Issue 003
May 2005
Firstly, where did you get your nickname — Babalu — from?
When I was a kid I was fat and I liked to wear a red t-shirt. Here in Brazil we’ve a gum named Babalú and its packaging is red. So that is where the name came from.
What have you changed since you switched to the Gracie Team?
First of all, my wrestling is much better due to the fact that I’ve been training directly with the Cuban Allejo and this has helped me improve my game since I left Ruas. Secondly, my ground game has improved a lot here at Gracie Barra.
I have been training with Carlinhos Gracie and Roberto Gordo, who are experts in Jiu-Jitsu and helped me become much more technical on the ground. As far as my stand-up training, I maintain a good pace training with the remainders of the Ruas team and box with Claudio Coelho at Nobre Arte Team and here with Washington. The results of the team speak for itself.
You won the IFC in the United States but it has taken a while for you to fight again. Did you feel a lack of pace in the two fights you had in 2004?
My will to fight overcame the lack of pace and training — which I now get here at Gracie Barra — and that gave me the confidence to fight well.
What has been on your mind while you were away from fighting?
I was patient and knew something would happen soon. Gracie Barra already existed as a great Jiu-Jitsu team and is fairly new in Vale Tudo.
There is also Renzo’s team, which is derived from Gracie Barra, but there wasn’t a Vale Tudo team representing Gracie Barra. Our team has only had one year and we are going in the right direction. We are patient and know that things aren’t easy, but 2005 will be the year that Gracie Barra’s Combat Team will be noticed in Brazil, the United States, Japan and Europe.
Everybody said this new team wouldn’t last because it is a mix of different styles. What do you think about this?
When I arrived here Carlos Malta (the team manager) told me that we were the pioneers and everything was ours. This academy has a lot of pride and as for me, I feel like a winner here. Jealous people said that the team wouldn’t last and we are getting better and stronger. We are a family and individualism does not exist here.
What was the main reason you left Ruas Vale Tudo?
I didn’t have the structure that I have here [at Gracie Barra].
Beto Leitão was responsible for overlooking all our interests and he couldn’t do it by himself and he wasn’t the team’s owner — the team wasn’t ‘Beto Leitão Vale Tudo’. It was hard to take things this way because he was the coach and manager. We didn’t have the concern and integration that we have here. There everything revolved around Pedro Rizzo.
What were your first impressions of Gracie Barra?
I thought everyone had a great ground game and everyone was very professional.
What does the Gracie Barra name represent to you now?
I will take the Gracie Barra name with pride in my heart for the rest of my life. I consider Gracie Barra as my second home. Carlinhos is an exceptional person and his second guy, Roberto Gordo, is a great coach that knows the game. Here there are no secrets or agenda and all that we do is in the open, and it’s great to train here.
Did the arrival of other former members of Ruas help your integration here?
They arrived a little later, but yes it helped. All those guys have a great stand-up background and we are maintaining a very high level of stand up training.
No one ever thought you would train with a gi. What can you tell us about this experience?
Every time I train in a gi I’m always schooled, but it helps me to develop my ground game. This kind of training helps me develop my ‘soft art’ techniques. We learn how to be more accurate and not use much strength.
Have you been able to adjust your gi training for your Vale Tudo game?
Sure, I was able to do the techniques with not much strength and feel that my hips are looser.
Your two fights in Cage Rage were quick, but your fight against Pele at Jungle Fight Championship 3 went for decision. Do you think your development showed itself more in your fight against Pele?
I used to be more of a wrestler — take it to the ground and stay there pounding. Nowadays, I look to get half-guard and try to finalize, like I did to Pele.
Do you still intend to continue competing in wrestling?
I love wrestling! It is the sport that I love the most to compete in and to watch. But since the Brazilian Federation isn’t very active and Beto Leitão is the president, things don’t look very good for me.
Are you and Gustavo Machado the two Gracie Barra stars?
There aren’t any stars here. We are more experienced because we fought in events that are considered to be some of the best in the world. Both of us always want to fight and try to bring other fighters of the team to participate in the same event. We want the team to grow, and as often as we can we will be looking for opportunities for all members of Gracie Barra Team.
You had two fights in 2004. How many do you intend to have in 2005?
I still have the contract with Cage Rage, but I would say that I’m open to fighting in Pride. And, obviously, I will be at UFC 52.
Do you intend to conquer the Cage Rage title?
I have it in mind that my main goal is to win the belt of any event. If I’m in Cage Rage now, it is because I want the belt in my weight division. But if this doesn’t happen, I want to continue fighting and beating whoever is in front of me.
What can you say to the fans about your UK fights at Cage Rage against Cyrille Diabaté and Pierre Guillet?
When I went to fight in the UK both of these fighters wanted to beat me at the cage. I fought at Cage Rage so that they would know I was superior. I trained a lot and I guess the results are quick because I was more than prepared to fight them.
Two of your four losses were to Valentijn Overeem and to Chuck Liddell by submission and KO respectively. Would you like to fight them again?
I haven’t been trying to fight them anytime soon. But if they show up in front of me, of course I’ll want to face them. I can tell that the fights would develop much better for me due to my new technical level that I got training here at Gracie Barra. I’m much more confident than before.
Was there any strategy mistake in your fight against Chuck Liddell and Overeem?
The mistake was my mind, it wasn’t 100% — I wasn’t there at the fight. I had just moved to the United States and was away from my family for a month when all I wanted was to be with them. In the fight against Overeem my excess confidence was my mistake.
The company Unamar Clube sponsors most of the Gracie Barra team fighters. Does this sponsorship allow the team to focus more on training harder?
For sure. It’s funny, because Unamar Clube used to sponsor us when we were at Ruas. Then, they started sponsoring the Gracie Barra team and this also influenced some of the fighters to leave Ruas and come to Gracie Barra. I say that we don’t have a sponsor, we have a ‘super’ sponsor.
You’ve fought in the United States, England and Japan. Where did you feel you fought the best?
The fans understand more about fights in Japan while in the United States it is more of an entertaining show. In Europe the sport is relatively new and England is a country that enjoys soccer and boxing like we Brazilians do.
You said that you moved to the United States for a while. Why?
I was thinking of retiring from fighting and wanted to teach and look for new things. This experience was very important in my life because I found out that I have tiger eyes and was born to fight. Then I returned to Brazil as fast as I could because I want to fight for as long as I can!
What made you think of retiring?
There was a moment in my life when I thought: “Would it be right if I stay here pounding people’s faces? Will my kids want to do the same? What kind of example would I be setting to them?” But after a while in the US, where I had some time to think, I realized that I was born to fight and that God had created me to fight.
After this time of reflection, do you think you came back stronger?
For sure — after that I didn’t lose a fight. My strategy, posture in the ring and my game improved and are more solid. I am more aggressive and when I step in the ring, representing Gracie Barra, my objective is to eliminate my opponent at any price.
Have you any final comment?
I would like to leave a message for my fans and let them know that I’m back in the fight scene. I’m ready for some great fights and will prove that Gracie Jiu-Jitsu really makes the difference. I dedicate all the good that happened in my life to my daughter Maria Fernanda — she is a great motivator for me to get into the ring and win my fights.
Fact file: Renato Sobral
- Weight: 205lbs (93kg)
- Height: 6’1” (185cm)
- MMA record: 24-5-0 (win-loss-draw)
- Born: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Date of birth: 9 July, 1975
- Lives: Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
- Nickname: Babalu
- Fight team: Gracie Barra Combat Team
- Family: Wife Natasha and daughter Maria Fernanda
- Major awards: 1998 South American Wrestling Champion
- Best thing about being a fighter: The feeling of.victory
- Lowest point in career: Being beaten by Chuck Liddell in UFC 40. At the time, personal problems nearly resulted in him turning his back on MMA.
- Favourite food: Bacalhau (Portuguese fish similar to smoked salmon)
- Favourite film: Gladiator and Lord of the Rings
- Phobia: Claustrophobia - gets freaked out by the thought of being covered by a sheet.
- Hobbies: Surfing in Rio.
- Philosophy in life: Do unto others as you would be done to yourself
- Philosophy in the ring: Smash his opponent up
- Proudest moment: Birth of daughter
- Biggest influence on life: On a personal level, his grandmother
