Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral

Renato “Babalu” Sobral is a Luta Livre black belt from Rio de Janeiro who was runner-up in the 1999 Rings King of Kings tournament and went 6–4 in the UFC, losing a title fight to Chuck Liddell at UFC 62 in 2006. That run also included an infamous anaconda choke on David Heath that he held after the tap, getting him cut by the UFC.

He won the Strikeforce light heavyweight title by beating Bobby Southworth, later fought for Affliction, Bellator and ONE, and now runs a gym in Cerritos, California. CagePotato covered his exclusive interview on boring fighters and his comments about returning to the UFC.

Renato “Babalu” Sobral fact file
Full nameRenato Sobral da Cunha
NicknameBabalu
Date of birth
Place of birthRio de Janeiro, Brazil
Organisations fought in
  • UFC
  • Fighting Network Rings
  • Strikeforce
  • Bellator
  • Cage Rage
  • Affliction
  • ONE Championship
  • Jungle Fight
Accolades
  • Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion
  • Rings King of Kings 1999 tournament runner-up
  • IFC Light Heavyweight Tournament winner

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