Lawler vs. Sobral Has Big Implications For Both Fighters

When Strikeforce travels just miles up the road to Los Angeles, California this week for Wednesday night’s “Strikeforce: Los Angeles” card, two UFC veterans will meet in the cage, each looking to ignite another title run in his respective division.

Renato “Babalu” Sobral, once the top contender to Chuck Liddell’s 205-pound title in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, began fighting under the Strikeforce banner in November of 2008 with a unanimous decision win over Bobby Southworth. The Brazilian submission fighter quickly moved forward in the light heavyweight division, capturing the title. However, Gegard Mousasi’s first round technical knockout of Sobral lost the “Babalu” his belt and made him think about venturing outside of the light heavyweight division to earn another shot at the 205-pound gold with a victory over a top middleweight. Thus, a catchweight match between the former champion and a well-rounded veteran like himself, set for 195-pounds.

Sobral’s opponent, appropriately nicknamed “Ruthless,” last fought at Strikeforce’s Miami event earlier this year, coming from behind to knockout a vicious striker in Melvin Manhoef. The victory proved a successful rebound for Lawler after his disappointing submission loss to Jake Shields in June of 2009 and set him back on the right track toward the middleweight title.

“We’re happy to have the fight between Robbie and Babalu and we’re looking forward to a great fight,” stated Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker in the media call last week. “That fight is going to have a lot of implications.  I think that that fight, the winner, if Babalu wins and looks good, he will be first in line for a matchup against King Mo (Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal).  Robbie, if he wins the fight, will be first in line to have a title shot at 185 against (Ronaldo) “Jacare” (Souza).  Normally, we don’t put those fights out there, but I just wanted to let everyone know that this fight will have consequences and it will be an interesting show and we’re looking forward to putting it on.”

For Sobral, this fight is his return to the cage since he was defeated by former light heavyweight champion Mousasi, who recently lost his belt to Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal. Just under a year has passed since the technical knockout defeat, but Sobral was ready to take on this challenge when it was presented to him earlier this Spring.

“Well, I took a little time off.  I have been going to the gym; I’ve been prepared all along,” Sobral said last week. “I was supposed to fight in DREAM, but that go cancelled and Strikeforce offered me this opportunity.  I just had to push the training a little bit more.  It’s been good training.  I’ve had a very, very amazing camp.”

Unlike “Babalu”, Lawler enters this fight on a very positive note, following his knockout victory over Manhoef. The win not only set him back on the right path towards a title shot, but it is also one he cherishes as one of his greatest victories; something that has vastly helped him keep a strong mentality leading up to his upcoming bout.

“I think it was one of my biggest because everyone knows what kind of striker he is,” explained Lawler. “Everyone said I should have taken him down, which maybe I should have.  But to knock him out standing and to beat him on his feet, where he’s supposedly one of the best in the world, felt good.”

Now, Lawler faces a man not known for his striking game, but rather for his submission prowess. 18 of Sobral’s 35 career victories have come via submission, including his submissions against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Chael Sonnen, and Mauricio Rua. Unfortunately for Lawler, he has run into trouble in the past against submission specialists, including his loss to Jake Shields via guillotine choke. However, Lawler is certain that he will be prepared for whatever “Babalu” has in store for him.

“Really, I’ve just been doing what I normally do: working on all my skills, striking, grappling, wrestling, just trying to build everything at the same time,” stated Lawler. “(Against Shields) I got caught in a submission, it was tight and I made a mistake. It was an easy mistake to fix and that’s what I’ve been doing.  I grapple as much as I do anything else, so I’m not leaving anything behind.  I’m working on all my skills.”

A veteran like Lawler is not one to mistake training as the only important aspect prior to entering the fight. His last fight, a brawl he was losing prior to his comeback knockout, displayed his mental strength, and that is something Lawler never enters the cage without.

“I don’t really want to talk about my advantages, but, as far as my strengths are, I’m mentally prepared.  I’m ready to go; I’m physically ready to go.  I’ve been training real hard.  Babalu is a really good opponent; he’s fought everyone it seems at different weights.  So he’ll be ready to go and I’ll be ready to go.”

For Sobral and Lawler, their “Strikeforce: Los Angeles” matchup is certainly of the utmost importance for two fighters in search of a championship belt. On Wednesday June 16, the two will face off at the 195-pound catchweight to determine which fighter gets the next title shot in his respective division. The fight is an enormous opportunity for each fighter, as they seek to verify themselves as top-tier athletes in the sport of MMA and make yet another run at the championship belts they so eagerly and adamantly seek.