Denver mixed martial arts fighter Brendan Schaub will take on Milwaukee’s Ben Rothwell in a heavyweight bout at UFC 145 in Montreal on March 24, Schaub and the UFC said Wednesday.
For Schaub, it’s a chance to bounce back into title contention.
A former University of Colorado fullback (under coach Gary Barnett) who turned to professional MMA in 2008, Schaub had cruised to an 8-1 record as a heavyweight. But at UFC 134 in August in Brazil, Schaub was upset by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a first-round knockout.
“I got hit behind the ear by Nogueira, and that was it,” Schaub told The Denver Post in September.
Schaub (8-2) entered the fight ranked by many among the top-10 heavyweights, but the hybrid-skill brawler fell back after the loss.
Against the veteran Rothwell (31-8), Schaub will face a kick boxer/wrestler who last lost by unanimous decision to Mark Hunt at UFC 135 in Denver on Sept. 24.
Rothwell, though, will be fighting in the UFC for just the fourth time since entering the circuit in 2009. His fight in Denver was his first in more than a year.
Schaub’s bout against Rothwell is the biggest-name bout on the UFC 145 card, among those so far announced.
Nick Groke: 303-954-1015 or ngroke@denverpost.com
