UFC 62: Liddell Blasts Babalu as Griffin Wins the Rematch
On August 26, 2006, Chuck Liddell retained the light heavyweight championship at UFC 62 in Las Vegas. He stopped Renato “Babalu” Sobral with punches at 1:35 of the first round at Mandalay Bay Events Center. Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar supplied the other prominent rematch on the nine-fight card.
Liddell finishes; Griffin goes the distance
Liddell’s title defense ended in a first-round TKO, leaving Sobral with little time to establish a sustained challenge. Griffin’s victory required three rounds: he defeated Bonnar by unanimous decision. The two leading contests therefore offered different conclusions, with a brief championship finish followed in the results by a full-distance verdict.
The supporting card leaned heavily toward submissions, including two finishes deep into the third round. Those bouts gave the evening a different rhythm from Liddell’s rapid main-event victory.
Diaz and Franca find late submissions
Nick Diaz submitted Josh Neer with a kimura at 1:42 of round three. Hermes Franca caught Jamie Varner with an armbar at 3:31 of the same round. Cheick Kongo knocked out Christian Wellisch with a knee at 2:51 of the opening round.
Eric Schafer submitted Rob MacDonald with an arm-triangle choke at 2:26 of round one. Wilson Gouveia submitted Wes Combs with a rear-naked choke at 3:23, and David Heath used the same hold against Cory Walmsley at 2:32. Yushin Okami defeated Alan Belcher by unanimous decision.
Five submission victories made grappling the supporting card’s recurring theme, even as Liddell’s punching power determined the championship result.
Sources
Article Tags
UFC 62, Chuck Liddell, Renato Sobral, Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar, MMA history
