The kind of fights that Denver’s Brendan Schaub pushes himself into last no more than 15 minutes. But a five-minute round in the Ultimate Fighting Championship can seem to go forever — especially between two brawlers looking to knock each other unconscious.
In an August fight in Brazil against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Schaub — a former University of Colorado fullback-turned-mixed martial arts heavyweight — got caught with a single hooking punch and went cold for a knockout just 3:09 into the first round.
“I got hit behind the ear by Nogueira, and that was it,” Schaub said in September.
Now, nearly eight long months later, Schaub returns to the octagon for the first time since that loss, just his second as a professional.
Schaub, a hybrid-skill MMA fighter with a bent for boxing, will go against Milwaukee veteran Ben Rothwell at UFC 145 in Atlanta on Saturday. The bout is part of a main-event card topped by light heavyweight championship fight between Jon “Bones” Jones and Rashad Evans.
“It’ll be eight months before I step back in there, and that’s a long time for me,” Schaub (8-2) said in a video during the run-up to the fight. “But I used it to get better. And eight months is a long time to get better.
“I’m excited to go in and show my hard work.”
In his 10 pro fights, Schaub has won seven via knockouts, including six with punches. And in a victory over Mirko Filipovic last year, Schaub controlled the fight on the ground with wrestling before letting Filipovic up — just to knock him out.
It was a statement victory, one that put Schaub among the top 10 contenders for a heavyweight title, currently held by Junior Dos Santos. But Schaub’s loss in August bumped him down the list.
On Saturday, Schaub has a chance to regain form. But Rothwell, who’s been fighting since 1999, is also looking for one last, long shot. With three losses in his past five fights — including the wrong side of a decision at UFC 135 in Denver last September — Rothwell is trying to make a point.
“This is all or nothing — you’re looking at it,” Rothwell said. “I’m either gonna walk away and probably never fight again, or I’m gonna go out and make my road to the title. I really don’t have much to say. I’m gonna speak inside the octagon. He’ll understand I’m very serious.”
Schaub will give up about 25 pounds to the pudgier Rothwell, but he has an athletic advantage.
“I’m not an angry guy, I’m not an angry fighter,” Schaub said. “It’s just about doing my thing. I couldn’t care less what he’s doing or what he’s upset about. I’m just gonna go in there and have fun.”
UFC 145
Saturday, 7 p.m., in Atlanta. Pay-per-view TV.
Light heavyweight: Jon Jones (15-1) vs. Rashad Evans (21-1-1), for the light heavyweight title
Welterweight: Rory MacDonald (12-1) vs. Che Mills (14-4)
Heavyweight: Brendan Schaub (8-2) vs. Ben Rothwell (31-8)
Bantamweight: Miguel Angel Torres (39-4) vs. Michael McDonald (14-1)
