‘Babalu’ Wins and Loses at the Same Time in UFC 74 Prelim Match

By Thomas Gerbasi

LAS VEGAS – Former light heavyweight title challenger Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral broke a two fight losing streak in impressive fashion, grounding and pounding David Heath before submitting him in the second round of their UFC 74 preliminary bout at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, but his victory was marred by a classless display which saw the Brazilian keep a finishing hold locked on seconds after Heath tapped out and referee Steve Mazzagatti attempted to break the fighters to halt the bout.

“I just thought that I needed to teach him respect after he showed me so much disrespect,” said Sobral, who engaged in a heated weigh-in staredown with Heath on Friday and claimed the Oklahoma native had previously shouted an obscenity at him. “I think that you can be fearless and tough and still maintain sportsmanship. He needed to be taught a lesson.”

Before the disappointing finish, Sobral (28-7) was sharp, shooting and taking Heath (9-2) down, and working his ground and pound game effectively as his opponent fired back punches and tried to force the fight back to a standing position. Eventually the two scrambled and switched position, but Sobral still got the better of the action as he looked to work his submissions from the bottom, with Heath landing the occasional haymaker.

‘Babalu’ stuck with the same ground and pound strategy in round two, opening up a nasty cut on Heath’s head with his relentless onslaught as the crowd chanted his nickname. Heath refused to give in though, doing just enough to stay in the fight and avoid the stoppage. But just as Heath seemed to find his opening to escape, Sobral locked in a choke that produced a tap out at the 3:30 mark.

Sobral will reportedly be fined half of his purse by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and may also face other disciplinary action.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir showed that he still some gas left in the tank as he easily submitted Antoni Hardonk at 1:17 of the first round.

Mir (10-3) took no chances with Hardonk’s kickboxing, immediately taking his foe to the mat and working for a kimura. Hardonk (5-4) gamely tried to fight his way out, but eventually, he realized his efforts were in vain as Mir cranked the arm and forced a tapout just 77 seconds into the bout.

“I can fight now,” said Mir, who is now 2-2 in his comeback from injuries suffered in a serious motorcycle accident that kept him out of the Octagon for almost two years. “Now you’ll see Frank Mir.”

Thales Leites and Ryan Jensen gave the fans non-stop action in their middleweight bout, with some solid give and take eventually leading to a submission victory for Leites in the first round.

Jensen came out throwing kicks and punches like a veteran, showing no signs of the first time UFC jitters, and just a minute in, he stunned Leites with a right hand and almost secured a guillotine choke. The Brazilian fought his way free, and after a similar sequence moments later, Leites was able to get to Jensen’s back briefly, before the two broke and stood again. With under two minutes left, the two battled on the mat, with Jensen trying to ground and pound while Leites worked his submissions. Leites won that battle and the war, pulling off a beautiful arm bar that forced a Jensen tap out at the 3:47 mark.

With the win, Leites ups his record to 12-1; Jensen drops to 11-2.

Lightweight dynamo fought a disciplined three rounder against PRIDE Bushido veteran Marcus Aurelio, dominating from start to finish to win a split decision that was not nearly as close as judge Adelaide Byrd (who scored the bout for Aurelio) would have fight fans believe.

Scores were 30-27 twice, and 28-29 for Guida, who improves to 22-5 and evens his UFC record at 2-2; Aurelio falls to 14-5 in his UFC debut.

The first round was wisely kept standing by Guida, who scored with short power shots inside of Aurelio’s stiff jab, even putting the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace on the seat of his pants with a left hook with under two minutes to go.

The second was more of the same, with Aurelio attempting to get more active in his takedown attempts, eventually putting Guida on the mat with a little over two minutes left. While on the ground, Guida was still the more effective of the two fighters though, landing with short forearms as Aurelio attempted to get in position to land a submission lock.

Guida continued to press the action in the final stanza, scoring with punches and kicks as a winded Aurelio looked to grab whatever breaths he could in between sporadic jabs and a half-hearted takedown attempt in the final stages of the bout, rendering the decision a mere formality.