It's not easy being at the wrong end of a highlight reel.
That's where Renato Sobral has been since November 2002 when he was knocked out by a vicious kick to the face by Chuck (The Iceman) Liddell. The Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter known as Babalu had the misfortune to duck at the wrong time in the first round at UFC 40: Vendetta.
Instead of escaping danger, his head met the left shin of Liddell.
It was lights out. As Liddell celebrated in the ring, Sobral lay dazed on his back wondering what time zone he was in. Footage of the knockout has since become a UFC staple.
"I have been thinking of that fight for four years," Sobral told The Canadian Press from Las Vegas.
"He's in my dreams," he added of the Iceman.
Sobral is looking for payback Saturday night in Las Vegas in UFC 62: Liddell vs. Sobral (available in Canada on pay-per-view). Since losing to Liddell, the Brazilian has won 10 straight to improve his MMA record to 27-5-0.
A submission expert, the Brazilian's task is to take Liddell down to the mat where he can get nasty on him. He couldn't do it in the first fight — inflicting little damage apart from a few leg kicks — and Liddell was able to use his superior striking skills to set up the decisive kick.
If Sobral does get Liddell off his feet, which is notoriously difficult to do, he could do some damage. One unforgettable image seen through the cage at UFC 55: Fury is Chael Sonnen's face twisted in agony as the Brazilian worked a heel hook. The American somehow survived, but lost in the next round to a triangle choke.
Liddell (18-3-0) isn't fazed by Sobral's near-obsessive bid for payback but respects the Brazilian. He knows Sobral doesn't go down easy, despite the fact their first fight lasted just two minutes 59 seconds.
"I'm not anticipating it ending quickly," said the champion. "Sobral's been knocked out once and that was by me and that was a pretty hard kick to the head. So he's not an easy guy to knock out, knock down.
"I think he's got better but he's going to have a hard time taking me down. Which is going to allow me to put my hands on him."
And when that happens, bad things happen.
"If I put my hands on people enough, sooner or later one of them's going to knock them out," Liddell warned.
In analyzing the matchup, former welterweight champion Carlos Newton says Liddell has the edge.
"If Babalu hasn't really improved on his takedown skills, I see him having a very difficult time winning that fight," Newton said.
Newton says Sobral will have a better chance taking Liddell down "if he shoots low." And the Brazilian should look to do it away from the fence.
"If it's anywhere near the centre of the Octagon, he's going to be able to do some damage. Chuck will be in some real danger," Newton said. "If it's anywhere near the outskirts of the Octagon, or pinned up against the fence even, I don't see Chuck being in a real dire situation. If he does get down in that position in the Octagon, it's a matter of time until he's back on his feet."
The light-heavyweight (205-pound) class is the rock star division of the UFC and Liddell rules.
The Iceman is the face of mixed martial arts in North America and when UFC president Dana White appears on ESPN or some other mainstream outlet, he usually has Liddell by his side.
Thanks to a toe injury, the Sobral fight is Liddell's first since a high-profile rubber match win over Randy Couture in February at UFC 57: Liddell-Couture III.
With middleweight champion Rich Franklin sidelined by injury (ironically from thumping Canadian David Loiseau in a lopsided title defence at UFC 58: USA vs. Canada) and highly touted Canadian contender Georges St. Pierre forced to withdraw because of injury from his rematch against welterweight champion Matt Hughes at UFC 63, the UFC is happy to have Liddell back in action.
With his close-cropped mohawk, goatee and tattooed head, the 36-year-old Liddell looks like a lanky outlaw biker with attitude. In fact, Liddell has an accounting degree and a good sense of humour, which he demonstrated on a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
He has appeared in films (Bachelor Party Vegas and the yet-to-be-released The Death and Life of Bobby Z) and TV (Blade: The Series).
In the ring, Liddell is a teak-hard fighter with hands of stone. Since he has an uncanny ability to resist takedowns, opponents have to find a way round his fists. Few have.
Still, the 30-year-old Sobral is sure the result will be different this time, "because I have been training like a crazy (man)."
He has run up hills in his native Rio de Janeiro, trained on the beach, spent countless hours sparring in the ring, swam, taken yoga classes and tossed a 120-pound wrestling dummy he named Chuck all over the gym.
Notes: Toronto's Rob (Maximus) MacDonald takes on Rob Schafer on the undercard. ... Sobral's nickname Babalu comes from a brand of Brazilian bubble gum he used to chew. ... Sobral has the name of his two-year-old daughter, Maria Fernanda, tattooed on his chest. "She makes me stronger, she makes me focused. She's my vitamin."
