411mania Interviews: Brendan Schaub
Posted by Jeffrey Harris on 11.19.2010
Former Ultimate Fighter finalist and current UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub speaks with 411 about the biggest win of his career over Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 121, his previous fight with Roy Nelson and more!
Recently 411mania.com got the chance to catch up with UFC heavyweight fighter, Brendan Schaub (7-1, MMA; 3-1 UFC). Schaub is coming off a huge win at UFC 121 defeating former UFC heavyweight title contender, Gabriel Gonzaga (11-6, MMA; 7-5, UFC). Here is what went down:
Jeffrey Harris: How are you feeling coming off your win over Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 121?
Brendan Schaub: I feel good man. It was definitely the biggest test of my career and I always like to finish guys. I thought I had him finished there early in the first, but it was good to go all three rounds especially with a guy the caliber of fighter like Gabriel Gonzaga.
Jeffrey Harris: Even though you competed in The Ultimate Fighter finals against Roy Nelson, would you say this was a bigger fight for you fighting a former title contender like Gonzaga?
Brendan Schaub: Oh no doubt. For me, this was kind of a sink or swim fight . . . I don't want to be just a guy in the UFC. I want to be a star and beating a guy like Gabriel Gonzaga is the way to do it.
Jeffrey Harris: I think one of Gonzaga's problem is that when guys put pressure on him he tends to start folding. Did you see that at all in your fight?
Brendan Schaub: No, I don't think that's the case. Gabe has gone against the best of the best the UFC has to offer. The guy hits like a truck and I got the marks to prove it. I think he came off two of his last three -- he got knocked out by Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos so I definitely think his gameplan was to get me to the ground, but it's a tough thing to do. So I think once that gameplan was tough for him to accomplish, he was forced to stand with me. I just don't think he was prepared for that and that was the kind of difference in the fight.
Jeffrey Harris: You dominated the whole fight, but near the end it looked like Gonzaga tried to get a choke on you right as the bell sounded. Did he have a solid choke on you before the bell?
Brendan Schaub: No not even close. I was in good shape. I think I could've gone for 5 rounds. I was dominating him on the feet and with my ego in the cage I feel like I can pretty much do anything in there. So I figured why not take him down and establish a definite win if I can get him down. So I decided to shoot on him. I knew there was short time left and man, the bell rang and that choke, it's hard to see on the angle but his forearm was around my nose. And so nothing even remotely close to a finishing choke or that I was in danger.
Jeffrey Harris: Are you feeling more comfortable fighting in the UFC after losing your debut fight but putting together a string of wins?
Brendan Schaub: Yeah, I'm definitely more comfortable. I'm a different fighter than I was on the show. On the show I just kind of went in there and tried to bully guys around. I was pretty wild. Now I'm definitely more of a cerebral fighter. I've gotten some Octagon time and I'm a lot more relaxed. I'm going in there with a gameplan and just not going balls to the walls. So it's really helped me and I've come a long ways, and I'm just glad where I'm at right now.
Jeffrey Harris: You were still looking pretty fresh after the fight, have you been working on your cardio a lot?
Brendan Schaub: Yeah. You know whenever I do interviews or fans ask me about my cardio -- man, it's one of my biggest attributes as a heavyweight. I'm not making stuff up, so it's good to show it and I definitely give all the credit in the world to my conditioning coach, Loren Landow.
Jeffrey Harris: You talked about Frank Mir after the fight. I know your fight just happened, but have you heard anything from the UFC about your next fight or when you may fight next?
Brendan Schaub: I haven't heard anything so hopefully in a perfect world I'll fight in late March or April. So yeah, I'd love a shot at Frank Mir, one of the bigger stars. We'll see man.
Jeffrey Harris: May you reflect on your experience on The Ultimate Fighter show and how it worked out for you?
Brendan Schaub: The Ultimate Fighter is the best opportunity I've ever had in my life. That being said, there are a lot of guys who go on The Ultimate Fighter and don't make the best of it . . . if you just go on and you lose, you make a jackass of yourself, you're kind of screwing yourself for a UFC contract. For me, it's the exact opposite. I went into the house and create a fan base. That's the reason I'm at where I'm at today. I can't thank the UFC enough, that was just such cool opportunity and I would do it again man. I know guys show say, "it was a horrible experience" or "it was like being in prison." Man, it was awesome.
Jeffrey Harris: So are you confident in your wrestling and your jiu-jitsu if a fight you were in were to go to the ground?
Brendan Schaub: Yeah, I'm 100% comfortable down there. Jiu-jitsu is actually a real passion of mine, and when I'm not in camp I'm usually doing jiu-jitsu for fun. So jiu-jitsu is definitely a strong point of my game.
Jeffrey Harris: Some fans have felt you excessively celebrated after some of your fights you have won. Do you have any response to that at all?
Brendan Schaub: Well this last one, you definitely can't complain off that. The [Chris] Tuscherer fight -- what people don't realize is there is talk that goes on behind closed doors. Tuscherer and his camp were saying I need to be put in my place, Tuscherer is the one to do it, blah blah blah. And this guy lasts a minute and seven [seconds]. I didn't start any of that trashtalk. Their camp did, and that's why he got that celebration that he got. Normally, I don't do anything. On the show, people got to realize it's entertainment too. I'm really not the kind of guy to get a win and just bow my head and walk off the mat. I grew up a Tito Ortiz fan and people pay to get entertained and that's kind of part of it.
Jeffrey Harris: My understanding is that you and Hosting.com are doing a contest where a fan can win a day to train with you. May you tell us about that?
Brendan Schaub: Yeah. Hosting.com, my main sponsor and my manager at Alchemist are running a contest that is ending November 13 with the winner being announced at -- actually I'm hosting a party for Nate Marquardt's fight here in Denver at Slam's Bar. But basically we are going to pick one winner. You sign up on Hosting.com, and it's on my Twitter [and] my Facebook. They take care of your hotel, your airfare, you spend the day with me training, and it will be a good time man.
Jeffrey Harris: Any shout outs or sponsors you would like to thank?
Brendan Schaub: Check me out and follow me on Twitter. It's just @brendanschaub. I'd also like to thank my sponsor, Hosting.com.
You can check out the contest to win a day with training with Brendan Schaub at Hosting.com. Thank you to Schaub for taking time out of his schedule to speak with us. Remember to get all the latest and greatest MMA, Movies/TV, Videogames, and Wrestling coverage to add 411mania.com to your bookmarks or homepage. You can also follow us on:
