Brendan Schaub came second on “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights” to Roy Nelson.
He was one of my favorite fighters to watch on that series of TUF.
Schaub, known for his impressive boxing skills, is 8-1 in MMA and 4-1 in the UFC. Of his eight wins, seven have come by knockout, with six of those fights lasting no longer 1:27 of the very first round. Impressive.
Let’s look at Schaub’s last two opponents, “Cro-Cop” and Gonzaga. While a win over either of these fighters would mean a great deal to any fighter, Schaub did not really prove anything by beating them.
Both fighters were well past their prime, especially “Cro-Cop”, who is now approaching the age of 37.
Don’t get me wrong—when it comes to all of sports, “Cro-Cop” is one of my heroes. He is undoubtedly the greatest striker in the heavyweight division of all time.
“Cro-Cop” is a true legend of the sport, but he is not the same “Cro-Cop” that we saw bulldoze through opponents in Pride FC, some years ago.
Does beating an aging legend mean much when it comes to title contention?
Do you really think that Schaub could have beaten the “Cro-Cop” of the Pride era? The same “Cro-Cop” that sent opponent after opponent to the proverbial cemetery?
Beating some of the legends of the sport will look great on his record and does stand for something. However, it would mean a lot more, especially to Schaub’s desire to be a champion, if he had beaten them in their prime and they were also in title contention.
Despite “Cro-Cop’s” age, “Cro-Cop” held Schaub off till the third round and Schaub couldn’t finish Gonzaga.
If Schaub can’t comfortably get past superstars who are well past their prime, how on earth is he going to be able to beat the likes of Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez?
Schaub has a fascination with calling out some of the true legends of the sport. He is respectful about it, and I in turn respect him for that (he is not as vocal as a certain “Uncle Chael”). Also, he seems to be under the impression that by beating fighters who are way past their prime, he will get closer to earning a title shot.
Unfortunately, he is wrong.
Schaub needs to focus on calling out fighters that are currently in the title picture in order to be a part of the title picture himself.
Similarly, calling out other young, up and coming stars would also do more to help his career. Schaub should be calling out fighters like fellow TUF alum, Matt Mitrione, or other young stars such as Travis Browne.
His latest challenge was made to the iconic Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira and I hate having to say this, as Nogueira is also one of my heroes and inspirations, but “Minotauro” is also well past his prime.
That being said, “Minotauro” is one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, period.
Maybe Schaub will regret calling out Nogueira and this is why.
If there is anybody that is going to bring Schaub back to reality, it is going to be Nogueira—arguably the greatest submission artist in the heavyweight division, ever.
“Minotauro” Nogueira has been training to become an excellent all-rounded fighter. He has looked to improve his boxing by training with the Cuban national team and he trains/coaches talented strikers in Junior Dos Santos and Anderson Silva.
Although Schaub will still hold the advantage over Nogueira in the stand-up game, we all know what will happen if this fight gets taken to the ground and there is a strong likelihood it will.
Furthermore, this fight is going down in Nogueira’s home country and the fans will all be against Schaub. So we will also see how Schaub copes under a copious amount of pressure as he goes toe to toe with a legend with thousands of people booing him and cheering for their idol.
Schaub is 28 years old and has got great talent and even greater potential. So why is he calling out fighters much older than himself and who are not as great as they were a few years ago?
Would he have called them out while they were in their prime?
I think Schaub has the potential to become a title contender, like his fellow TUF alum Roy Nelson. But Schaub needs to do what is ultimately going to bring him closer to the title picture and that is by challenging the young stars.
I like watching him fight because he is entertaining; he has incredible knockout power and you just don’t know when to expect that killer punch.
But for his sake, I hope he will do what is right in order to become a legitimate title contender.
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