The NSAC finally came to a decision for the choke Renato Babalu Sobral held on David Heath who tapped out long before during their bout. He was denied the bonus check for the win at UFC 74-Respect, losing a total of $25,000 and wasn’t even given a suspension. Renato went on to say:
“Always, like in every fight I didn’t understand what he is talking
about because after the fight I’m tired and didn’t realize what he was
talking about…I didn’t say at any time that I hold
the choke. I did say I did what
I did to teach some respect because the
show was called Respect. I just talked about my own words, not about
Joe Rogan’s questions. I never understood what he said after the fight
because my English is not that good.”
Although he was very upset with the decision, there is nothing he
can do for the man who recently came to the U.S. to find a better place
to live. His former trainer, Eric Apple, had a few words for Babalu
who felt very concerned:
“The NSAC kept the entire win purse and issued no suspension. That’s a
hefty fine for a family that just moved to the USA and is trying to set
up a stable life here.”
The NSAC felt the case was very unfortunate, but that’s just how
they must act upon fighters and no one can slide by such rules. He had
to let go immediately after the referee tells him. Renato is a great
fighter, loves MMA with all his heart and he is a very respectable man,
but sometimes things get carried away. This could harm MMA in general
if acts like these are not punished.
(props to fightnetwork.com )
