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Gabriel Gonzaga vs Brendan Schaub set to fight at UFC 121 in Anaheim, California

Posted 22 Jul 2010 in Brendan Schaub,Gabriel Gonzaga,UFC 121

Another addition to the UFC 121 lineup scheduled for October 23rd in Anaheim, California is a heavyweight tilt between The Ultimate Fighter 10 finalist Brendan Schaub, against a one-time UFC heavyweight title challenger in Gabriel Gonzaga.

This fight is going to be a fantastic battle of bigmen as the former pro football player turned MMA fighter, Brendan Schaub, turns up the level of competition for himself and tests his skills against a grizzled veteran of the cage in the Brazilian Gonzaga.

Gonzaga is coming off a tough loss to fellow Brazilian heavyweight Junior Dos Santos via knockout in March. While Schaub has turned around his career rather quickly by coming back from losing to Roy Nelson via KO in the finale of TUF 10, only to score two big first round KOs in his last two bouts against Chase Gormely and Chris Tuchscherer–Gormley in 47 seconds and Tuchscherer in 67.

Striking-wise Schaub has improved a lot and is very aggressive in that domain. He has looked great but taking on Gonzaga is a step up in competition. Gonzaga has showed moments of brilliance in his career in the standup game, of course the most memorable was the incredible headkick knockokut over Mirko Filipovic. Aside from that one moment of brilliance, there’s also been other indications of some good hands from the Brazilian heavyweight. When he took on Randy Couture he was able to land some good punches, and a solid kick that broke Couture’s arm. And although he lost via KO to Shane Carwin, he was actually able to rock the top 5 ranked American heavyweight with a punch that swung the momentum in Gonzaga’s favor in the battle. It’s tough to say who’s going to win for sure in that area, but one thing is certain–Schaub is coming in with a lot more confidence with 2 big knockout wins. The were against lesser named opponents as Gonzaga, but the belief in his standup has gone up a lot of levels and his aggression is always there. Nate Marquardt has noted that Schaub’s skill level in stand up has risen dramatically, and I don’t believe that those sentiments are just a teammate pumping up a fellow training brethren, but rather a genuine assessment of one of his peers.

Grappling wise Gonzaga has the edge and if the fight does hit the mat, it’s most likely going to be Schaub on the defensive in that department. He ran into some trouble on the ground when he took on Roy Nelson, who was able to pass guard and get the very dominant side control position in conjunction with the side crucifix in the TUF final bout. However, Schaub did a great job is escaping that position, which has proven to be fatal for other fighters against Nelson, such as Kimbo Slice and James McSweeney. Schaub learned from that footage and was able to execute a stellar escape and bring the bout back to the feet. If the fight does go to the mat, I can envision Schaub finding a way to get back up akin to how Shane Carwin did when he was taken down by the mighty Brazilian heavyweight.

It’s not an easy fight to predict, but I’ll go with Schaub in this fight. He’s coming into the battle with a lot of confidence, his striking looks good, he’s aggressive and very hungry. You can tell by his demeanor, the way he talks, the way he acts and takes the sport seriously, that this is far from a joke for him. He’s a jovial and humorous individual outside of the cage, but when that door shuts that switch is turned on for him in his mind and when it gets into competitive attack mode, he’s a tough customer to deal with. I feel Schaub will find a way to win this battle and start working his way to taking one some more of the top ranked heavyweights in the talent-laden division in the UFC.

This aggression that Schaub showed against Chris Tuchscherer on the feet is something Gonzaga will have to deal with. I think the aggression and technique that Schaub brings to the table will be a key element in this matchup. Gonzaga is comfy standing up and trading punches and could possibly capitalize on it. One thing is for sure–Gonzaga is a bona-fide MMA veteran and has seen it all in terms of the game. He’s doled out some vicious beatings, taken a few, fought extensively on the ground, and has been in a UFC title fight with Randy Couture. Experience counts for a lot. It’s an intangible asset that just allows a fighter to remain calm in the midst of a storm. Like a Jeremy Horn when he was being blasted with punches in his second fight with Chuck Liddell. It was the fact that he lost count of how many fights he had after he passed the 100 bout plateau that made him able to survive and keep fighting for so long in that battle. While Gonzaga isn’t at that level in terms of bouts under his belt, just taking on some vicious strikers like Dos Santos, Carwin and CroCop gives him a ease that can only be earned via experienced against top flight competition.

The fact that Schaub has been able to come back from that tough loss against Nelson and work his way up to fighting a great heavyweight like Gonzaga shows the kind of fortitude and drive he has to be a champ. It helps being surrounded by a couple top notch camps like Greg Jackson’s Academy out of New Mexico and Trevor Wittman’s team in Colorado. That MMA training camp duo includes some of the finest fighters in the game like Georges St. Pierre, Rashad Evans, Shane Carwin, Nate Marquardt, Keith Jardine amongst others. You can’t help but improve surrounding yourself with fighters like that and soaking in their skills, wisdom and cage experience. And Greg Jackson has been accepted by some as the most proficient coach in the business. His knowledge about the game and dedication to the athletes that walk through his facility in Albuquerque has been well-documented. Having people like that in corner is invaluable.

On TUF 10 versus Demico Rogers, Schaub was able to stay cool off his back and pick his spot to explode and get back up. He showed some slick submission skill in the process of winning as well. 3 fights and 3 finishes on TUF 10, which was an impressive string of wins for Schaub on the reality series.

That killer instinct is natural for Schaub. He goes in there not for decision, but simply to destroy his opponent. It’s a mentality that has been working real well for the Colorado heavyweight.

It’s strange how Gonzaga went from being one of the most feared fighters at heavyweight after this incredible knockout over CroCop, to being a fighter that others are using as stepping stones to jump up the ladder in the division. Carwin was able to gain legitimacy after KOing Gonzaga, and it was certainly a nice resume stuffer for Junior Dos Santos after he laid out the Brazilian as well. Gonzaga went from being a very serious threat to win the title back when Randy Couture was holding the strap, to now in a very unfavorable position of having to fight to try and secure his place among the heavyweight roster in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. This fight with Schaub is absolutely a crucial one for the big man from Brazil.