UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub is used to the criticism. After all, in lackluster bouts with Lavar Johnson or his debacle at Metamoris 2 with Roberto ‘Cyborg’ Abreu, Schaub is no stranger to folks grilling him for some of his competitive choices.
After his split decision loss to Andrei Arlovski at UFC 174 on Saturday, criticism reared its head both from fans and UFC President Dana White. White said it was the ‘the fans’ who lost the bout and if Schaub felt he won, it was essentially comedic for him to do so.
Addressing those issues on his The Fighter and The Kid podcast, Schaub said he was taking it all in stride.
“For me, it’s just frustrating, but it’s onwards and upwards. I don’t know any different, but to get back to training and just…this is what I do, man. This is what I do. This is it. It went to the judges. I got screwed in a decision. I probably should’ve done more to make it clear, that’s on me.
“That’s the sport, man. You’re only as good as your last fight. As far as the naysayers and criticism and stuff like that, that’s what you sign up. That happens. It’s just part of the sport. That doesn’t really bother me. When I knocked out Mirko CroCop, I got negative comments. When I beat Lavar Johnson, of course, I get negative comments. When I beat Matt Mitrione and didn’t get touched, I got negative comments.”
From there, however, Schaub began to tear up when speaking to co-host Bryan Callen about, of all things, the very podcast they were on. Schaub says, yes, there’s plenty of hate, but because of the podcast and how it has exposed him to the MMA audiences in a new way, he’s also never had more praise and affection than he gets today.
“This is serious here, ” Schaub says as his voice begins to tremble. “I’m trying not to get emotional here. I’ve never got so much love in my life since this fight,” Schaub said of the podcast.
“I put so much into it,” he continues. “In the second round, I was a little tired. I thought I lost the first, I knew I won the second and Rener [Gracie] goes, ‘Schaub, you have to win this third. Take him down and win this third.’ And I took him down, won that third. I swear on my life, what I thought about was all the support I get from this podcast. I swear to god.”
6 MUST-READ STORIES
Coker in, Rebney out. That’s the major scoop Ariel Helwani is reporting in an alleged shake-up at Viacom.
Wanderlei Silva admits to taking diuretics. And the Nevada Athletic Commission plans to punish him for that and other infractions at a later date.
Chael Sonnen receives temporary suspension. Beyond that, there’s a hearing slated for a later date, but since he’s retired (for now), it matters very little.
A battle of the champions. Kevin Casey vs. Bubba Bush is set for UFC 175, according to a scoop from Ariel Helwani.
Big Nog under the knife. The former PRIDE heavyweight champion had his ACL repaired in a successful surgery over the weekend, but there’s no word on what his future is in MMA.
Mike Kogan drops a racial epithet. MMA manager Mike Kogan uses the n-word to describe Jose Aldo and somehow refuses to walk it back.
MEDIA STEW
Ed Soares hosts a STATIC hangout with Kevin Casey and others:
Here’s a trailer for The Expendables 3:
It’s Free Fight Wednesday, so here’s Chris Weidman vs. Jesse Bongfeldt:
Alexander Gustafsson beats down Jon Jones at EA Sports (25-min mark):
The journey of Lyoto Machida ahead of UFC 175:
Did you miss yesterday’s NAC hearing on Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva? No, you didn’t:
Rubber guard master Cora Sek is about there hurtin’ bamas:
Miesha Tate says ‘vagina shots’ hurt, so I’ll just leave this here:
Mike Tyson still owns:
Like I said:
Better late than never:
I would like to thank all my fans for the support and thank Dana White for the opportunity to return to UFC. It’s great to be back.
— Andrei Arlovski (@AndreiArlovski) June 18, 2014
And now for some soccer tweets:
Man Ochoa deserves man of the match for that game for sure!
— Ulysses Gomez (@uselessgomez) June 17, 2014
Very poor soccer from Brazil. #worldcup
— Manny Gamburyan (@MannyGamburyan) June 17, 2014
What a game! Probably one of the most exciting games I’ve ever seen! #MEX #BRA
— Dave Camarillo (@DaveCamarillo) June 17, 2014
What DOESN’T air on Fight Pass at this point?
Wandy is up next in front of the NSAC. It’s LIVE on Fight Pass if you want to see it.
— Dana White (@danawhite) June 17, 2014
Great scrap coming:
I was told to keep it quiet but… I’m fighting Michael Chiesa Sept 5th at Foxwoods. #UFC guess I’ll be fighting in CT!
— Joe Lauzon (@JoeLauzon) June 18, 2014
No idea what’s happening here:
Just might happen:
My left ear is tingling which can only mean one thing #KimboRematch
— James Thompson (@JColossus) June 17, 2014
Now for a few tweets from Cody McKenzie:
There are talented veterans, top fighters in the world out there that will never be known cause most fans only believe what joe rogan says.
— . (@TheCodyMcKenzie) June 16, 2014
I asked a girl who fights for ufc is she even knew @DaveJansen155 she didn’t. If u don’t know Dave you dont follow Mma hes one of the best
— . (@TheCodyMcKenzie) June 16, 2014
If you have never been in a fight, don’t talk about a fighter sucking makes you a jackass. If you haven’t fought you don’t even have a clue
— . (@TheCodyMcKenzie) June 16, 2014
When a fight is prematurely stopped by a ref I wish they would take that ref out of the cage, bring a new one in a keep the fight going.
— . (@TheCodyMcKenzie) June 16, 2014
We should be allowed to kick and knee to a downed opponent stupidest rule in Mma. And I hate rounds this is suppose to be a fight 1 round.
— . (@TheCodyMcKenzie) June 16, 2014
FIGHTS ANNOUNCED
– Ben Henderson vs. Rafael dos Anjos, UFC Fight Night 49
– Ronaldo Jacare vs. Gegard Mousasi, UFC 176
– Joe Lauzon vs. Michael Chiesa, UFC Fight Night 50
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s FanPost of the Day is brought to you by Archelon who argues there’s over saturation in MMA, but only in terms of media choices. Here’s his plan to fix the problem:
Fixing the problem
It would make me very sad to see the MMA media be destroyed by its current stupidity, but fear not! I, as a long-term fan who knows more than any of you, have taken it upon myself to propose a number of solutions that may save it for everyone :
1) Build stars: The media needs to focus on making their writers stand out. I know some of them have made a small effort with silly hats and catch phrases, but they need to understand that this is entertainment, not just information transfer.
The more obscure guys need lessons in how to self-promote. I would suggest that T P Burke, for example, dyes his beard purple, gets a mohawk, and starts to use a hook to open his pieces. Something like: “YOWZA YOWZA YOWZA LET’S BREAK SOME SKULLZ!” It’s fresh, rad and extreme, and that’s what’s lacking at the moment.
2) Writers should cultivate feuds with other writers: It drives traffic, particularly if it’s got an international flavour. Someone starting a little manufactured e-scuffle with that Welsh Kidd fellow couldn’t hurt.
2) Bring back the classics: I can perfectly remember the pieces I read when I was younger, yet nowadays I’m forgetting what I’ve read almost immediately.
For example, Luke Thomas used to do a series called “Hindsight is Twenty” where he’d discuss the prior UFC event, and how it had changed his viewpoint on the fighters in question. It was good… but it just stopped a few years ago. Why not bring it back? Nothing is more important than being able to look objectively and accurately at the past. Good ol’ Luke Thomas.
3) Stop the little “technique” and “market” and “science” articles. I know, I know, this is an unpopular one. There are tons of snobs out there who will be like “oh, they’re so well constructed” “they’re so informative and well put together.” Listen, I’ve been an MMA article fan for years, and I can tell you that there’s nothing wrong with not liking technique pieces. When it comes down to it, they don’t drive traffic, and no-one really wants to read them. Give the people what they want to read: baseless speculation, Twitter, and controversy. People don’t need to be educated.
It’s a phrase which has become a bit of a pejorative, but honestly there’s some truth to it: “Just Read.”
2) Get rid of the women. I’ll be honest- I was fairly weary of the announcement that women would be writing articles. I’m not a misogynist, and I’m sure they show great heart, but facts are facts: there writing is at least ten to fifteen years behind an equivalent mans, and it does effect me a bit, because I have always been a sticker for spelling and grammar. Don’t get me wrong! I’m personally OK with Steph and Katie, but I do have many unidentified friends who say that they won’t read articles which are written by women. Because it’s unnatural.