Riding high on a four-match win-streak, Brendan Schaub, who is slated to take on mixed martial arts legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 134 in Brazil, is currently preparing for, arguably, the toughest fight of his young career.
A collegiate football player at Colorado State University, a professional with the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League and a member of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills’ practise roster, Schaub didn’t start mixed martial arts training until he was well into his twenties.
After starting his professional career on a four-fight win-streak, Schaub was invited to compete on ‘The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights’ and was subsequently picked to train under Rashad Evans’ squad.
During his time on the show, Schaub, en route to getting a spot in the final match of the season, bested Demico Rogers, Jon Madsen, and Marcus Jones.
Although Schaub was stopped by Roy Nelson in the tournament’s finale, the man they call “The Hybrid” was brought back to compete in the Octagon and has, since March of last year, registered victories over Chase Gormley, Chris Tuchscherer, Gabriel Gonzaga, and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.
Now, in what many believe to be the biggest challenge of his career, Schaub is slated to take on Nogueira at UFC 134 on August 27th, in “Big Nog’s” native-Brazil.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Brendan Schaub about, among other topics, his days in football, his time on “The Ultimate Fighter,” and what he would like to accomplish in mixed martial arts.
When did you start playing football?
Football? Shoot, man, when I was little. Second grade, first grade…maybe.
You don’t remember your first day?
No—not at all.
Where you always passionate about the game?
I was just an athletic kid, man: I played football, basketball, lacrosse—I was into everything. I just kind of did everything. I was definitely the best at football, but as I started to grow up, I was better at lacrosse.
How do you feel about what you were able to accomplish in football?
It paid my way through college, so that was a big feat for me. Competing at such a high-level was also a cool experience for me.
Was it difficult to walk away from the game?
Not at all, man. It’s a different game in college, especially playing at the Division I level—it was a fulltime job. I had some pretty bad injuries that were building up and by my junior year, I knew it wasn’t something that I wanted to do for a while. I don’t know if my body could’ve dealt with it for much longer, either.
Were you involved in any martial arts growing up?
Yeah, I did some Tae Kwon Do and some boxing.
What do you think made you gravitate towards martial arts?
My dad was a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and in karate. He enlisted us in martial arts, and for us, it was just more of a discipline-thing [laughs] and to teach us that it wasn’t about fighting each other—just a way to have discipline and set goals.
Looking back to those days, if someone would’ve said that you’d be fighting for a living, what would you say?
I wouldn’t call it too crazy: I was always a gifted athlete and whatever I put my mind to, I excelled at it. Even playing with the older kids; I was just a step above a lot of guys. Once I put my mind to fighting, I knew that I could go pretty far in this sport.
How did you first come across mixed martial arts?
I first ran into it at ’93. The first UFC was here in Denver and my uncle talked about it all the time. I’d fake like I was sick in elementary school and he’d rent us the videos of all the UFCs and we’d watch them nonstop. For me, it was early, man.
When you were watching those videos, were you ever thinking that you could do this?
Yeah—I always thought that I could do it and I wanted to do it. It was always something that I wanted to do…when I was in college, I did some jiu-jitsu and some boxing because I knew that I wanted to be a fighter. The only reason that I started doing that was to pursue mixed martial arts.
Once I was out of college, I kept boxing and entered the Golden Gloves tournament. I never thought about going pro in boxing or having a career in the sport; I was just doing it to prepare myself for mixed martial arts. Shoot, man, I’ve been around mixed martial arts royalty since I was young: Nate Marquardt and Shane Carwin were the first ever guys that I met when I walked into the gym. Those guys took me under their wing and directed me and my career.
When you first started training, what were your intentions?
My intention was to get to the UFC—that was the only reason. It wasn’t something that I wanted to do part-time or beat up local guys on smaller shows; the only reason that I got into it was to live the life that I’m living now.
Is that what inspired you to try out for “The Ultimate Fighter?”
I didn’t have to try out for “The Ultimate Fighter.” At the time, I was 4-0 and I had just won the Ring of Fire heavyweight belt here in Denver, and I come from a pretty impressive line of training partners: I’ve got Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, Eliot Marshall.
Those guys heard that they were doing heavyweights, and I can’t remember who it was, but one of those guys put in a call and said, “Hey, we’ve got this heavyweight out here and you guys may want him for the show.” The next thing that I knew, I was getting a call from the UFC and Spike TV producers and they were asking me about being on “The Ultimate Fighter” and they flew me out the next day for medicals. I never had to try out.
Were you at all apprehensive about going on to the show?
No—not at all. I’m very aware of show—I’ve watched every season—and I was stoked: I couldn’t believe that it was actually happening.
Was trying out for the show in the future something that you had thought about?
No, I think I would’ve made the UFC with or without the show. Coming off the show, though, puts you on a bigger stage; I don’t think there’s a better way to get into the UFC than through “The Ultimate Fighter.” At the time, Shane Carwin had just had his first or second fight in the UFC, so I was around the UFC—I was around UFC-calibre guys a lot. I knew that I could compete at that level—it was just a matter of time until I got my foot in the door.
Have you ever thought about how much longer it would’ve taken you to get to the UFC—had you not taken the “The Ultimate Fighter”-route?
Not really, but I don’t think it would’ve taken me too long. I was 4-0—all knockouts—and I was familiar with the UFC personnel, so I thought it was just a matter of time.
How did you like your odds going onto the show?
I loved my odds. I didn’t know anyone except for two guys in the house—I only knew Roy Nelson from his IFL-days and I knew Kimbo Slice—but I liked my odds, man.
Was there anything that surprised you during your time on the show?
Not really. Before I went on the show, I was training with Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine, and Eliot Marshall, and they had all been through the experience, and all three of them had good turnouts on the show, and they told me what to expect. I just knew that if I stayed focused for those six weeks in the house, I would make a good name for myself. Win, lose, or draw on that show, you’re going to give yourself an opportunity to make something of yourself.
Did you ever think that it may end poorly?
No—I wouldn’t have went on the show if I didn’t think that I could win it.
How do you feel about what you were able to accomplish on the show?
I had a great time in the house; I won all three fights and had three finishes. You only get paid if you finish guys, so I made the most money out of everybody in the house. I did what I expected to do, so I wasn’t surprised. I worked harder than anyone in the house and I think it showed.
How different do you think your experience would’ve been had you been selected by Quinton [Jackson]?
Not that much different, because the thing about being on Team Rashad was his best friend in the house was [James] McSweeney, and most of the match-ups would favour McSweeney. I think the best thing about our team was that we had the best guys: we had Roy Nelson, myself, McSweeney, [Matt] Mitrione, Justin Wren—our team was pushing each other every day. I think that would’ve been the biggest difference; Quinton’s team didn’t exactly have all the talent.
How beneficial do you think it was for you to have some of your teammates be a part of your experience on the show?
Really, I didn’t have a lot of my teammates on my team. I knew Rashad—I’ve trained with him a few times—but we haven’t really hung out other than that; not like him and McSweeney. Him and McSweeney were best friends—I think they lived together for a little bit.
Everyone thought that I had a big advantage because of that, but I’d say that my biggest advantage would be when they brought in Trevor Wittman. Trevor was a familiar face, someone I could just talk to. It wasn’t so much the coaching; it was just having someone that I could relate to and to have someone that knows where I really come from.
How much of an impact has Trevor had on your career?
Trevor has been great. I’m known as, kind of, a knockout-artist and he is my boxing coach. He’s led me along the way—he’s been crucial to my success.
How would you describe the environment at Grudge?
It’s a great environment. When I was younger, I just followed what Nate Marquardt and Shane Carwin did; I would just jump in and get my ass whipped all the time. Now that Nate is down at 170, I don’t train with him at all anymore—we just talk a lot. Grudge is a great environment; it’s a great place to be from.
To what do you attribute the early success of the academy?
I think the success comes from the hard-work that we put in. Nate’s been around the game for a long time, Rashad was down with us for a long time, Carwin is one of the smartest guys I know—I think it’s just the smart training that we do. Those guys have had success and I’m starting to have success, so I just think it’s the mixture of being smart about training and our training camps.
How do you feel about Nate’s situation?
Ed, to be honest, I’ve received that question a ton lately. I’m not too knowledgeable about it—I was just as surprised as everybody else when things went down. My heart goes out to Nate and it’s an unfortunate circumstance.
What do you feel the future holds for Nate?
Nate is one of the best fighters in the world, so he’s going to continue doing that. Hopefully he gets back into the UFC soon—Nate is still one of my best friends.
How much of an impact do you feel Nate has had on your career?
Oh, man. I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I’m at today without Nate.
What does fighting in the UFC mean to you?
Fighting in the UFC is the pinnacle of the sport. There couldn’t be a better time to fight in the UFC than right now; the division is stacked and there are a lot of great match-ups for me. Fighting in the UFC is a dream-come-true and I know I’ve got a lot of work to do, but I never take it for granted.
How do you feel about what you’ve been able to accomplish in the UFC so far?
I’ve had some great fights and that’s what I expect. I’ve got a long way to go, but I’m getting closer to that title each and every fight. Obviously, that’s the plan, and I have a huge fight coming in August—it will be my third legend in a row and I’m just so honoured to be able to fight these guys.
How are you feeling going into your upcoming match?
I feel good. I’m one of those guys that’s always training; I’m a martial artist and I’m always in shape, always training, and always getting better. For this fight, it’s the same protocol as usual.
Does fighting a legend of the sport—as you said—alter the way that you approach a fight?
No—not at all. Not only am I fighting a legend, but probably one of the greatest heavyweights of all time and I’m fighting him in his backyard. I think that adds a bit more pressure when you’re fighting guys of this magnitude, but they’ve got what I want and the only way to get that is by going out and beating these guys. I don’t let the persona or the legend-stuff get in my head.
What do you think Nogueira’s game-plan is going to be come fight-night?
I think it will be the best Nogueira that we’ve seen in the Octagon. He’s had some time to correct some stuff and he’s fighting in his hometown—I expect one heck of a fight. Obviously, he likes to box and he’s probably one of the best heavyweights in the world—in terms of ground-games—so he poses a lot of threats.
Do you feel that you’re going into hostile territory?
It can’t get any more hostile. That’s the reason that I wanted this fight: that’s as close as you can get, pressure-wise, to a title-fight. I want to prepare myself for the day that I fight for a title and this is a step in the right direction—this is as close as you can get to it. It’s going to be hostile as heck down there, man.
Does that alter the way you approach your fight?
Nope—not at all. If anything, it fires me up even more and makes me train even harder—I think it’s a benefit for me.
Are you looking forward to making the trip to Brazil?
Yeah, I was just out there a week ago for the press conference and it’s the most beautiful place that I’ve ever been. I got a great response from the fans—it was a great experience for me. I love it down there.
Do you plan on sticking around for a while after your match?
I think so. That’s the plan, but there’s nothing concrete yet. Hopefully Brazil isn’t too mad at me after this fight, so I can stick around for a little bit after this fight [laughs].
What are you expecting out of the fans?
I’m going to be fighting their boy; I’m going to be fighting their hero. In Brazil, their heroes in sports are Nogueira and soccer players. I expect them to be rooting for their guy and I don’t expect to be welcomed with open-arms, but I expect that stuff.
What would a win at UFC 134 mean to you?
A win at UFC 134 in Rio would be the biggest win of my life. As Dana [White] said in the press conference, the winner of the fight is right up there for a title-shot. For me, that’s why I do this: I want to be the best and I want to fight for a title. This is a huge step in that direction.
Again, assuming you win, what do you feel is the next step in your career?
Assuming I win? I haven’t really thought about that, but I think a win will put me pretty close to that number-one contender spot. That’s not for me to decide, but that definitely puts me up there. If I can go out and beat Nogueira convincingly, I can make a pretty good argument for me being up there.
What would that championship belt mean to you?
It would be a dream-come-true; a championship is why I do this. I don’t do this to be a guy in the UFC, I do this to be the best and put on exciting fights. Those guys that are, you know, .500 fighters or guys that are just in the UFC aren’t going to have long careers. For me, it’s about longevity and being one of the superstars of the UFC—that’s why I do this.
How far do you feel you can go in this sport?
Ah, man—I can definitely hold that title-belt one day. The sky is the limit.
What will you be satisfied with when it’s all said and done?
Going down as one of the greatest ever, man. Being in the heavyweight division, you can do that nowadays; the competition is so stiff and there are so many legends. You can do it, you’ve just got to stay focused and beat these guys one at a time.
For mixed martial arts fans on Twitter, follow Brendan Schaub at http://twitter.com/#!/brendanschaub and Ed Kapp at http://twitter.com/#!/EdKapp
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