There's one less contender who won't be stepping back into the Octagon any time soon. According to Dana White, the president of the UFC, fighter Renato "Babalu" Sobral's contract has been effectively terminated in the aftermath of his last bout. The mixed martial arts expert and native of Brazil was summarily removed due to his behavior in a face-off with David Heath. Sobral refused to release his foe from a chokehold, even after Heath had chosen to tap out of the fight, which meant that Sobral would already have been considered the victor. Throughout the bout, the 31-year-old Sobral had kept the upper hand with a succession of powerful blows.
It was a bloody and practically defeated Heath who fell victim to an anaconda choke from the Brazilian, a submission move usually meant to end a battle. However, Sobral kept his grip on Heath tight, ignoring directions from fight referee Steve Mazagatti. However, the referee's efforts to pull Sobral away could not prevent Heath from falling unconscious. In the aftermath of the battle, Sobral defiantly aired his side to Joe Rogan, an interviewer working for the UFC. The Brazilian stated that he kept up the choke because he was disgusted by the trash talk Heath was spewing before the match even began.
Sobral told Rogan that Heath deserved the pounding and the suffocation he'd received, and that Heath needed to learn respect. Sobral was also angry enough to disregard the booing of the crowd, which generally seemed to condemn what he did. He elaborated further during an interview with a columnist from the Las Vegas Review Journal, Ed Graney, and said that he didn't care if the crowd was unhappy about it. As a result of what happened, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has stated that it would be withholding part of Sobral's earnings until an explanation was made.
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