Renato "Babalu" Sobral | Former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, UFC Fighter & Martial Arts Hall of Famer - We're Kicking It | The Stories Behind the Legends and warriors of Martial arts greats

Episode Transcript
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Jose Flores (00:02):
Hello everyone.
Welcome to the working in apodcast where I get the
privilege to talk to the legendsand words of the martial arts
world. Today I am being joinedformer light heavyweight champ
Strikeforce champion, and formerUFC fighter light heavyweight
fighter, Renato babalu. Sir, howare you? I'm good. Thank you for
having me today. Thank you forjoining, sir. I appreciate it.

(00:24):
Thank you for your time. Now,born and raised in Rio de
Janeiro. How was young bobaloolike, well,

Renato "Babalu" Sobral (00:34):
I born a 75.
grew up in the 80s in a regionhere, I think is a very good
school. You pretend to be afighter. And growing at the
thing, you know, it's differentset up dad in two days. And we

(00:54):
have to,we have to learn how to defend
ourself. When a young age,especially
I used to go pay my friends andno, I was six, seven years old

(01:17):
already. I was to pay, go godownstairs and go play in the
street, my friends. And by avery young age, my mom, my mom
is a nurse, and she's workingall day in different shifts, no
difference hospitals. She wasmy dad, he was working on

(01:41):
working on diving.

plaster.

And so honestly didn't see my parents.
So you have to take care ofmyself very well. And I there
was a time of seeing my grandma.
And we stray on we stay playinguntil the sun's going down. So I
definitely that's my that was mymy. My days. Going back to

(02:10):
school, get lunch, go to thethree in play all day. And go
back home on the sun's come downknock on the hotel. This is the
thing when the light was up onhis lights is too light was up.
We have to come back on. BecauseYeah, if you don't go back home

(02:34):
that is yes. You get it but youget a butt warmer.

And were you the only child or was

Yeah, I have a brother. I have my
brother, my older brother. And ayoung brother. Okay, they're
supposed to have a couplebrothers. But this buddy born
after grew up. But my dear one,they grew up they raised being
raised with me there was my oldbrother and my younger brother.
Three years apart. We are fromeach other. So I'm older and the

(03:09):
old brother is live with me. Andmy young brother Yes, he lives
with me and

hanging out a lot.
Okay. And did the train martial

artists.
Yeah, my. My older brother hepassed when I was 30. And my
young brother he's a he's ablack belt in as a police
officer

detective. Wow.
Right here in the United Statesor in Brazil? Yes. Wow. All
right. Yes. Rough job. Yeah. AndRio de Janeiro or That's
correct. That is a tough job.

It is.

The talk to him frequently. I

do. I did.

How was he doing is good.

Well, yes. He got a nice scrape
because even the shooting twodays ago.

Wow. Wow. All right. Well, I mean, so you're
five, six years old. And we werejust talking you got into muy
Thai. No, no. And

my mom No. Like I said before, I was a
young kid. 666 years old. I wasa have kid bad kid. And and so
the only way I knew I wasn'tgood enough playing soccer. I
didn't know how to do sportsvery well. In Brazil, you play

(04:38):
soccer or you play soccer or youplay soccer.

Sorry like Mexico?
Yes.

So we feed the owner. They don't ask
you to play as much you know,and I'm not I wasn't very fast.
So my mum decided okay, I thinkhe is good for judo. kid you
know is to put in a judo thenight train. So train Jiu. Then
so learn know about much Towardsthe seller and defend myself.
And I thought was that I was theking of the street already one

(05:06):
of the ages eight years old andand I try and I try to I get in
a fight in the park on theplayground. And then I have
older kid. I tried to grab himand take him down using my Judo
he stepped back and throw blowon my face. Yes, the punch of my
face that I was very young, Iwas young Nikita run away home.

(05:31):
See, I look to my mom and saymom, I don't want to do I don't
want to do judo anymore. Shedoesn't work. I try to do to try
to to take it down to the kidand especially the

Unknown (05:45):
guy and then the fiber bra.

All this then well, by the age of 10
dream, we have a bank. Samegroup they group together and
now there's me my brother andcouple other friends. They used
to to like I said, play like alike in the movies. I know what

(06:10):
kind of movie that you guys havein here. They have a group of
teenagers they know hanging outtogether. Finding trouble that's
what he tried to do. And then welike a lot I like it a lot of
Bruce Lee. Oh the kid got it.
And they're like mom, I wanna Iwant to do what he does. I want
to do kung fu that's why Ithought a little coffee because

(06:30):
he's punching and kicking. Youknow, I want to know how to
punch a kick so I can punch thekeys back

Unknown (06:42):
so

they have a moiety gym close to my
house but I never saw I neverheard it was my tie. I never
really know what it is my tiewas just came to my country on
is 7070 something 7070 maybe waspretty so it's very new yes very
new. We call it a shitbox likethey have a team call me chip

(07:09):
box we call it shoe box becausethese boxes differ and then I
saw che i went to the gym then Ilook to see I come back home
with a mom I want to starttraining boxing

okay I slept

boxy No No way. You're gonna you're
gonna be retarded again okay. SoI mean no matter what's in the
face, you're going to become aretiree to have parties and
whatever I say no, no one nocome on I want to learn they can
no no and then I didn't leave awent to the gym. I talked to the

(07:47):
coach say Look, my mother'swon't let me pay but I fall in
love with the sport. Now I wantto train and learn how to defend
myself and I do whatever youwant so if you let me go train
or say you come here the lastlast time we have a class here
tonight they have to finish theclass in the gym so let's I

(08:09):
haven't done so I went to thegym or saw our training last
time sucked in the gym. And noguys you remember that in Brazil
very similar in Mexico you willhave so much rules that you have
here and I say it's so so in myamount has had to go to the gym
and finish it This doesn't haveto do any stuff like this you

(08:30):
know just have to talk to thecoach he does let me go there's
no waiver liability alsoanything
so start training man. Yeah, bythe ages 13 is my my coach you
say look, you want to fight See,ya know, see no, no, I don't

(08:53):
want to fight. But all myfriends I was willing to fight
the guys that I was admired. Theguys that was my seniors on my
gym example. The guys are betterthan me though. They hadn't been
trained more time than the otherguys that was looking up. I want
to be like them. Then they theyregister the name and the fight

(09:14):
or rest of money to fight. Ididn't know was going to

Unknown (09:19):
and

the fighter was just weight class
and professional amateur. Right?
Because it might tie this withhis experience and experience. I
had an experience. I thought noguy. I just want one day before
my fight to go check my way.
That was like I said was chubby.
I was fat. I thought I was goingunder

water. Yeah.

And I checked the same scale, get my
way. Didn't see my appointment.
I went home. The next day I cameso I was shortening a picture.
13 years old kid short, heavy,big God was short because it's
13 then the guy fight me was 18and taller. Is 18 because he was

(10:06):
heavy though, but didn't haveany 13 years old on my weight
class. There was a mismatch.
Yeah, it was it needs to becollege age Yes. Can't find a
guy who's 18 years old 13 yearsold you know it's insane to now
look to the guy and I look up tomy opponent and that's fine

(10:28):
because I was fat and thenanybody saw the tear on a on
outside the crowd. They look atmy opponent is the bad guy
strong in me like picking onanybody like

Unknown (10:43):
good luck. Good luck.
Great.

Yes, give me a little vibe. You know?
Like is anyone know what? Okay,my coach look at me and say,
Look, that's my first time thatI had to deal my fears. I see my
fear that you have to set like afear like God's gonna kill me. I
knew it. And my coach looked atme and say look he's just big

(11:11):
guy, but you know, don't have toworry. Because it's the size of
us matters the giraffe it wasthe king of the jungle.
Stephanie case the guy came thenyou try to judge him take my hat
off. I just threw a blow rightperfect spin elbow was Brian his

(11:37):
nails any blow his nose and thenI knock him out. And spin he
never knows. Right?

So how are you? How do you feel after that? He's
doing right

after this. I feel amazing. Did I feel
I feel like it on that momentright there. on there moment
right there. Like there wassomething else now. When I see
the crowd here my name chin Iknow my name started raining

(12:08):
down and all this feeling in asealed file. There was a there
was a big rush or an adrenalinerush. And I think that there is
if it's like a probably one ofthe person taking the heroin
shot the first day. You know,like you You kind of Oh, this

(12:29):
one I fell this day they hypeand that day or the juk I was at
gencon adrenaline. You know, Iwas joking forever tried to find
it the same freelancing. That'swhat it is. Yeah, that's
awesome. So

let's backtrack a little bit to your Montag coach
Know Who was he?

I was at Phil I am my my tech my first my
tech coach was Bill was name isPedro. Pedro. Pedro Paolo from
Brazil is a short guy. Sure guyin a train in the gym. That who
is obviously is a formerpresident of the Federation

(13:09):
Brazil and he's the one thatgave him a black belt. And this
is what Yeah, he's a he's a he'sa short guy and he's always
believed in me I think there wasa there's a there was the thing
there then my coach gave to meis the self belief in myself you

(13:36):
know, because when no onebelieves in me He is the one who
believe in me and no one There'sNo One No One No One in the gym
no one outside and thinkingthough. This is a bikini warlow
is either gonna flop or notgonna fight. Well, you know?
Just a little kid. No, he'slike, you know, I believe in Him
believing you believe in you.
And he believed in me. And asafter this, I stopped believing

(13:58):
in myself.

That's awesome. So you think because everybody
well, because he was shorthimself? He was believing in you
because I'm pretty sure you sayhe was short but he was deadly.
Well, no, because I

mean, I don't see that because all the
show guys compete against shortguys. Okay. Yeah. And he was
just it wasn't because it'sbecause he just saw something.
He just he always he alwaystaught me he always taught me

(14:29):
that. You know, it doesn'tmatter what size of your
opponent It doesn't matter whatsize the fight you know, doesn't
matter. Doesn't matter sizesyour point it doesn't matter
what's happened to you. So whatI taught me I think the most so
in I've been in the situationbefore my life they have to
fight guys. I'm almost 300pounds. And then I have to no

(14:54):
just look to me like is it 15

so alright, somebody Fast forward again.
You're not this 18 year old outthat your mom already knew it.

That's correct. My mum, she did he knew
there was Yeah, get it. Like Itold you, I was going out in the
street and state holiday butthis is routine go all the way
in my life, you know? And as Igrew older she didn't know what
it was it I come back home. Igot my I go launch. I want to

(15:31):
leave a cartoon. I do myhomework. Go straight to the
gym. from two to eight, twoo'clock in the afternoon to
eight o'clock at night. I wasn'ta gym. That's great. Yeah. So my
friends was in the gym in all mylife inside the gym. I was
inside and inside you know, saytraining and just come back home

(15:53):
sometimes bruises sometimes notbruises on I have bruises on my
face look into my face like Ithink it's gonna show in
history. But I mean my mom aslong as I don't bring proper to
my house never she neverquestioned it. Yes. And of
course my greatest had to be upmy grades Oh is down doesn't

(16:14):
trouble. And I mean,

as as a traditional martial arts school or just in
martial arts school, your whitetie? Was your instructor heavy,
you got to get good grades. Washe always pushing you to get
good grades?

No, really? No, we live by I always
tell my kids in here. The alwaystell my Well, I need to have so
much match or we go to schooland stuff. And my culture wasn't
very into that. And he said thathappen have to do myself a

(16:51):
study.

Yeah, but I mean, the whole just more time. And so
it's very discipline,

Renato "Babalu" Sobr (16:56):
everything is this. I'm telling you
something, this is veryimportant for you, everybody for
understand. And discipline isequal freedom. Okay, we don't
have discipline, we, we cannotrely on motivation, I cannot
rely to be motivated to be awareof mine. I cannot rely on

(17:19):
motivations to be to choose togo where was it to be, to fight
to be a world champion. To cometo United States to move to
United States, to live in myhouse to know to come to another
country. I cannot rely onmotivation. I rely on discipline

(17:40):
and discipline as a dictatormyself. This I learn a very safe
very early age. So I tell mykids all the time here, you
know, you cannot rely ondiscipline to accompany multiple
school you cannot you cannotrely to make your homework. No,
sometimes you have to do so muchhomework that you have to find a
motivation you're not going todo it not because the law is

(18:02):
boring, but you have to do itbecause discipline. So sometimes
I cannot. I don't want to runbut I have to I don't want you
to do stuff that I had to butbecause it is the discipline is
the only way it's the only waythat I can pursue sex. You know,
that's the only way so and I wasa very disciplined I still very

(18:24):
disciplined we got around doingstuff. That's great.

Yeah, that's awesome.

I think that's a design tell my kids all
the time here and disciplinewith stuff. Get your freedom you
not to worry so much. Not just

the kids but the adults because there's a lot to
hear it as well.

That's correct. I mean, I tell it
sometimes Yeah. I know so muchbecause I think I'd love to have
more free might they choose whatthey do. Or they want but um
yeah. So all my tie Oh, and Ididn't mean so let's finish the
course I finished my slideshow.
And I went to my home I didn't Ijust show my trophy to my mom,

(19:09):
look I got this. Like when whenI was fighting so they go My
goodness. What are you doingthere they told me not to do
that. Well, but I keep doing andmy mom because this she I am by
the age between this age 12 and15. When I was in the gym, my

(19:39):
mom should put him in anotherplace on a club and a club so we
can do different sports. Sorry,I can try to just keep it away
from this situation to find Nemoswimming to mana went to high
school. I want to step into highschool. I have a two sports that

(19:59):
I could choose. One of those waswrestling on one of those
sheets. No. swimming, swimmingin the wrestling didn't have any
girls. I know was in agesteenager the swim team have a
bunch of girls so as I was rashI was wrestling and swim better

(20:22):
a better swimmer than wrestler.

Okay,

I was in I was okay wrestling until after
no 18 I was just wrestling. Iwas more swimmer. And I have a
girlfriend and one of the sameteam that I did until all the
way through high school.
Then I went to want to turn 18 Ihad I have a time in my life

(20:48):
that I hadin Brazil, when you finished
high school now you can go nowarmy I mean, as a as a male you
have to have to present yourselfto the to the army. Is it a
mandatory mandatory but you canbe picked we cannot be pick.
It's a draft.

Like here that

is not like he is a volunteer. Oh,
here's a volunteer here UnitedStates volunteer in Brazil is a
draft that's a draft registername Yes. And the newbie draft
or not?

Oh, okay.

Then are you gonna cause one of those so
it says I didn't want to go oncollege right away because I was
cool I didn't want to go from Idon't want to go jump straight
in college. Then in my way to goand such get a draft but I
didn't want to get draft maybemaybe not. So I choose to go

(21:44):
into airborne because airborneis a volunteer.

Oh All right.

So and also the guy one of those guys
that I was fighting sachajuanThat was my my main training
partner he's the one who my assall the time. He always you
might have a belly and and hewas a one he was went to the
army he went to the airborne andwant to be like him. Oh, so

(22:13):
that's why in him my other coachyou want to run the guy in the
gym was those tough guys.
Honestly, I want to be airborneand also if I choose to be
nimble and I have toward itbeing drafted not so oh into the
airborne so it was a veryextreme year.

Oh my goodness. How was it in the or was it

was it good is very important
experience and how long were youthere for? Yeah, yeah.

And after that, then you decide to

charge no charge charge. Then I went to
college. Okay then. Then theystarted to call me. I finished
the RA. I strange who stayedcall then when I started
messaging so no need to call.

Oh, so you did too.
And that's when you met CarlosGracie Jr. Yes. Okay. Yes. So
that was a This was on inBrazil. This is Brazil I'm gonna
sell this Oh wow. How was itlike when the the you already
know the new the Gracie namegoing to that score? Were there
I know.

I know.
The name I met the grace namewas in 1993

All right.

Yeah.
1994 when I left the army like949599394 when I saw the tape
that's what happened. This iswhat I'm going to the fight so I
wasn't airborne No, it wasn't alunch break. And whether or not
I'm cafeteria some dude broughta tape of the UFC three.

Wow All

right.
Go see number one is torn nice93 is then before he brought me
FC three. Sorry I can watch wewatched kathiria Dude, I
couldn't believe the guy littleguy could do everything like he
did. And I wasn't really Thaifighter and I think I've got to
learn to stop this type of thingyou know gotta stop trying to

(24:04):
jitsu and I 20 G's from 1994 to1998 maybe? Yeah. And in the
meantime, it was wrestlinginvesting in it wasn't new
college also. So right to say299 1998 I get offered my first

(24:25):
five Wow.

We I mean 94 to 90 were you a purple belt by then
or on jujitsu? Yeah purple beltsomething like this.

But I was a wrestler as well.

I mean, you're getting all these tools
wrestling muy Thai. Yeah. Oh,

you so I think that says make me
successful in bigass. Because,um, before I started doing to
MMA, I already know wrestlingentering nilgiri jitsu kinda
knows you jitsu you know in nomore time well so on that period
of time was more about his styleagainst the style

yes it was

was a Jiu Jitsu karate or muy Thai
against jitsu muy Thai againstwrestled. So this guy doesn't
know much about the othermartial arts, I have no benefit.
So when my own my first fight, Ihad this benefit so that I knew
what what I was doing so eventhough it wasn't very good on

(25:35):
submission, but I knew how tostain standing, I knew how to
take the person down and how tostrike because you saw in the
past No, the guy changes you tohidden he doesn't know anything
about boxing. No, no, no fast.
No, in those days, it is hard totalk about the bathroom people
in those days because sometimesthe the, the near past is seems
too far away from us, likeanother century, or to talk to

(26:00):
you about a guy changes. Jesusdoesn't know anything about
bosses. Yeah, he doesn't knowanything about a boss. And a
wrestler. He doesn't knowanything about GTs. He didn't
know anything about those days.
He does. And he's a little bitand he's because you see, on the
back of days, you didn't seeanything. So you are in your

(26:22):
thing. You didn't have a TVthemselves, they have a computer
to research anything. You know,one thing this is things that
you know, so it's kind of hardto explain the audience. How was
it because the people they havemore they before the shoot 1000
they can understand more? Rightnow whatever I say to the new

(26:45):
audience, they don't picturevery well because they don't
have all this before in thattype of thing, you know, anyway,
so differently, and I feelmyself sometimes when I talk to
kids, they come from differentlight now before Jesus Christ.
Okay, yes, Dark Ages. So that'sit seems to me that from us then

(27:09):
if you come from anothercentury, we have seen that we
are stuck on a train now becauseonly spreads period. now. Come
on. No, no, yes. Because youhave to send letters. You have
to make a call it puts has tostay at home to receive the
call.

That's one of the things when I'm teaching the
kids to throw them off. I asked.
I tell them all the time. Do youguys know what a rotary phone
is? Or when they do this to thephone? And they look at me like
no What is that? All right. Allright. With my hand I do the
circle movement for the car. Iused to put the the windows and
wonder to go Oh, yeah, that'sbecause my dad has an old car. I
don't want to Yeah, that's youknow, that's back in the day.

(27:52):
But they do look at you likeyou're a dinosaur. They look at
me like yeah, your

old max Brain Stuff. Seems to sometimes
seems fast fantasy, but it isnot. Easy, though. Fast. So for
us to have access to learn herelearning this learning that we
have to weigh spend on top ofthis when Brazil, right. No.

(28:21):
Doesn't happen on a bass. Wedidn't fry so much in the
nationals. He didn't go No. Wasthat was really inside the
country any once in a lifetime.
You got to take. They'd bewatching over and over. Yes, you
know, and you have to rewind.
It's not just you know,

yeah. Just had to

rewind, back and play rewind, play
rewind playing Sterling rewindand play a going to gym and
train, rewind play in thiswasn't like an honor. Isn't it

hand tool with the fingers, like

the finger steps is different. So
and what I'm trying to say thatand that before me somebody came
in those days somebody camebefore those people saw when it
when they see the word goats,you know, greatest all time, it
doesn't exist, because it hasthe greatest of your time. So

(29:22):
great all the time. It doesn't,because it doesn't exist,
because everybody has adifferent tools and different
different sets. So if you walkright now, somebody walked in
this pathway before you youknow, and you have to respect in
the old generation that respectmy old generations. And these
older generations had this newgeneration had to respect the

(29:44):
old generation. That's it, sothey had to have more in those
days. We missed a little bit.

Unknown (29:49):
Yeah,

respect with the different generations,
you know.

Yeah. I mean, it's awesome. Now that you see all
these new generations coming up.
I think I saw GSP ampere, hesaid invest in this generation,
it's going to be better than thelast generation. And then the
generation after them, they'regoing to be better than their
generation. And that's thewonderful thing all martial art.
It's evolving. Yes, it doesn'tstay the same,

but sometimes is involved in the
correct way. That's the onlyproblem.

Wait, tell me more about that. What do you mean?

I mean, that we've got as a fighters
though, what I feel is thosedays martial arts is something
that to be have a have no rules,but standards or cornerstones,

(30:42):
you know, that you have toraise. So the things go
together? Well, one of those isrespect, honor, fraternity, all
those things you need to havetogether and a fighter. It's not
about you. It's not about is it?
There's a lot of things thatgoes along together well, and
because the capitalism money andit's not it's not Um Don't take

(31:03):
me wrong, I'm not Communist oranything like that. I just said
that. You the captain isbringing you to fight for money
knowing money is money Money isnot doesn't own wasn't more
important to me here. Becausemoney comes and goes, you know,
this is what it is and but yourstory your your what you what

(31:24):
you pass the next generationthat's why is important and
sometimes you you have anattitude because thinking about
the money. That's the only thingthere is, I think this will lead
you to have some attitudes thatdoesn't look well and you don't
you don't give a good example toothers, you know, and going back

(31:48):
regardless, we don't have inthose days and what I see see my
gym I don't train much moreprofessional fighters in my gym,
train more Jiu Jitsu and I liketo train kids This is my my main
focus here it gets because Ithink then I have more impact in

(32:13):
their life. I have more impactin the kid's life anything else
and I can use martial arts as atool to modify in the cat
tourniquets. Only professionalfight coming he cared about him,
you know, a professional fightercapable him they care about what

(32:35):
he's going to do is going towin. And if you don't give him
what he does need right nowthere's no right or wrong. They
mean he actually goes he leaveshe had because he needed that
time, be perfect to fight butthat moment he's not he's him

(32:57):
You know? And we forget aboutwho's teaching in the past he
forget about always what theperson is he has to go sometime
you have to know by humility,being humble, humble know you've
been too cocky sometime becauseyou met them you had to to be

(33:17):
cocky but this is the type ofthings that people forget you
know? Because no I come here andtrain with you because here's
the best camp the best trainercome here train and get the best
one here I trained well thengoodbye a few Well, I go home I
think about my fight you know, Idon't think I'm on my praying
partners maternity partners arewell they're going to grow

(33:38):
they're gonna learn togethermartial arts is going to they're
going to help each other youknow, if my coaches well in they
don't you don't care as much youknow them? No, he's just the
model or the business thatdoesn't go well what i think you
know, martial arts is somethingthat you need to care about

(33:59):
what's going around though, notyour ball even in your pond,
they have to respect youropponent so much because if
you're gonna have him you don'thave a fight. That is true. So
and I see those days by comingin and see ya know,

Unknown (34:14):
we'll share

that too you know, that day these respect
to chat, but they forget dude,if the guy wasn't there, it
didn't have proponent You know,you're gonna fight against
against her shallow you know,because they had to stay there
respect to him. Yes. He wants tobeat me like it wants to beat
him. But this was It's nothingto do his mother's not to do his

(34:39):
family that's doing hisreligion. You know? I respect
him the way he is, you know, hewants to kill me Okay, just can
kill. That's okay. Yeah, killingis a it's not going to be an
animal when the goal or a lionwant to go kill a zebra. He
doesn't curse zebras mother. Hedoesn't know You know me, he

(35:01):
just going kill it. That's whathis goal is just to go there to
see what's going on inside justonce again, target kill both
clean kill, leave, eat, grabyour prey leave it without being
dispatched to anyone else. Youknow, this is what it is.

This is why it has to be. Yeah, you know? And you
know what? It's it's funny noone. It's because I remember
back when UFC was gettingbigger. I come from a very
traditional school karate schoolwhere we spend you bow you say
sir you say ma'am. And Iremember when UFC was getting
bigger, everybody wanted totrain MMA. And they well they're

(35:41):
trained MMA, but they didn'thave that respect as you were
talking. They just went in thereand thought about them. But they
like to the culture when onenight I could be wrong when I
the whole respect is left

up the window is that he was here
knighted states this year, butthe way they sell if they
wouldn't sell there, I think theway they sell the fighters
United States wasn't very good.
In the beginning. The model isthey do near the attraction with
the guy Oh, bad guy. They try tomake it good and bad guy. You're
right. In Japan, we used to makea good and bad guy as well. Yes.

(36:17):
But on the other way, you know,on the mysteries way on the bad
guy. Because it is a holy story.
Everything is story. Right? Inever saw it. I never saw me.
How can you do like me, youknow, just destroy that you make
it up this script, you know,then quit in the head and that's

(36:38):
what happened pretty much. Okay,when is your penny does that we
do on the honorable way. Youknow, they focus more on the guy
system training system. Youknow, what you do? is a family
and family got this? Because allthese stories that people tell
here you know before the fightthe guy there to build the

(37:02):
castle, the fighter, thehegemon, Japan as well. But
okay, everybody was a differentmindset. You know, it was the
day No, you you don't want tosee you want to see a fight? Not
just back for persons.

Yeah, no, I mean, I'm glad I mean, I don't know,
just and I'm still very likethat, like, with yourself,
mister. So brah I say this was araw with every person that I
read. I go by their last name,because that's how I was raised
in ways they might

talk to you from Brasilia, Mexico,
Mexico. You know, I honor issimply a very valuable skill to
go. And that's sometimes themoney doesn't buy, you know,
people does understand this inthis regard. Business. You've
got anything else? Sometimes.
I'm gonna give them an examplefor you right now here. I happen

(37:48):
to know, a couple days ago mpflpolice was fighting against Yes,
I guess the guy the guy Tat,right. But in the city. And then
if you didn't stop the fight,the fight can go in. And the guy
finishing it up. Not very soon.
But he said before, but and theway the result the referee

(38:10):
didn't see the guy tapping. Andthe reason for this, the reason
they go the opponent head whatthe guy should do. She didn't
think about winning, becausewhen it's not everything that
they say, when it's everythingis not when it's not everything.
Honors everything. You know,it's grandma's awards, honors if

(38:31):
they are important. So if youcome here you tap, and you don't
see that you tapped him becausehe wants to win because he wants
to think about the money andthink about winning and win this
guy. This is such a this is nothonorable fight. You know, it'd
be better to say the referee.
That will be much better if weread this and say no, he won. I
tap that you'll be a victoriouslook. See this? Yes, I see. Even

(38:55):
for this one, you'll be morevictorious, losing, telling. No
I tapped.

Unknown (39:06):
That is true.

But no, yeah. The value and then I asked
him, then everybody was he's ahe was a bad guy. He's a
designer's blah, blah. You knowwhat I said? No, it wasn't his
problem. Was his coach problem?
Because if he was my student,oh, pitching him. But he would

(39:28):
never do this again. Yes, yeah.
Yeah, this is pretty much whatto do. If you have any guy say a
funny guy. He said No, he didn'ttell
me. This is always going for Idon't think this is much a lot

(39:52):
in here. People are in itsometimes more or not like
myself. Like Kebede Don't takelightly you know if you did
expect more you have to beready.

Oh yes.

Oh no that just happened to come eat
no definitely to me as well.
Yeah,

yeah, I mean I kind of heard about I mean I read a
bit about it and he was beingthe the gentleman was being very
disrespectful so I knowsometimes you have to sell
tickets but from my standpointand you correct me if I'm wrong
you don't talk about me okaythat's fine but don't go after

(40:32):
my family like I said don't goafter my religion don't go after
you know my personal stuff meanyou can say what you want about
me when once you go familyreligion nothing that's
something else that's

Yeah, that's and that time he called
me He called me can I say hecalled me motherfucker. But in
remember motherfucker if ittranslates to you in Portuguese
say Madrid for their daughter soat that time I didn't know as
much as it seemed motherfuckerslike a son of a bitch It's like

(41:04):
my mother's a hook or somethinglike this you know my after
leaving the United States I seemotherfucking somebody not you
know you call me motherfuckercan be in good ways and bad way
Yeah, I say that you know IslamYes. When you call me mother
focusing fuck you know?

Unknown (41:20):
Oh really?

Gotta be ready but tomorrow

gotta be ready.

Yeah, everyone I look over there. You
look at the other side. I don'tI don't say good money for my
opponent. No, after the fight weshake shake hands with one
before the fight look at youtell them a face and shake your
hand do my thing. Do your thing.
You know? Now you might pray. Imean, your pray is not you get a
hanging out together. You know,you know, it doesn't mean we I'm

(41:48):
in my own mind zone or my zoneunit zone II that's it. We've
got an extra day fight. Afterthe fight, go outside, have a
shot of whiskey hug. This iswhat it is and then go to the
next one. And I hope I neverhurt my opponent. So he can
fight another one and make moneyagain. And I hope we don't get

(42:08):
hurt. So they can fight againmaking money. This is what it's
simple. Like this is no morecomplicated this you know,

yeah. And it's and it's hard because we are in a
very drama in a very drama placewhere everything has to be drama
there everybody has to build upeverything so that's how they
have to sell tickets you knowwhat

we can't do you can't do you can't sell
King that's that's the Americandidn't competition is Japan.
They sold a lot of tickets inJapan or 1000 peoples in arena
sometimes you know 50,000 or1000 in arena watching the fight
they sold in different ways.
They saw only honor they sawthey make they make the fires a

(42:51):
different level. In Japan wefeel fire. You're a different
person. You're a half God, youknow, they want to touch you.
Like you want to touch like aspecial person. Right? You know,
it's different. It is moreswarms. Yes, more your soul. No,
you you you given everythingbecause in Japan, this will

(43:14):
expand to you know if you knowin Japan, the sumo fighters,
they represent their ownvillage. Okay, so when they go
to compete against each other onthe actual time, there are two
Sumo fighters they're gonnafight against each other. The
everybody watching because theydo something really brave, then
nobody can do it. That's true.

(43:37):
Nobody can do it. So they dosomething. You compete against
each other. They finish overthey just leave. Yes. So they
were very special person becausethey fight for them. You know,
they fight for the village. Sothey're they they're three
different human beings. Yeah,no, that's not what he wore. I
think we had semi human beingsbut we did find those someday

(44:00):
you don't have nuts to do it.
Maybe you think you do but youdon't. Yeah. Because if you do,
he will be there. So you Don'tyou like it? So they should be
the person who has a specialperson you know, as a as a,
like, almost like a superherotype of thing like the
professional athletes are, youknow, we all have a different

(44:22):
special abilities. You're notjust you personally go over
there like a cockfight. Orpeople fight you know Yeah,

Unknown (44:30):
yeah, just

give me this high feeling man. Like a
clown. Yeah,

that's and that's because you I mean, you still
are in great fighter. However Iyeah. At the end it just like
you said either two roostersgoing at it or two pimples and
at the end is like Okay, next.
So yeah, I get that. So let'slet's talk about let's let's go
back a little let's talk aboutyou finally into the UFC. How

(44:59):
did you get that car? How didthat go about?

How do you go to UFC? Yeah, well you
know, I've been fighting UFC wasnifc 2428 or something as before
that was the last UFC beforedifferent series born UFC was in
your old organization still andMako who was fighting against

(45:26):
Marcy Smith, Martha's megaphonesand was a big knockout guys in
the past and he beat myprofessor and then he asked me
to find him in better his was mytraining partner as well. And at
the time, he was fighting forthe for the heavyweight division

(45:47):
and that was the same thing andthen a better his and then they
asked him to find Martin Smithsay okay, I fight then I would
say here if I'm UFC but then Iwant to come back to Brazil
defeated as body FC as a littlepit stop then at the time they

(46:07):
asked me to drop away to go to93 I have to live way I have to
say no go and same week lastyear my my friend partner then
I've done after this fight inJapan then come back to my
savings fund.

And you're talking about this area but because I've
seen it there's a difference inthe crowds between the United
States crowds in Japan crowds inbuzu crowds in Brazil

and even Russia.

But what what crowd Do you like to be under like
then you probably because youfind everywhere so which crowd
that you get the most vibe themost? You know, Japan Japan

quiet Really? Yes. Just so you just
hear noise off your foot the newring cha cha and 1.11 movie goal
you see anyway oh oh what's thewhy have one or other crazy

(47:09):
Japanese fantic yell somethinglike the most like 50,000 people
why just hit it

what's been the loudest crowd Brazil Brazil
Brazil

yeah Brazil before you come to
fighting Kevin McCarthy you'regonna die you're gonna die
you're gonna die gonna dietonight gonna die tonight and
rice it to the Russians funnyone fight before my fight in
Russia I think the two guys dothey like to fight you don't
want to fight the other kind ofbackup too much that they start

(47:48):
throwing coins in the ring theywant me to go in and ring they
have to swept in the ringbecause it's coins.

Oh my goodness.
That's crazy. She is and I mean,aside from the UFC, you you went
to Strikeforce and how many howmany fights Do you fought before
you won the title inStrikeforce?

No, do not

no first fight the first fight because it wasn't a
new organization coming up or it

wasn't what was? What didn't happen? I
forgot. I don't know man. I wasfighting somewhere else. Then. I
got a chance to fight. They'rejust in I was fighting different
places or it's a couple. Ididn't know when I fought in
Strikeforce. I know, the ScottCoker, the owner, the developer

(48:52):
in those days and invited me togo there. The friend of mine, my
manager. Yeah. So could you comehere and fight straight for the
title? Okay, that's good.

winning the title.
Did the fuel just like when youdid the spinning over to the 18
year

old? No, no, no, I feel my most important
event was a think in. Therewasn't the title itself wasn't a
formal tournament in Denver wasa three fights one night only
still was possible to have inthe United States. Yes, I was.

(49:30):
Travel pregnant Maurice cheban.
Who in January horn has threefights one I saw and then I 4545
minutes. Yes, that was that wasthe thing that was the most
important event of my life. Wow.
So three fights.

Of course. I'm not sure who I know during the horn.
Wow. So you actually threefights,

three fights, one identity make the
mind there was there was a lot alot of things going on that
time. Because that year, I wasone year before I moved to I was
leaving the United States in2000 to 2000.

Unknown (50:12):
Think the dates here.

I was leaving knight to turn she was
leaving my state 2003 and movedback to Brazil. I think Yeah,
come on the data is kind of bad.
But anyway, so I came back toBrazil. My brother was sick. And
then I was training. Because Ihappen to fight this tournament.
This tournament supposed to bein July, in Denver, and I was in

(50:39):
Brazil training. My brother wasvery sick very well, very ill.
And then the best, the goodthing, the fight was postponed
for September. So I have areally rough training period of
time. And because he he draggedhimself into June, he passed in

(51:00):
June 23. And on September 6, orsliding, and there was there was
a very important for me.

That's, and wow.
And I mean, can you I don't knowif it's okay. Can you tell me
more about your brother? How

was he was he very, my brother, my
older brother. He's my biggestfan. And v a lot. We we caught a
lot of trouble together. Andease. You had my back many

(51:43):
times. I'm really young. Really?
Yes. So like I said before, onthe beginning of the history
story here.

Yes.

I was kind of in trouble many times.
And many times, he's the one hadto corner my back. And he was
there. He was there with me. Andthen I'll strive to be there for
him this week. And I was livinghere and I say 2003. And then I
moved back to Brazil to to helphim a little bit. And

and that's awesome.
That's nice to have a brotherthat has your back. Yeah, I

know. He has my back a lot. But I haven't
been back at too many times.
Yes. Oh, man, I

can only picture those titles. So you got you got
your black belt in jujitsu? Idrew a blank in late 90s.

No, no, I got my black belt. So
2000 6006 All right.

Is there any rent that you enjoy coming up the
ranks? And

now every is kind of is that is hard
to explain for you because I wasprofessional fighter. And since
the beginning was on fire? Yes.
You know, I was a fighter wasn'tthe guy to come to the gym
morning to get my black belt. Icame to the gym to knocking

(53:11):
people off. I came to the gym tolearn how to fight. that period
of time, I was a different mode.
I was just my goal is to come tothe gym, I learned everything. I
learned everything on the way.
What was my goal wasn't I wasn'tteach wasn't my goal was never
to be a professor. I didn'tnever thought I was going to be

(53:31):
professional martial arts. Myonly goal that I have to be a
killer.

Wow. I like that.

Yes. The only thing that I was taught in
my life, or like i said if I hadto use a lot of discipline, one
of those days want to win thetournament or my brother was
sick, right? I had to go to thehospital between doctors and
train and then have to goregardless because I wasn't

(53:59):
feeling motivation at all. But Ihave a discipline and when
discipline took me to thechampionship, and that's why so
however we made you know, onthat time also by the age of
straining 22 I don't know whatwould be a killer and then I

(54:19):
know that I had to do to be akiller and that's the only thing
that I had to do it

Wow and you have

like I said like I told you people
doesn't think I care about mycall take care my coach back
button was there to learn andnot to be the best IGN on there.
I am telling you what how howcan I still training and I still

(54:48):
training though. You know how Ican still train after lose
couple times right in afterwhen? Because the PCR perfection
was making me happy. My

profession

received the perfection and the training
every day in to try to thinkisn't perfect every day because
I'm fine design tried to Iwasn't what I was trying all the
day to be perfect to win on thegym to win and Cheney not to not
like I said waiting for me is noeverything win for me just the

(55:22):
way but I want to perfect it Iwant to be very good and
something that was doing so Iwant to learn so I want to learn
all the time this one jitsu isamazing because it uses keep
evolving there's a source neverstop once the altar this thought

(55:42):
I know everything. They're nevergonna happen and so that's why
it keeps me coming up learninglearning with different people
new newpaper person

Yeah, so what do you talk to your students and
this could be from adults tokids and I don't know if you
phrase it differently when theycome and tell you especially the
parent Oh my child's not asmotivated anymore to come on in
my you know he's having a hardtime what do you what do you say
to that?

I'll tell look if I have a pizza if I
have a salad you're going tochoose a pizza because if I have
a couch and I'm happy to seestanding you will sit down on a
couch are alive in those daysare made for us to leave we have

(56:34):
got it that's why you do itagain. You come here to
procreate to live grow upprocreate more comfortable as
possible. Anyway now we have somuch to sneakers comfortable
with me no and we don't have toget imagined this because it's

(56:57):
hard to think this your parentsnow look you want to eat tech
just Uber Eats master click youdon't have to go walk anymore.
You don't have to walk to yourcar anymore you know in the kids
he can talk to his friendswithout leaving their home
because he can talk him away hecan he can think he has a lot of

(57:22):
action sitting on the couchbecause he playing video game so
it's natural for any species tostay still we're the hunt yield
a few species on the planet theyrun without grab something
because we run no animals doesthe only run if we need to get

(57:42):
something and then we don't haveto catch any prey anymore
because we like I said we evolvethat's correct it's normal for
anyone else stay wants to stayhome but the only way the kid
will come here if you areteaching him the discipline

Unknown (58:03):
to come

you got to have a base if you don't want
to come in you have this youwant to come but you have to
come every single day. Butthat's when you learn discipline
was matter of discipline what itis discipline when you do
something he don't want you todo it because everybody wants to
know relax everybody wants toman everybody wants to succeed

(58:27):
all the time. Buddy are alive is90% bioship net 2% is a good
time Yes. If you don't if youdon't want to stroll you don't
you don't you don't leavethough. Yes. So the daddy come

(58:48):
in stroll to come to the gym andlearn how to know the process to
come gym learn this Allah makeshim do well or something. That's
why I'm telling the parents. Soyou see, the kids don't want to
wait to come no more. Actually,I also I tried to disarm tell
the parents but I'm trying tojust myself as well to try to
see where I'm teaching rightwhat I'm teaching wrong. Also,

(59:11):
of course I put myself on checkall the time. Like I told you
before like to be perfect onFriday now like to be perfect
teaching. I'm going to beperfect the way I'm teaching
like to be perfect to expressmyself.

Yeah, and you know, that that's pretty good. Because
I mean for the parents. I tell Itell them all the time. You know
what? If you had the choice toif they told you today I don't
want to go to school. What wouldyou say?

Yeah, and I don't want to Oh, yeah.
Honestly play video games, youknow and appreciate your time.
No,

you gotta go to school. So you as a parent, you
know what's good for them?
You're the parent and always petthat

see you thinking that was good for them.
Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah, me likemyself. Yeah.

Well, I mean, as far as like martial arts because
you know how much money to getyou You know, that's going to
help them in the long run. Yeah,you will. That's, that's my
sense where I was going, Yeah,what's good for them. And I tell
them always plant that seed intheir head, you know what you,
you're gonna have one or twothings, you're gonna stick with
karate or martial arts, you getto muy Thai, it's going to be
one of those, when you're notgoing to talk to me back on

(01:00:17):
those, you're gonna stick withthat. The other ones, there's
some leverage.

Renato "Babalu" Sobral (01:00:24):
A lot of our defenders of the scooter we
don't bond with, in Korea, wecan teach to another area to
your teacher. So a professor,you know, sometimes, courses is
something that's so importantand my friend and I, especially
on those days that you've beenso inside, in your bubble, you
don't put yourself so muchoutside, and then you're gonna

(01:00:46):
have to pull yourself eventuallyyou're gonna have to deal with
interviews, you're going to haveto deal with an on your wedding,
you're gonna have to deal withthe born off your first child,
then you cannot call your motherYou cannot, you cannot press any
app to to deliver my baby, youknow, we're gonna have to deal
with this problem. You know,right, you cannot get married.

(01:01:09):
And then look into the phone.
You have to be there cuz youneed to kiss the bride. You need
to you need to dress up nextday. You need somebody to fit,
you need to have a jobinterview. You need to talk to
your boss. You're going to havedecision in life. They have to
have rain, pouring rain and ithas to go outside by something

(01:01:30):
he cannot be afraid. The littlethings there you come here in
the gym. There's little thingsthat you little by little, you,
you kind of make the ingrownhair in the butt. You know, kind
of little by little, little bylittle they say no, I don't want
you to go No you go they'reafraid Okay, stay here today.

(01:01:52):
Then you push a little bit. Onelittle one little victory they
won't drop v2 him the gym is theocean of victory outside. So
that's so high if I seen him andwant a kid that they have
another kid on top of you abigger kid no is more and, and
heavier. And boy and they have alittle girl and she know how to

(01:02:17):
get out of this situation fromthis. Dude, yeah, that gives her
so much confidence. Because along run, you know, you don't
see that. But, you know, wemartial waters, we can see the
benefits of them. And we don'twe don't born learn how to
fight. We don't you know, weborn out to walk. I mean,

(01:02:41):
they're eating the walk. Youhave been touched to us. No more
natural beauty learn how to. tobrief. Right, right. Yeah, you
can breathe you can eat asnormal for us. And, and what
else Ron maybe, you know,besides that, it needs to learn

(01:03:03):
how to cook, enjoy or how chooseto swimming. bicycle. You know
how to defend yourself? It's anatural for human beings, you
know? Right?

Jose Flores (01:03:15):
They drive

in a nice drive. Yeah. Look is one
thing, you know, be in the gymhere. One day, a daughter had to
go on the freeway. And she willbe afraid, you know. But if you
need to build the core is littleby little little by little Shima

(01:03:38):
ago. This whole goal was youknow, is how you building kids.
You push a little bit here andthey'll come here is kind of
recreating the chaos situationinside the gym on a controlled
environment.

Yeah, we've done that. Right there because I
mean,

mimics fight, mimic situation. We put
it in the check in here and thenyou know, here in the gym and we
see a kid he does something hedoesn't do well, and you cannot
leave him behind. You have toteach him how to learn. Because
you know why you're not going tohave somebody to train with his

(01:04:19):
whole thing. You know, on thisbenefit you have the martial
arts is hard to have indifferent sports.

It is it is and that's why I always tell the
parents that even if they don'twant to attend our studio or
whatnot. I tell them you knowwhat, if you could find a
martial arts that they can stickwith stick with it because it
helps. It helps. I believebecause they helped me. I used
to be very shy very in the show.
Couldn't get one word out of me.

(01:04:46):
Really. And now my even my owninstructor tells me Was it Jose
you talked a lot. Oh there youyou talk You talk a lot. that'll
add this helped me a lot. Andeven doing this, I believe
martial arts helped me doingthis. Because before coming up

(01:05:08):
to someone say, Hey, would youlike to do my podcast? That to
me would have been like, Oh,yeah, no, no, I

wouldn't have the courage. Yeah, we'll
see. Yeah, so those littlethings in my mind, tell what
here, you know, interaction withothers, I think is going to be
the most important tool for thefuture, you know, interacting
with others in relationship withother person, you know, and I

(01:05:35):
see fighters have a lot of, weknow, as of right now, my point
of view right now, when I seeall the fighters, they all well
talk, they all know how toexpress themselves. They all
know to be not afraid ofsociety.

Unknown (01:05:50):
That's true. Yeah.

Well, my survival, I know we could stay here and
talk all day. Thank you for yourtime, sir. I appreciate it. For
everyone that's looking for itto get to German and terenas
where are you located? I

am in in pioneer Boulevard in Surrey rose
by the fire station. And justbabalu babalu BJJ con if you
interesting. And just not surecome here. dm us up on Instagram
bubble OBJ. So just go ahead andtake a look and making

(01:06:26):
questions.

Right. So redoes Sr. cerritos is this will
continue

Orange County here or border water
board because the way LA Countyand the county because that's
when the water because next nextcity in down there, Artesia
notches. You know where Park ispunchcard

Alright, and one last thing before we go, Is this
correct when you get thenickname Baba Luna used to chew
gum in Brazil? all the time?
Yes. Wow. Well, is it betterthan

my butcher cavolo

go That's awesome.
All right. Well, Mr. Sabral,thank you so much, sir. for your
time. Okay, my friend, everyone.
Thank you for tuning in. See youguys next time.

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Renato "Babalu" Sobral | Former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, UFC Fighter & Martial Arts Hall of Famer

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Renato "Babalu" Sobral | Former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, UFC Fighter & Martial Arts Hall of Famer