Brendan Schaub shares his take on a former reputed mob boss and the NHL as a sports entity.
Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub has been long-removed from professional fighting. These days, he’s been making quite a good living on the mic as a podcaster and stand-up comedian.
The 38-year-old was a recent guest on Patrick Bet-David’s podcast on Valuetainment where he somehow managed to include former reputed mob boss Salvatore “Sammy The Bull” Gravano into the conversation. And his words weren’t very flattering.
“I propose a question: ‘Are they actually tough?’ What’s your definition of tough?”
Bet-David then shared his own experiences being in the same room with Gravano and another former mobster, the late Frank Cullotta, and described both men as “capable” in other ways outside of a fistfight. Schaub responded by saying that “doesn’t make you tough. (It) makes you a sociopath.”
For the uninformed, the 76-year-old Gravano is the former underboss of New York’s Gambino Crime Family, back when “The Teflon Don” John Gotti held the reins in the 1980s. He left the life and turned government witness in 1991, spent decades in and out of prison before his ultimate release in 2017.
Gravano has since amassed internet fame through his YouTube channel and podcast. However, his reputation as a ruthless mob enforcer with at least 19 alleged murders to his name continues to precede him.
The “toughness” conversation then shifted to sports and Schaub was asked to rank the “big four” leagues. After describing NBA players as “divas,” he had this take about the NHL.
“Here’s why NHL doesn’t count: they’re all white guys. They’re on ice, and they’re in Canada, that’s all there is to do. And also, it’s not a worldwide sport,” he said.
“If you look at basketball, it’s a global sport. Soccer, it’s a global sport. Fighting’s a global sport. So you’re getting the best of the very best.
“In NHL, as soon as black guys are like, ‘What the… is this a pair of skates?’ They’re f—ked. All those European white guys are f—ked.”
I’ll go ahead and give Schaub the benefit of the doubt here and say he’s probably trying to add some comedic element into this conversation. Then again, this is a guy who isn’t exactly beloved as a stand-up.
Schaub retired from fighting in 2015 after a brutally honest conversation with Joe Rogan months prior. He ended his career with a 10-5 record, which includes a notable knockout win over the legendary Mirko Cro Cop.