Brendan Schaub | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Schaub in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Brendan Peter Schaub (1983-03-18)March 18, 1983 (age 42) Aurora, Colorado, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | "Big Brown" "The Hybrid" "The Sting" "Bapa" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Colorado Boulder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Podcast host,comedian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Known for |
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| Spouse | Joanna Zanélla Schaub | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Brendan Peter Schaub (born March 18, 1983) is an Americanpodcast host, former professionalmixed martial artist, andstand-up comedian.[2] He is the host ofThe Fighter and the Kid podcast, theBelow the Belt with Brendan Schaub podcast, and co-host of theGolden Hour podcast, along with fellow comediansChris D'Elia andErik Griffin.[3] After signing withUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2009 to compete onThe Ultimate Fighter, he fought for the company until 2014. He officially retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2015. Since 2015, Schaub has been performing stand-up comedy, initially as a duo act with comedianBryan Callen, but more recently as a solo comedian. Schaub released his debut comedy special titledYou'd Be Surprised in 2019 followed by his second special,The Gringo Papi in 2022.[4]
Schaub was born and raised inAurora, Colorado, to an English mother Debra and an American father Peter Schaub.[5] He is ofGerman,Italian, andEnglish descent.[6] His father is a second-degree black belt intaekwondo.[7] While atOverland High School, Schaub lettered two years in varsitylacrosse and one year in varsityAmerican football. He received no college athletic scholarship offers, but he tried out for both the football team and lacrosse team atWhittier College and was accepted to both. Prior to his junior year, he transferred to theUniversity of Colorado to play football full-time where heredshirted his first season.[8] Following college, Schaub went undrafted in the2006 NFL draft but would sign with theArena Football League's Utah Blaze, before being released in November 2006 without making the roster.[9] He was once more signed to the Blaze in February 2007 but waived two days later.[10][11] Schaub then retired from the sport in 2007.
After retiring from football, Schaub returned to Colorado where he began training inboxing andBrazilian jiu-jitsu. After only six months of training in boxing, Schaub competed in amateur boxing and won the Colorado novice-divisionGolden Gloves heavyweight title. Schaub later began training at High Altitude Martial Arts located inAurora and theGrudge Training Center inArvada, where he met UFCheavyweight contenderShane Carwin. The two became friends as well as training partners.[12] After this, he began his professional career in mixed martial arts (MMA), mainly competing in Colorado. Schaub started his career with a 4–0 record and won the heavyweight title for the Ring of Fire organization.
In 2009, Schaub signed withUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to compete on the tenth season ofThe Ultimate Fighter. Schaub was the number two pick for coachRashad.[13] In his first fight on the show, he faced Demico Rogers, defeating him via first roundsubmission with ananaconda choke to move onto the quarter-finals.
In the quarter-finals, Schaub won his fight byKO (punch) in the second round againstJon Madsen.
In the semi-finals, Schaub defeatedMarcus Jones via KO (punches) in the first round.
Schaub made his official UFC debut when he facedRoy Nelson atThe Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale. Schaub lost via KO (punch) in the first round.[14]
In his second UFC bout, Schaub had a 47-secondTKO (punches) win overChase Gormley atUFC Live: Vera vs. Jones.
Schaub next foughtChris Tuchscherer atUFC 116. Schaub won the bout via TKO (punches) in the first round.
Schaub would then faceGabriel Gonzaga atUFC 121. Schaub won viaunanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 30–27).
Schaub andFrank Mir were tentatively booked for a contest atUFC 128 on March 19, 2011.[15] However, Schaub instead facedMirko Cro Cop at the event. Schaub won the contest via third-round KO (punch) and was awarded theKnockout of the Night bonus.[16][17][18]
On August 27, 2011, atUFC 134, Schaub lost toAntônio Rodrigo Nogueira via KO (punches) in the first round.[19]
He lost his second straight fight, also via KO (punches) toBen Rothwell on April 21, 2012, atUFC 145.[20]
Schaub was expected to faceLavar Johnson on December 8, 2012, atUFC on Fox 5.[21] However, Johnson was forced out of the bout with a groin injury and Schaub was pulled from the card as well.[22] Schaub fought Johnson on February 23, 2013, atUFC 157.[23] Schaub won via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 30–27). After, it was announced Johnson tested positive for elevated testosterone in a post-fight drug test.[24]
Schaub was expected to faceMatt Mitrione on July 27, 2013, atUFC on Fox 8.[25] However, in mid-July, Mitrione pulled out of the bout citing an injury and Schaub was pulled from the event as well.[26] The bout eventually took place on September 21, 2013, atUFC 165.[27] Schaub defeated Mitrione in the first round viaD'Arce choke.
Schaub fought returning former UFC heavyweight championAndrei Arlovski atUFC 174 on June 14, 2014,[28][29] with Arlovski winning viasplit decision.
On December 6, 2014, atUFC 181, Schaub lost via TKO (punches) in the first round toTravis Browne.[30] Days after the fight, Schaub's friend and UFC commentatorJoe Rogan had a joint podcast with Schaub andBryan Callen where Rogan and Callen advised Schaub to retire from MMA and pursue a career in comedy.[31][32]
On October 10, 2015, Schaub was a guest onThe Joe Rogan Experience podcast and announced his retirement from MMA.[33][34][35]
Despite having retired from MMA, Schaub continued training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. On May 29, 2021, was promoted to the rank of black belt in the sport.[36]
| 15 matches | 10 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 7 | 4 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 10–5 | Travis Browne | TKO (punches) | UFC 181 | December 6, 2014 | 1 | 4:50 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 10–4 | Andrei Arlovski | Decision (split) | UFC 174 | June 14, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Vancouver,British Columbia, Canada | |
| Win | 10–3 | Matt Mitrione | Technical Submission (D'Arce choke) | UFC 165 | September 21, 2013 | 1 | 4:06 | Toronto,Ontario, Canada | |
| Win | 9–3 | Lavar Johnson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 157 | February 23, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Anaheim, California, United States | |
| Loss | 8–3 | Ben Rothwell | KO (punches) | UFC 145 | April 21, 2012 | 1 | 1:10 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |
| Loss | 8–2 | Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira | KO (punches) | UFC 134 | August 27, 2011 | 1 | 3:09 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Win | 8–1 | Mirko Cro Cop | KO (punch) | UFC 128 | March 19, 2011 | 3 | 3:44 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Knockout of the Night. |
| Win | 7–1 | Gabriel Gonzaga | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 121 | October 23, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Anaheim, California, United States | |
| Win | 6–1 | Chris Tuchscherer | TKO (punches) | UFC 116 | July 3, 2010 | 1 | 1:07 | Paradise, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 5–1 | Chase Gormley | TKO (punches) | UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones | March 21, 2010 | 1 | 0:47 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 4–1 | Roy Nelson | KO (punch) | The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Finale | December 5, 2009 | 1 | 3:45 | Paradise, Nevada, United States | The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights Tournament final. |
| Win | 4–0 | Bojan Spalević | TKO (punches) | ROF 34 - Judgment Day | April 12, 2009 | 1 | 0:52 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | Won the Ring of Fire Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 3–0 | Alex Rozman | TKO (punches) | ROF 33 - Adrenaline | January 10, 2009 | 1 | 1:23 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Johnny Curtis | KO (punches) | UWC: Confrontation | October 11, 2008 | 1 | 1:07 | George Mason, Virginia, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jay Lester | TKO (punches) | ROF 32 - Respect | June 13, 2008 | 1 | 0:30 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States |
| Exhibition record breakdown | ||
| 3 matches | 3 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 0 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 3–0 | Marcus Jones | KO (punches) | The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights | 1 | 2:11 | Paradise, Nevada, United States | ||
| Win | 2–0 | Jon Madsen | KO (punch) | 2 | 1:39 | ||||
| Win | 1–0 | Demico Rogers | Submission (anaconda choke) | 1 | 3:17 |
In 2013, Schaub andBryan Callen started their podcast titledThe Fighter and the Kid. The shows were produced byFOX network until a contract dispute in 2016. They then left the network and began producing the podcast themselves. Schaub and Callen also began touring to perform shows that were a mix between a live podcast and duostand-up comedy act.[38]
In December 2016, Schaub launched a solo podcast, titledBig Brown Breakdown.[39] The podcast focuses on topics related to combat sports, mainly mixed martial arts.[40]
On the January 30 episode of Big Brown Breakdown, Schaub generated controversy when he suggested that the UFC On Fox panel of presenters had been selected based on race for the sake of diversity. "Sometimes you look at UFC Tonight and you're like, 'Alright, is that the best panel possible? Or are you just trying to check off the boxes?'" Schaub questioned. "We get it, UFC Tonight FOX, you're not racist. We get it, you have an all-black panel. We get it. Woah, we get it. We get it, man."[41]
In February 2018, Schaub partnered withShowtime to rebrand his solo podcast to the name "BELOW THE BELT with Brendan Schaub". They also released a web show of the same name where Schaub would serve as the host.[42]
On December 21, 2018, Schaub andTheo Von announced the creation of a new podcast titled "King and the Sting". On January 13, 2022, Schaub and Von addedChris D'Elia to the podcast, renaming it to "King and the Sting and Wing".[43]
On November 4, 2022, "King and the Sting and Wing" was officially renamed "The Golden Hour", withErik Griffin replacing Theo Von.[44]
In September 2023, Schaub and Callen publicly stated that Kast Media and its CEO Colin Thomson owed their production company $1.5-1.6 million dollars. Similar claims were made byJim Cornette followed byTheo Von,Jason Ellis,Whitney Cummings, and Alyx Weiss, who stated they were owed money by Kast Media, including several six-figure and seven-figure shortages. This was in the process of an acquisition of Kast Media byPodcastOne, where Thomson was offering creators partial reimbursement combined with stock options. Amid the news, LiveOne and PodcastOne stock dropped considerably and the company no longer planned to officially hire Thomson. LiveOne took out ahigh-interest loan to pay Schaub, but did not compensate other creators.[45][46][47][48][49]
After retiring from mixed martial arts in 2014, Schaub began pursuing a stand-up comedy career. At first, he toured and performed with Bryan Callen until August 10, 2016, when he debuted as a solo comedian atThe Comedy Store in Los Angeles, California.[50][51][52] In January 2019 Brendan Schaub filmed his first everShowtime comedy special,You'd Be Surprised, which debuted on May 18, 2019.[53] Schaub released his second comedy special available through streaming on YouTube titledThe Gringo Papi on April 28, 2022.[54]
You'd Be Surprised andThe Gringo Papi were received negatively from online users, receiving review scores of 1/10 and 1.1/10 from user votes onIMDb[55][56]
In 2016, Schaub and Callen released a sketch comedy series oniTunes titledThe Fighter and the Kid 3D.[57]
Schaub made his feature film debut in the 2016 movieRange 15.[58]
In 2015, Schaub appeared on the television seriesMythBusters to help test a myth related to video games.[59]
In 2017, Schaub was brought on byShowtime for commentary and analysis surrounding theMayweather/McGregorboxing match alongsideMauro Ranallo,Paulie Malignaggi, and Brian Custer[60][61]
In 2018, Schaub began working for E! Entertainment news co-hosting the after-shows of theGolden Globes,Academy Awards,Emmy Awards,People's Choice Awards, andGrammy Awards.[62] Also in 2018, Schaub began serving as a panelist for the television showBravo's Play-By-Play on Bravo network.[citation needed] Schaub made his second feature film appearance in the 2020David Ayer movieThe Tax Collector.
During his fighting career Schaub had sponsors. Notably KeepItPlayful.com, the Reign Training Center, Box N Burn Gym,Soul Electronics, and Alchemist Management.[63]
In 2023, Schaub launched a whisky brand called Tiger Thiccc Whiskey.[64] In a 2022 article by theDallas Morning News, the name is said to come from "the superior nature of a tiger that allows him (Brendan Schaub) to overcome adversity from the moment he is born."[65]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Ultimate Fighter | Himself | Television series |
| 2016 | The Fighter and The Kid 3D | Himself | Web series |
| 2016 | Range 15 | Guard Schaub | Film |
| 2018–current | BELOW THE BELT with Brendan Schaub | Himself | Web show |
| 2018–current | Bravo's Play-By-Play | Himself | Television series |
| 2020 | The Tax Collector | Negro | Film |
Schaub is engaged to long-time girlfriend Joanna Zanella, and they have two sons, born in 2016 and 2019. He has one brother named Jay.[66] Schaub previously had a brief relationship withRonda Rousey.[67] He supports the sports teams of Denver, Colorado, and Los Angeles, California, as well as theCleveland Browns.[68][69][70] Schaub is an avid fan of fashion and automobiles. According to Schaub, after getting a broken nose in his fight withMirko Cro Cop, he was prescribedOxyContin for recovery and spent monthsaddicted to it.[71] In May 2021, Schaub was promoted to black belt inBrazilian jiu-jitsu after 14 years of training.[72]
