Sokoudjou became a sensation in 2007 when he debuted for PRIDE with a 2-1 record to knock out then-top ten ranked Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in 23 seconds. At PRIDE's next event, Sokoudjou scored another first-round knockout, over veteran Ricardo Arona. By the end of the year, Sokoudju found himself on the top ten light heavyweight rankings and a deal with the UFC. However, the hype died down for Sokoudjou inside the Octagon, where the Team Quest fighter went 1-2 before getting released.
Sobral, who also was released by the UFC, but for poor sportsmanship, won the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt against Bobby Southworth on Nov. 21. Sobral fought at the first Affliction event and won a unanimous decision against Mike Whitehead of Xtreme Couture.
Complete fight card:
- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Andrei Arlovski
- Josh Barnett vs. Gilbert Yvel
- Matt Lindland vs. Vitor Belfort
- Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
- Chris Horodecki vs. Dan Lauzon
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
- Jay Hieron vs. Jason High
- Mark Hominick vs. L.C. Davis
- Albert Rios vs. Antonio Duarte
- Brett Cooper vs. Patrick Speight
- Paul Buentello vs. Kiril Sidelnikov
Get the latest gear
