Brendan Schaub has no regrets about his retirement from MMA, although the journey getting there was a little rocky.
Not so much because Schaub struggled with the decision but rather due to a public intervention of sorts held by his friend and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan just days after a 2014 loss to Travis Browne. The podcast that served as an episode of Schaubās long-running show The Fighter and the Kid ended up as an emotionally charged conversation about why the Ultimate Fighter finalist should call it a career.
āThe reality of your skill set, where youāre at now, I donāt see you beating the elite guys,ā Rogan told Schaub during the episode. āI donāt see you beating Cain Velasquez. I donāt see you beating Junior dos Santos. I donāt see you beating Fabricio Werdum.
āItās not that you donāt try hard, that youāre not dedicated, that youāre not disciplined, that youāre not intelligent. Thereās shit that other people can do that you canāt do.ā
Schaub responded defiantly with plans to return to the UFC, but ultimately that fight against Browne served as the final appearance of his career. A decade removed from that infamous confrontation, Schaub admits it was incredibly difficult to hear Roganās words in that moment but looking back now heās thankful that his friend was brutally honest with him.
āWhen youāre fighting especially at that level, the UFC level, especially these days everyone is so damn good, you have to be all in,ā Schaub told MMA Fighting. āI think when it comes to me in particular, especially when Rogan was talking to me, Rogan knew I had this other set of skills. I think, not to take anything away from Rogan, I think he knew I was going to be successful outside of fighting. Heās like, āDude, you can do all this stuff, what are you doing?ā He was right. He was 100 percent right.
āAt the time, I was mad. My mom and my brother and dad were so mad at him for doing that publicly and I told him that. Now they thank him. Theyāll call him, theyāll thank him because heās the one that really helped me out with that stuff.ā
Since retiring from fighting, Schaub has continued to produce his podcast alongside comedian and actor Bryan Callen as well as launching his own YouTube channel. He developed Food Truck Diaries ā a series that he previously did with Showtime where he would sit down with a fighter, grab some food and engage in a long conversation rather than just a standard interview.
Schaub also got involved in standup comedy among many other endeavors that have kept him plenty busy since he stopped fighting.
While retirement isnāt a āone size fits allā for every athlete, Schaub had plans for a career outside the cage. Thatās one of the reasons why he remains satisfied with his decision to call it a career while numerous fighters struggle to walk away.
āThe fighters, itās a special breed to be a fighter, especially at that level,ā Schaub said. āIt canāt be your entire identity. Thatās how Iāve been able to bounce around and do different things. I never just say Iām a football player, Iām a fighter, Iām this, Iām that, Iām a comic, podcaster. I like a bunch of different things. So I never just put myself in one lane. Iām OK getting backlash going, āOh heās not really into whatever it is, off-roading, heās not really into comedy, heās not really into podcasting, oh heās just a football player fighting.ā All good, people are going to do that stuff.
āI think the No. 1 issue, these fighters get so wrapped up and their identity is just as a fighter. Thereās some great personalities out there. Great personalities.ā
Despite being retired for the better part of the past decade, Schaub still gets calls every now and again gauging his interest in a comeback.
The most recent instance was an offer from Jorge Masvidalās Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA and Schaub admits he was tempted in the moment ā mostly due to the financial windfall it would have earned him.
āWe had Jorge Masvidal and his manager Dean [Toole] on and I work for them now doing commentating but thatās how that came about. They offered me a fight,ā Schaub said. āIām like bare-knuckle MMA? Theyāre like yeah. I was like you donāt have enough money, thereās no way. He goes, āGive us a number.ā I gave them an outlandish number and he was like dead serious, just looked me in the eye and goes āOK.ā Iām like what?
āFor a second Iām like shit, Iāll just hit the road now get some road work in now, letās get going, thatās an insane amount of money. I just canāt force myself to do it. At 41, my kids, I canāt take another blow to the head. Iām good. I donāt need to be Elon Musk or āCowboyā Cerrone rich. Iām good. Iām good where Iām at.ā
Schaub also revealed for the paycheck he would have received that a fight against another top-level opponent would be required and that only further justified his decision to pass.
āTheyāre like, āFor that number youāre going to have to fight [Junior dos Santos] or Derrick Lewis.āā Schaub said. āIām like no, hard pass. I donāt need those problems.ā
With no plans to ever fight again, Schaub admits under the right circumstances he would be tempted, but every one of those scenarios is low risk, high reward. If that component isnāt involved, Schaub is happy doing exactly what heās doing right now, which doesnāt involved getting punched in the head for a living.
āItās a shame Iām so big,ā Schaub said. āBecause if a Logan Paul or a Jake Paul came about or a KSI, sign me up! When youāre talking about the [Junior dos Santos] and Derrick Lewisā of the world? Hell no.
āNow some YouTuber? Iāll play ball there and make all the money and get the views. To fight these actual killers? It aināt happening. Iāve got kids.ā
Did Joe become addicted to DMT or Alpha Brain
Listen, all athletes hit a point where they can no longer compete at an elite level. With fighting itās more of a concern because you can get seriously hurt or even killed. Im glad Rogan told him this and more so that he valued Joeās opinion and took it to heart.
I wish he would reflect on his Metamoris debacle and apologize for his behaviour.
11 year on he still maintains that he was right not to actually grapple someone in a grappling tournament.
Damn , Oldie Goldie
He did in his Diaz Rant. He said, āI did eggsaggdly whad I was sposed to do B. I wend to his house, it was his job to engage with me Bapa. Now you fancy yourself a fisticuffs?ā
Yeah that is what I meant he acknowledged it but wasnāt at all apologetic about screwing over the fans who paid to see him actually engage and grapple.
Still maintaining he was right after all these years shows his true character IMHO.
If you didnāt want to grapple with Cyborg then donāt enter a fucking BJJ tournament!
schaub may be a mediocre fighterā¦
but he is far better at fighting than comedy
The Shaub Shutdown. History was made that dayšŗšø
āI was goin to his house B. Was his jub to come to me Bapa/ā
hard to do when you fuckin run from him.