SAN JOSE, California — There may not be another fighter in MMA whose physical appearance coincides with his character more so than that of Renato “Babalu” Sobral.  

At 33, the Brazilian native and jiu-jitsu black belt has firmly ingrained in the minds of his followers a look and demeanor that, coupled together, amount to a pretty startling and somewhat scary individual.

Less than a week out from his long-awaited showdown with Strikeforce world light heavyweight champion Bobby Southworth, a notorious rogue in his own right, Sobral is spewing words indicating his firm intention to humble the defending crown holder.  

“Bobby called me out, and I gladly accepted the challenge,” said Sobral.  “On Friday, the world will learn what Bobby already knows – that this was the biggest mistake of his career.”

THE CARD
Middleweight knockout artists Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith (13-5) and Terry Martin (18-5) will collide in a featured contest as will world muay Thai champion Duane “Bang” Ludwig (17-8) and Yves Edwards (34-14-1) at a catch weight of 164 pounds.

Kim Couture (0-1), wife of mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Randy “The Natural” Couture, will make her Strikeforce debut against Lina Kvokov (0-1) in a 130-pound limit contest.

Joe “Diesel” Riggs (28-11) will make his return to the welterweight division in a matchup with Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt Luke Stewart (6-1).  

HP Pavilion doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for Strikeforce “Destruction,” and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.   The main card will commence at 7:30 p.m.

— Strikeforce PR