ATTN: Meatheads RE: Babalu choke

Underground
1

MMA is the most spotlighted sport right now.  People from all walks of life are watching, and they don't share the same meathead mentality that it "happens all the time in training".  People see Babalu ignore the ref trying to intervene, and continue to choke David Heath until he passes out.

This is different than a normal infraction, this is a entirely different sport.  You must remember that at that particular moment Babalu was restricting the blood flow to Heath's brain.  Yes, this is a part of the sport, but since we are dealing with such a critical factor here, that factor being the point that a person can incur serious injury or death when the blood does not receive oxygen... you have to be pretty strict about upholding the rules.

Personally, it wasn't that big of a deal... but there needs to be some punishment.  Yes, BJ Penn should also have received the same punishment for holding it too long on Jens.  The only way this sport will thrive and remain safe, sportsmanlike, and widely accepted is if we uphold the rules.

FYI, quit acting like meatheads.

 

2

Another Black Eye for the Sport

Disgraceful. Classless. Spiteful. Pathetic.

Following the recent unfavorable steroids press, Renato Sobral’s actions from last Saturday put the sport back into the negative spotlight. “Babalu” defeated David Heath with an anaconda choke and refused to release the hold even after Heath had tapped. Steve Mazzagatti attempted to break the hold as Sobral looked the referee in the eye and continued to punish his opponent. Heath was left unconscious.

Sobral and Heath shared a heated confrontation at the weigh-ins the previous night. The two fighters stood close, touched foreheads and exchanged a few words and expressions. In an effort to get under Sobral’s skin Heath wore a T-shirt with the Brazilian’s recent mug shot on it. Apparently it worked.

The Brazilian fighter admitted in his post-fight interview that he held the choke longer in spite of his opponent. Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission Keith Kizer plans to hold half of Sobral’s fight purse which equates to $25,000. A later NSAC hearing will address Renato’s actions and potential repercussions.

To me, the best way to retaliate to an opponent’s taunts and gestures is to defeat him thoroughly in competition. “Babalu” did just that. The former title contender was in control for the majority of the fight and opened a big cut on Heath that left the mat discolored. Holding the choke at the end was unnecessary and blatantly put his opponent’s health at risk. What Sobral did was inexcusable and this type of flagrant behavior should not be tolerated. Ever.

There are no double standards here. It doesn’t matter if he held the choke long for 3 seconds or 6 seconds. David Heath tapped and the fight was supposed to end immediately. “Babalu” looked right at Steve Mazzagatti and continued to choke Heath even after Mazzagatti tried to pry his arms away. It was an iniquitous display of poor sportsmanship.

MMA has evolved. Royce Gracie may have gotten away with this behavior in the early days of the UFC, but it is completely unacceptable today. The rules were established for a reason and fighters are responsible for their actions. A fighter’s safety is paramount and Sobral ignored the rules that were created to protect them.

I expect the NSAC to follow through with a stiff fine and a mandated vacation. Moreover, I think the UFC should consider making an example out of “Babalu” and issue an additional punishment. Harsh? Hardly for a fighter who openly admitted his bad intentions.

Sobral has disgraced the sport. He disgraced his team and colleagues.

Ultimately, he disgraced himself.

3

The ability to tap out and signify defeat is part of the foundation this sport is built on. Too hold on to a submission after an opponent has conceded defeat is inexcusable IMO. Babalu and any other fighter who is guilty of this should be fined a percentage of their purse.

Other than that error in judgement Babalu did look fantastic and I can't wait to see him back.

4

Fined AND suspended. He disgraced himself, and his sponsors. What's sad is the completely stupid posts on Hitman Fight Gear's myspace defending, and in fact gloating about Babalu's actions. When other athletes disgrace and embarrass their sponsors, they get FIRED! Shows a lack of class on both Babalu's and Hitman Fight Gears part.

5

I think Babalu was worried about all the blood that Heath was losing. In an attempt to save the man's life, the quick thinking Sobral locked up an anaconda choke, cutting off the blood supply to David's head. The flow of blood was stemmed, and Heath is alive today to tell the story. Thank you, Babalu. Thank you for your heroism and grace under pressure.

True story.

6

I can dig all the posts on this thread so far.

 

7

STFU..... I doubt any of the critics actually train, compete or fight. I´ve been put to sleep more times than I care to remember, I don´t tap to chokes in training, much less in a fight.... It is not a big deal.....

Sandy do you train or compete?

8

You didn´t answer my question

9

Supimpa, I used to train, never competed.

But WTF does that have to do with ANYTHING?  Seriously, read your post and try to determine something close to a point you are trying to make?

"ATTN: UFC.  Random internet poster Supimpa has been put to sleep many times, more than he can remember.  This is obvious justification for fighters not following the rules that the Athletic Commission has put in place."

Perhaps you would be a little brighter if you hadn't "trained and competed" or "been put to sleep" so many times.  If you're ever REALLY up for a challenge, ask yourself if the governing Athletic Commission, the UFC, all of the fighter and event sponsors that put money into the event, the sports journalists covering and writing about the event, and the vast majority of fans either train or give a flying fuck that it sometimes happens in training...?

 

10

Well done, Supimpa. You COMPLETELY missed the point. It has nothing to do with whether or notyou'd tap in training or competition. It has everything to do with commiting a specific foul in a sport. You need to put aside emotion and look at the simple facts as if it was ANY sport.

For example, if a boxer were beating an opponent against the ropes, had him wobbly as hell. The ref decides he's had enough and calls the fight, stepping between them. The guy getting beat drops his hands because,well, the ref has stopped it. Suddenly the winner throws a right cross from over the ref's shoulder and KO's the guy.

There is NO difference. That would be a major violation that would surely get you suspended.

PS yes, I train. But only for about 30 years.

11

Obey the ref's commands at all times, imo.

12

Racer X:

You really believe that the scenario you describe is equal to holding on to the choke for an extra couple of seconds? As I mentioned above, considering several bad stand-ups by UFC refs in the past, I completely understand a fighter that holds the choke on for a couple extra seconds. There is no damage done by being put to sleep by a choke, which by the way Sandy, was my point regarding the many times it has happened to me and most of those who train or compete.....

I understand your view of what took place as a foul, but in the heat of the moment, those extra couple of seconds are completely comprehensible....

I think that the blood and being put to sleep made the whole thing look worse than it actually was. If it wasn´t for that, do you think the outcry would have been the same?

13

LOL at the meathead comment. Are we all talking about the same sport? The sport where it's ok to watch someone bleed all over the mat. The sport where you try to knock someone out to win.

While I agree in rules, I think it's funny how people are considered meatheads because of this. This might not be the sport for the faint of heart, so they don't need to watch.

Panties, if you have ever enjoyed watching Liddell knock someone unconscious, putting them into the most vulnerable feeling in the world, then your a meathead as well.

14

A couple things here:
Firstly, you are NOT supposed to release a submission (choke, armbar, whatever) because of a TAP. Babalu was correct to not let go after the tap. The tap is a signal to the ref of submission, and then it is the REFS job to stop the fight.

Babalu was WRONG to not release the hold after the ref indicated that the fight was over and ordered him to release the hold. This is why he is wrong, not because he held on after the tap.

Secondly, the E-X-A-C-T same thing happened in the BJ Penn/Jens Pulver fight, for exactly the same reasons.

BJ, being pissed of the so-called "beef" between he and Jens, held on to the choke after the tap (as he should have) and WELL after the ref had signaled the end of the fight. The ref literally had to pull BJ off of Jens. The only difference in this fight is that Jens barely maintained consciousness.

The bottom line was that Babalu was wrong, but most of you cock-sucking nut huggers never said a damned word about BJ holding the choke. No one withheld his money, no one wrote articles about a big disgrace, no one mentioned that the sport was being "set back" by BJ.

Believe me, no one is going to look at this fight and say, "ok, it was fine before but this is TOO MUCH!!!" Not going to happen.

15

Actually Supimpa, I didn't really think it was THAT big of a deal.  Most of the new fans I talk to consistently use the statement "after you can get past how violent/brutal it is..." which I think is MORE of a reason to enforce the rules of combat sports MORE than a standard sport.  Because when you don't, people are seriously injured.

One of the most important things about our sport surviving is the enforcement of the rules to make sure it's safe, otherwise we go back in time towards a spectacle and NOT a true sport.

 

16

It's a fight

17

Sandy:

I actually couldn´t believe they let the fight go on as long as they did because of the blood..... To me that was much worse than holding the choke. If everyone is worried about the image the sport projects, then maybe they should be looking at why the ref allowed that bloodbath to continue. I truly didn´t even notice Babalu holding on to the choke until Joe made such a big deal out of it.

18

Panties, if you have ever enjoyed watching Liddell knock someone unconscious, putting them into the most vulnerable feeling in the world, then your a meathead as well.

Not really.  I don't see it stated anywhere in the rules that Liddell can't knock the shit out of someone.  In fact, it's actually kind of the point of MMA.  You see, a "meathead" is someone who can't distinguish the difference between that and blatantly breaking the rules.

 

Believe me, no one is going to look at this fight and say, "ok, it was fine before but this is TOO MUCH!!!" Not going to happen.

Kakkarotto-san, great post except for that last line.  Don't you think since BJ did the same thing, but they are fining Babalu $25,000 that they decided "it was too much"?

 

19

Panties, read my post again genius. I agree with having rules, which means I agree with your post.

What doesn't make sense is you calling people meatheads because a choke was held to long. If that's your definition of meatheads then we are all one. It's a sports fight, people get hurt.

"You see, a "meathead" is someone who can't distinguish the difference between that and blatantly breaking the rules."

I'm not even commenting on that stupid statement.

20

I don't think the BJ incident has anything to do with the commissioners decision about this fight.

I think the reaction from Joe and Goldy caused a reaction in the replay guys which caused a reaction in the audience watching which caused a reaction in the comissioner. Chain effect.

Joe and Goldy overreacted.