Schaub Believes UFC 116 KO Will Separate Him From The Pack

If the name Bolo Yeung doesn’t strike you, here are two words that will: Chong Li. Yeung’s “Bloodsport” character sends enough chills through Brendan Schaub you’d think he was Jackie Chan.

Four years ago Schaub was working out with his father and brother at Gold’s Gym in Venice Beach, Calif., when he caught a glimpse of one of his favorite movie stars and the chief antagonist to Jean Claude Van Damme’s Frank Dux in the story of Dux’s undefeated run through the illegal, underground Kumite. The flick, in addition to frequent beatings from his older sibling, inspired Schaub to take up martial arts.

“We saw Chong Li and I was like, ‘Oh s— that’s Chong Li!’” Schaub told Heavy.com. “We went up to him and were like ‘I’m such a big fan!’ No one came up to him, they didn’t know who he was, but I was like, man … you would have thought it was friggin’ Tom Cruise in there.

“Mixed Martial Arts today is kind of like being a real-life action figure. Being in the UFC is as close you can come to being Frank Dux or a Chong Li. I loved all the different styles that went into it. I just fell in love with it.”

There’s a lot to love about Schaub’s game. His 6-foot-4, 245-pound frame make him a heavyweight. His speed and dexterity have the look of a lightweight, a mix that earned him the “Hybrid” nickname during tapings of Season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” And rather than allow his MMA career to be derailed by a first-round knockout loss to Roy Nelson at The Ultimate Finale, Schaub intends on penning the biggest chapter of his story Saturday at UFC 116. A win over Chris Tuchscherer in a fight that will air live on Spike will warrant a significant move up the heavyweight food chain.

“If I do what I’m supposed to do and knock this guy out I think this separates me from the pack,” Schaub said. “If you look at some other guys, Matt Mitrione fought Kimbo (Slice), and Todd Duffee fought Mike Russow and lost. I think this kind of separates me from the rest of those guys and I’d have an edge over those up-and-comers.”

Schaub’s knockout loss to Nelson was his first defeat in four MMA fights. Immediately after one of Nelson’s bombs connected with his ear and put him to sleep he approached UFC president Dana White to fight again as soon as possible, rejecting suggestions to take some down time. Three months later he needed a mere 47 seconds to crush Chase Gormley in a preliminary bout of the UFC’s debut on Versus, a performance so impressive it was aired three days later on a new UFC Unleashed.

“I wasn’t going to lose to another up-and-comer,” Schaub said. “I think I showed what I did against an up-and-comer like Chase Gormley.”

The one-time Buffalo Bills practice-squad member is another in a growing line of former football players making a transition to MMA. Mitrione, Schaub’s TUF teammate, starred as a defensive end at Purdue and made the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent. His experience as a pass rusher trained him to use his hips to explode with power and throw his hands efficiently and effectively.

A native of Aurora, Colorado, Schaub was an all-state performer in football and lacrosse and earned a scholarship to the University of Colorado, where he played four years at fullback and on special teams. While defensive lineman revel in the glory of a key tackle or a quarterback sack, Schaub did the dirty work in the trenches that led to his running backs scoring points and the adulation of fans. It was also a clue to the kind of work ethic it would take to succeed in MMA, a career he pursued full-time after playing for the Arena Football league’s Utah Blaze and leaving the Bills after failing to make their active roster.

“Playing fullback is a non-glory job,” Schaub said. “You’re blocking for the running back, he scores a touchdown, and you really don’t get credit for it. You’re out there busting your ass. I’ve had concussions and terrible shoulder injuries I tried to play through. You deal with it every day and perform when the pressure’s on and when you might have an injury you fight through that.

“Mixed martial arts is that and even more intense. For me I have a mental edge over my opponents because of what I went through playing football and playing fullback.”

That edge gained him entry and respect at Nate Marquardt’s Denver-based High Altitude Martial Arts gym where he splits time with Grudge Training Center and training with Shane Carwin. The UFC interim heavyweight champion will unify the title if he defeats Brock Lesnar in the main event of UFC 116. Against Tuchscherer, Schaub plans on imposing his will and showing a few flashes of what’s to come.

“The scary thing about Shane is you guys haven’t seen anything yet,” Schaub said. “Wait until you see him. I’m used to that Shane Carwin and being in the worst possible positions with that guy. I’m here because of Shane. We make each other so much better. I can’t wait for me to start with Tuchscherer and set the pace for Shane in the main event. And honestly I think Shane is going to steamroll through Lesnar.”

Ironically, Tuchscherer trains with Lesnar at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. He’s not Schaub’s best opponent to date, but could be harder to put away quickly as Schaub is used to. While all five Schaub’s five knockout wins have lasted 87 seconds or less, Tuchscherer is 18-2-1 with one loss coming via knockout and six of his bouts going the distance (5-1).

“If the opportunity is there I’d love to finish him early but I think it’s going to be tough with this guy,” Schaub said.
Even tougher than meeting his idol.