In Rio

deJaneiro, Brazil, at UFC 134, a potential top contender fight will take place between heavy

hitter Brendan Schaub, and former Heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Both heavyweights will enter the cage with only one exiting with the chance for a shot at the title. Will Nogueira make his comeback with an impressive victory, or will Schaub let his hands do the talking and finish the fight in devastating fashion? This bout will fly under the radar on an already stacked card, but it has the potential to create fireworks. This fight is a matchup that can be considered the crafty veteran, versus the young up and comer. It can also be one of the most electrifying fights of the night. The intrigue to this fight is that Schaub is undefeated since entering the UFC after losing in The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) finale to Roy Nelson. He s won a majority of his fights by knockout and loves putting on a show for the fans. On the other hand, Nogueira is coming off a long layover due to injuries and is looking to make a run at getting his Heavyweight title back. A few questions can be asked going into this fight - Can Nogueira stand up and box with Schaub? Is The Hybrid prepared to grapple and defend Nogueira s exceptional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? Will the winner of this fight actually receive a shot at the Santos? All of these questions will be answered for us on Aug. 27th in Rio Brendan Schaub: Strengths and Weaknesses

titleandface the winner of Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos

de Janeiro, Brazil.

The best way to sum up Schaub s overall fight game would be to use the term headhunter". He s literally trying to knock his opponent s head off. However, Schaub doesn t swing wildly for a typical headhunter and he s an accurate striker that lands his punches with precision and power. Schaub is a Golden Gloves boxing champion, which makes his

stand-upthe strongest part of his

game. Like all boxers he uses his jab very effectively, and once he s established it, he starts closing the gap and connects with heavy hooks and straights. He also possesses very quick hands for a heavyweight. One aspect about Schaub s striking that s most impressive, is he's not afraid to step up in the pocket. In his fight with Mirko Cro Cop, he maneuvered in the pocket to deliver a devastating overhand right to the temple that sent Cro Cop down to the mat for the KO victory. This was not only knockout of the night but one of MMA's best KO's of the year. Not only does he possess heavy hands but also he defines and embodies one punch knockout power. Out of his eight victories, seven of them have come in the form of a knockout. Schaub is an absolute savage that puts his weight behind every punch he throws, and the scary thing

is his quick hands and a 79-inch reach. Having a long reach and quick hands only makes him more of a threat to stand-upwith. In addition he uses his superior striking to
about his knockout power implement some vicious ground and pound. Being a former collegiate and NFL football player, it's safe to say that he s a freakishly athletic fighter no wonder his nickname is The Hybrid.

For a heavyweight, Schaub is quick and agile and his striking and footwork work in unison. Add that to his strength and its makes him a handful for anyone he faces. His ground game and grappling are still being developed. He s a purple belt in BJJ and a frequent visitor to Greg Jackson s camp. He trains with some of the most talented grapplers in MMA, and he recently travelled to train with Renzo Gracie to learn the finer points of BJJ. While still maturing on the

ground, he still poses a threat to submitting his opponents. With that in mind, it begs to question
whether he will want to grapple and use his BJJ against Nogueira. Schaub is a hungry fighter that has a strong work ethic. He travels all over the country to train with some of the most elite fighters in the business and recently travelled to Florida to work with Rashad Evans and while he was in Rio, he trained locally in BJJ. He s a sponge and a fast learner, especially for someone who is pretty new to MMA. His unmatched work ethic will take him far as an ultimate fighter. Like every fighter he does have his fair share of weaknesses. He s still learning and evolving as a grappler, and he s not a pure wrestler. The fact that he trains with some talented wrestlers and grapplers helps, but he'll need to continue to develop his grappling game. He also fights aggressively. While it s not a bad thing, it has the potential to hurt any fighter in the Octagon. Even the best fighters have been caught on the chin with a strike while fighting too aggressively. While I understand that his style of fighting is to bring the fight to his opponent, patience is a valuable asset as well. While I say this with the utmost respect for his past opponents, Schaub has yet to face some of the more elite fighters in the heavyweight division yet. Mirko Cro Cop's not the same fighter he used to be, and Gabriel Gonzaga never blossomed into the fighter we all thought he would be. However, I understand that he'll have to work his way up the ladder in order to compete against the best fighters. Nogueira will be his best test yet. Lastly, he'll be fighting one of the most famous and respected fighters in all of Brazil and will have to face him in front of his hometown crowd. This will be a slight disadvantage for Schaub, as the crowd can quickly become a mental distraction. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: Strengths and Weaknesses

With 32 wins, he s hands down one of the best Heavyweight fighters to ever come out of Brazil. He s on a short list of fighters who have been champions in both Pride and the UFC, and it s safe to say that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will be a future hall of famer. His

stand-uptends to get overlooked because of his phenomenal BJJ, but he s more than capable

of fighting on his feet. He has very serviceable boxing. While he doesn t have the quickest hands, he s a smart striker. Nogueira's also not afraid to stand in the pocket and trade punches. However, his

stand-upmostly compliments and helps setup his outstanding ground game.

He s effective in the clinch due in part to how exceptional his body control is while on his feet. In his fight against Randy Couture he was able to stay in the clinch with one of the best.

Nogueira s dirty boxing and accurate knees to the bod, while in the clinch affords him the
opportunity to pull guard and bring his opponents down to the mat. In turn, this allows him to dictate where the fight takes place and also gives him the opportunity to use his BJJ. Nogueira s ground game is what makes him such a great mixed martial artist and once he s down on the mat, you really get to see his game shine. In addition, his takedowns are crisp and relentless and his

ground control is overwhelming. His ability to advance guard is smooth and his transitions are executed to perfection. When watching him on the mat you can see his confidence shine through. He never rushes a submission attempt, and if he thinks a submission attempt isn t working, he'll let it go in order to conserve his energy. Countless times fighters will use all of their energy on a submission attempt that isn t working and it ends up hurting them in the fight. Nogueira is the exact opposite - he s patient and waits for the perfect opportunity to lock in a submission. In his fight with Randy Couture, he had him in a D'Arce choke that looked tight, but ended up abandoning the attempt because according to Nogueira, it wasn t working. Few grapplers and submission fighters have that type of patience and intelligence to abandon what looked like a sure thing.

While many fighters may have black belts in BJJ and are talented, there are few true black belts. Nogueira is one of the few true black belts in BJJ. He can submit his opponent anywhere and at

anytime of the fight. He has a great ability to finish the

all-timegreats when

fight by submission and his stats prove it - 20 of his 32 career wins have come in the form of submission. Nogueira s expertise in BJJ is well respected and some of the best fighters in the world train specifically with him in order to learn proper technique. Needless to say he s one of the it comes to BJJ. Throughout his pro career, Nogueira has yet to fight in his home country of Brazil. The fact that he s fighting in Rio in front of the hometown crowd should give him an advantage. In any sport, the home team will always have that slight advantage. The crowd will be backing him and he'll want to represent not only himself but his country as well. While strong on many counts, Nogueira has quite a few weaknesses in his game. Up until his UFC arrival, he had a steel chin and was never knocked out in any of his fights. Recently, however, he's been T(KO'd) twice. That being said, he s going into a fight against a feared striker and his recently suspect chin will be tested. Here's the question, will he be able to take the punches of Brendan Schaub?

What he lacks the most is speed, and his

stand-upis also nowhere near the caliber of Schaub s. In

this fight he'll have to use his smarts and technique in order to come out victorious. To top it all off, he hasn t stepped foot inside the Octagon in over 18 months due to multiple injuries that have plagued him for years. He had surgery on his knees and hips, and he might suffer from ring rust. Hopefully, his training camp has helped to cancel out the ring rust. Picking the Winner In a fight that can end instantaneously, it's safe to say that I m very confident when making my pick. Both Schaub and Nogueira have had no trouble finishing fights in the past, and both fighters will need to respect each other s strengths, while at the same time, capitalize and exploit

each

other sweaknesses. beto pressure Nogueira and let his hands go. However, he needs to have the word sprawl imprinted in the back of his mind, and and can't be overly aggressive. He
The key to Schaub's success will be may have a purple belt in BJJ, but it would be in his best interest to keep the fight standing. In order for Nogueira to ensure his success, he'll need to get Schaub to the mat, wear him down, and lock in the submission. The earlier the better, because if he gives Schaub the opportunity to

stand-

upin later rounds, he might just get knocked out.

If Schaub wins the fight, it'll be in the form of TKO or KO and it'll be early in the fight. His chances of winning via submission are slim to none. If Nogueira is to win the fight, it'll be in the form of submission or unanimous decision. He may have serviceable

stand-up, but if he does box with Schaub, this will be a very short fight.

When it comes down to it, I see this fight unfolding like the majority of MMA fans are expecting. Both fighters will meet in the center of the octagon and punches will be traded early. Schaub will start throwing his jab and close the gap immediately. He'll use his feet and athleticism to get in and out of the pocket respecting Nogueira s takedown ability. Schaub will land a few strikes that daze Nogueira. To recover, Nogueira will defensively shoot for the

takedown. This attempt will be unsuccessful and it will give Schaub the chance to smell the
blood in the water and to capitalize on the opportunity.

Schaub will continue to press and force Nogueira out of his comfort zone, allowing him to land a heavy overhand right. So here it is - my final prediction is that Brendan Schaub wins via KO in Round 1 at UFC 134 in Rio Janeiro. He'll continue to make a strong bid as top contender in the Heavyweight division, and just maybe, he ll get the call to face the winner of Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos.

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