On paper, this fight looks like a classic striker vs. grappler match-up. Schaub, a trainee at Greg Jackson's camp, uses his boxing skills primarily, and is coming off a Knockout of the Night bonus at UFC 128 against Mirko CroCop. Nogueira is the best submission fighter in the history of the Heavyweight division. He currently trains as part of Team Nogueira and Black House gym in Brazil. He'll be the heavy crowd favorite in front of his native Brazilians.
How do these two stack up?
Schaub: 28 years old | 6'4" | 79.5" reach
Nogueira: 35 years old | 6'3" | 77" reach
What have these two done recently?
Schaub: W - Mirko Filipovic (KO) | W - Gabriel Gonzaga (UD) | W - Chris Tuchscherer (TKO)
Nogueira: L - Cain Velasquez (KO) | W - Randy Couture (UD) | L - Frank Mir (TKO)
How did these two get here?
Schaub came to the UFC through The Ultimate Fighter, making his way to the finals of season 10. There, Roy Nelson handed him his first professional loss. Schaub has won four in a row since that loss, and has been facing increasingly difficult levels of competition, looking better every time. This will be his toughest opponent yet, and Schaub has gone on record stating that a win here should put him in the title hunt. I don't see him quite there yet, but it will definitely earn him a big name opponent next.
Nogueira is an all time legend of the sport, who for years was the #2 Heavyweight behind Fedor Emelianenko. He came to the UFC four years ago, but has only competed five times in those four years. A participant in some of the most dramatic, physically exhausting wars in MMA history, Nogueira was once legendary for his ability to come back from punishment, but stoppage losses to Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez have put an end to that reputation. A few years ago, Big Nog said he was retiring because he was nearly blind - only to come back and win the UFC Interim Heavyweight title. He's a true legend, one of the most resilient fighters in the sport's history, but there's not much left in the tank at this point.
Why should you care?
This is the classic case of the young guard coming to take out the old. Can Schaub earn the huge win, potentially ending the career of one of the sport's great legends? Or does Nog have it in him to turn back his young, hungry foe? Either way, it should make for a great, dramatic moment.
More UFC 134 Previews from Bloody Elbow after the jump.
- Bloody Elbow Staff Predictions for UFC 134
- Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami Preview - Leland Roling
- Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami 1 Fight Video - Mike Fagan
- Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Forrest Griffin Preview - Leland Roling
- Brendan Schaub vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Dissection - Dallas Winston
- Ross Pearson vs Edson Barboza Dissection - Dallas Winston
- Luiz Cane vs. Stanislav Nedkov Dissection - Dallas Winston
- UFC 134 Celebrity Picks - Cove Reber vs. Natasha Wicks
- Spike TV Preliminary Card Dissection - Dallas Winston
- UFC 134: Rio - Facebook Preliminary Card Dissection - Dallas Winston
- UFC 134: Weigh-In Video Highlights
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