“If I do fight again, it’s not for me – it’s for the fans.”
This is what mixed martial arts fighter Brendan Schaub stated in a recent interview about his career. Schaub has been in the fighting industry for seven years now and he has achieved a lot under his belt. But like other fighters, the heavyweight champion is now looking into retirement.
In “The Jon Anik and Kenny Florian Podcast”, Schaub admitted that when he fights in the octagon, he feels the same rush as when he is co-hosting his own famous podcast together with comedian Bryan Callen. He further admitted that he is not too excited about the thought of doing all the preparations needed before each fight.
Schaub, who recently lost to Travis Browne (17-2-1 MMA, 8-2-1 UFC) by TKO last UFC 181, said, “Let’s say (the UFC) offered me Quentin ‘Rampage’ Jackson. For me to jump into camp right now would be tough, man. I know Callen wouldn’t be happy; I know FOX wouldn’t be happy, because then I’m going to have to take away from what we’re doing.”
“The Ultimate Fighter 10” veteran also revealed for the first time ever that he has always been scared whenever he is fighting in the cage.
“I don’t miss being in the octagon. I don’t. I was always terrified when I fought. I miss the training camp. I miss the walkout. I don’t miss being in the octagon. I mean, like my fight with Matt Mitrione where I was in and out, submitted him, didn’t get touched, that was great. If they all went like that, I’ll fight for 30 years. But when you talk about the (Andrei) Arlovski fight, the (Mirko) ‘Cro Cop’ (Filipovic) fight, the (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira fight, that Travis Browne fight, you can keep that. Guess who that’s for? Nobody,” Schaub said.
The heavyweight fighter has an overall record of 6-5 in the UFC. After failing the bid on “The Ultimate Fighting 10”, he joined the roster and was able to snag victories for four straight fights. However, after this winning streak, Schaub lost to Nogueira and Rothwell, all by knockout. These losses resulted to speculations about Schaub going to early retirement.
UFC commentator and Schaub’s longtime friend, Joe Rogan, discussed this issue on his MMA podcast saying that Schaub is no longer capable of going against the top fighters in the sport this time around.
In another podcast where Schaub co-hosts with Callen, the former heavyweight champion admitted that held back his tears during his interview and stated that he felt that he is still capable of competing. But of course there were still “some decisions that need to be made”.
“I’d rather live my life for 50 years being a warrior than 100 years being a frickin’ gazelle, just being a peasant. That being said, I feel like … I have a duty to make some X-men babies. When I think about concussions, that bothers me down the road. Am I going to have a stutter? Am I going to be able to play with my kids? But to say I can’t compete at this level because I think of this stuff, that isn’t true,” he said.