Regardless, the 205-lb. division is deeper than ever, and babalu can't affords to slide too far down the food chain.

To his credit, Babalu has defeated Shogun Rua, Jeremy Horn, and Trevor Prangley in one night (as part of a 2003 IFC event), and he once went the distance with Fedor Emelianenko. Babalu's grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu is top-notch, while Heath is primarily a boxer. If Heath comes in swinging, looking for the big punch, Babalu will take him apart with his submission game. Heath is no Chuck Liddell, and Babalu (hopefully) knows better than to abandon his jiu-jitsu skills in favor of banging away with a puncher like Heath.

My Pick: Babalu Sobral

Clay Guida vs. Marcus Aurelio

If you don't know about Aurelio, you might be in for quite a treat. "Maximus" is a former Pride Bushido star who has excellent jiu-jitsu, solid takedowns, and a win over Pride lightweight champion Takanori Gomi. He's coming off of two losses, while his Guida, despite losing a bullshit split decision to Tyson Griffin at UFC 72 and another decision loss to Din Thomas before that, seems to have momentum on his side.

Guida is non-stop action and he seems to transiotion well from one aspect of the fight game to another. Guida is an excellent groundfighter with furious strength and speed and fast hands that he's more than willing to let fly. Guida has faced top competition in Din Thomas and Tyson Griffin, and I think that he'll be more than ready for Aurelio, who hasn't looked too good recently. I think that Guida's athleticism, skill, and conditioning will win it for him.

My Pick: Clay Guida

Frank Mir vs. Antoni Hardonk

With the recent additions to the UFC heavyweight divsion, it might be hard for some fans to really get excited for this fight. Hardonk is a relative unknown to most UFC fans, Mir has looked unimpressive since the motorcycle accident and surgery that forced him to vacate his heavyweight belt, and this fight has neither title nor top contender implications.

But still, I'd love to see the very talented, very skilled Mir fulfill the promise of his vast potential with an impressive showing. If not, we probably won't be seeing too much more of Frank Mir in the UFC.

My Pick: Frank Mir

Thales Leites vs. Ryan Jensen

Jensen is a long-time middleweight who has good submission skills and loves to stand and bang. He's enjoyed success in several smaller promotions, but better bring his A-game against a very dangerous Thales Leites.

Against Pete Sell and Floyd Sword, Leites has shown that he has the striking, ground-and-pound, and submission game to be a real force in the UFC middleweight division. Leites' black belt jiu-jitsu skills should ward off any submission attempts from Jensen, and based on how effectively pounded away on a very strong Pete Sell back at UFC 69, I expect Leites to pick up his third straight UFC win.

My Pick: Thales Leites

Cote is Ready for Grove

"He’s a very tall guy, but I already fought a guy that tall before at 205 (Ricardeau Francois), so it’s not a big deal for me, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be stronger and more powerful than him. I can’t see him being strong at 185 being 6' 6". The most difficult thing is the height and to find a hole to go inside and do your stuff. But I have good training partners. I have a guy who is 6' 5" to train with, a very good Muay Thai guy, so I’ll be ready for this fight."

- UFC middleweight Patrick "The Predator" Cote

I was just reading a UFC.com article about Cote, and hearing that he's been training with someone around the same size as Kendall Grove makes this match much more interesting. Most of you probably aren't too fired up about Grove vs. Cote, but I think that it has the makings to be a very exciting fight. And think about it: why wouldn't you be rooting for some excitement from a couple of young middleweight contenders?

Grove's size is a problem for just about any 185-pounder, and he has demonstrated a punishing arsenal of knees and elbows from the clinch. Cote, who loves to let his hands go, believes that this is a must-win situation for his career with the UFC. His UFC 67 over Scott Smith was lackluster, but now that he's got a UFC win under his belt, I'm looking forward to a more spirited performance from The Predator.

Dana White's UFC 74 Conference Call

Sam Caplan of FiveOuncesOfPain.com participated in a conference call earlier today conducted by UFC president Dana White in an effort to promote UFC 74. Among other things, White touched upon the following points:

- Brandon Vera has signed a new deal with the UFC, and Tim Sylvia will "probably" be his next opponent. The contract issues that kept Vera out of the UFC were between Vera and his management, not Vera and the UFC.

- Andrei Arlovski will be fighting soon. Because so many matches are being put together at the moment, White could not say when or against whom Arlovski would fight next.

- Wanderlei Silva is not yet signed, and White did not want to comment any further on deals that have not been finalized.

- No developments with Fedor Emelianenko seem to have been made, but White said that if he were signed, he'd be competing right away for the title.

To read more of Caplan's UFC 74 conference call recap, click here.

Morning Droppings

- First Horodecki, then Hieron. L.A.Anacondas welterweight and Long Island native Jay Hieron suffered an injury while training and will be sidelined for the August 2 IFL semifinals, for which he was scheduled to fight Silverbacks welterweight Rory Markham. Anacondas coach Shawn Tompkins will announce later today the replacements for both Horodecki and Hieron.

- UFC lightweight Roger Huerta will take on his third UFC newcomer in as many fights, as he is scheduled to fight Alberto Crane next month at UFC 74. Crane carries an impressive 8-0 record, with seven of those wins coming via submission.

- UFC.com is reporting that former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir will be returning to the UFC octagon for UFC 74 in a match against Antoni Hardonk.

- UFC veteran Marvin Eastman is rumored to face the hard-hitting Miletich fighter Drew McFredries in a middleweight showdown as part of the UFC 77 card, which will be headlined by a middleweight championship match between Anderson Silva and Rich Franklin.

- With Chris Leben out of the UFC Fight Night 11 match between him and Mike Swick, it looks like Jonathan Goulet will instead fight Swick. Both fighters have agreed to the fight, according to MMAWeekly. Yesterday, Goulet issued the challenge to Swick, who gladly accepted.

Looking Ahead to UFC 74

I enjoyed UFC 73, and I think that the 74 card has the potential to be even better. UFC 74 will take place at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on August 25, 2007.

Here's what we have so far:

Randy "The Natural" Couture vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Couture fights out of Las Vegas, so hopefully the hometown crowd will give the champ a little extra juice against the eye-openingly dangerous Brazilian challenger. For those of you who still think that Gonzaga beat Cro Cop with a fluke head kick, think again. Gonzaga said coming into the fight that he'd be looking for the KO. Plus, he vastly outworked and overpowered the former Pride star on the ground and outboxed him, in my opinion. As for Randy, he seems to thrive when the chips are stacked against him, so look for this to be another great match in the newly invigorated heavyweight division.

Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck

GSP will look to climb back to the top of the 170-lb. mountain against Koscheck, despite Phil Baroni's encouraging words for Koscheck. If GSP doesn't show too much respect for Koscheck's wrestling prowess wrestler (the way Diego Sanchez did), and implements aggressive kickboxing, I see the young Canadian beating Koscheck and quickly getting another title shot at 170.

Joe "Daddy" Stevenson vs. Kurt Pellegrino

I like Joe Daddy in this one and look forward to him earning the top contender spot at 155 lbs. Pellegrino is a friend, training partner, and business partner with UFC lightweight Hermes Franca and said recently that he would not fight Franca for the belt. With that scenario being moot for the time being, will Pellegrino be gunning for the lightweight belt harder than ever, possibly to make up for his close friend's loss to Sean Sherk? He's in for a rough night against Joe Daddy either way.

Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove vs. Patrick "The Predator" Cote

I've been waiting to see some more of Kendall Grove, whose punches, knees, and elbows have come in furious succession against Chris Price and Alan Belcher. The Canadian Cote most recently beat Scott Smith (unanimous decision), and he faces a tall order against the 6'6" Grove. Cote loves to slug it out, so hopefully, these two will put on a great show at 185.

Marcus Aurelio vs. Clay "The Carpenter" Guida

The always exciting Guida was robbed against Tyson Griffin at UFC 72 and will no doubt be looking to keep this fight out of the judges' hands.

Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. David Heath

I'm very happy to have Babalu back in the UFC octagon. He's coming off of 2 devastating KO losses to Chuck Liddell and Jason Lambert, and I'll be crushed if he's caught and knocked out coming in on the heavy-handed, free-swinging Heath.

Travis Lutter vs. Ryan Jensen

Despite not making weight against Anderson Silva in his last UFC appearance, Lutter showed flashes of brilliance against the champion, taking him down and punishing him with strikes from the mount. I'm always hoping for a great middleweight performance, and Lutter has the tools to deliver.

Possible BJ and Diego UFC 74 Fight?

And I thought that a Diego Sanchez-Hayato Sakurai fight was big!

Sources tell Sherdog that welterweight contender Diego Sanchez and sometimes welterweight BJ Penn have agreed to fight on August 25 at UFC 74. This is a big deal, and I hope this news is true.

My guess is that The Prodigy will be dropping back down to 155 lbs. after the Sanchez fight to face the winner of this weekend's Sean Sherk/Hermes Franca lightweight championship match. With that said, don't be surprised to see a certain Hawaiian UFC lightweight champion gunning for the welterweight belt, as well.