After frustrating layoff, Renato Sobral faces big opportunity Wednesday

By Brett Okamoto

Monday, June 14, 2010 | 11 p.m.

If there's one thing Renato Sobral won't do, it's beat around the bush. Good or bad, the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion prefers to just to say it like it is.

So, while reporters have found numerous ways to describe his first-round loss to Gegard Mousasi last August — a disappointment, a rough outing, a setback — the 34-year-old fighter has his own name for it.

"I got my ass kicked," said Sobral, on a recent conference call. "But sometimes, it's good to have your ass kicked. You come back hungrier and stronger. I'll come back from that loss."

After waiting nearly a full year to get back in the cage, Sobral (35-8) will look to get back in the title hunt Wednesday when he takes on Robbie Lawler (19-5-1) at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.

The announcement of the fight came as a big relief to the Brazilian fighter, who recently had expressed frustration at Strikeforce and the Showtime Network for not giving him enough fights.

Sobral's patience certainly will be rewarded Wednesday, as the event coincides with the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, in Los Angeles and will be in an area the California-based fighter refers to as his own backyard.

The show will air on Showtime and is what Strkeforce CEO Scott Coker called a "hybrid" show, featuring some of the best up-and-coming talent on its roster.

"This is a very unique situation — having the chance to do a fight in conjunction with the E3 convention, which attracts over 40,000 participants," Coker said.

In addition to being linked to the massive video-game conference, Coker has announced the fight will have a significant impact on both the 185-pound and 205-pound divisions.

A win for Sobral would award him an immediate chance at reclaiming the light heavyweight title against Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, who took the belt from Mousasi in April.

Although Sobral had said in the past he didn't want to fight Lawal because the two are friends, he'd be willing to consider it with a title on the line according to his manager, Richard Wilner.

"For what it's worth, are we looking for a fight with Mo? The answer is no, because of our relationship with him," Wilner said. "But if that's the fight that is on the table and fans are clamoring for, we'll do what we have to do."

Should Lawler win, he likely would move on to a championship fight with Jacare Souza for what likely would be the vacant middleweight title.

Current champ Jake Shields, who recently defended his belt against Dan Henderson, appears to be headed to the UFC.

"It depends on how things shake out with Jake, but if they continue the way they're going we're going to end up with a situation where we're looking for a 185-pound champion," Coker said. "I think Jacare and Robbie would be the No. 1 and 2 seeds in that slot."

Because the show does not include as many fights as a normal Strikeforce event, its start time is later than usual. The first fight is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. in Los Angeles. Showtime will begin televising the event at 8 p.m.

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or [email protected].