UFC
UFC NEWS: With UFC 121 victory over Gabriel Gonzaga, Brendan Schaub wants Frank Mir next
Oct 24, 2010 - 5:34:45 PM UFC NEWS: With UFC 121 victory over Gabriel Gonzaga, Brendan Schaub wants Frank Mir next

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

There were a number of good performances on Saturday's UFC 121 card, and because of a historic main event performance by Cain Velasquez and some other more higher profile bouts in between, Brendan Schaub's three round decision victory over Gabriel Gonzaga was a bit forgotten by the end of the night.

But Schaub's excellent display of striking against Gonzaga throughout three rounds was a testament to him as a prospect in the division, and the former NFL player and TUF 10 contestant let it be known he's the real deal in the heavyweight division. And after a couple of quick finishes in fights over Chase Gormley and Chris Tuchscherer, Schaub said afterward that he was happy to get a longer fight under his belt.

"The last couple of fights I've been so unsatisfied," Schaub said during the post fight press conference. "This one, I definitely thought I was going to get the finish. It just didn't happen, but it's always good to know you can go three rounds."

"Look at my face; I've been in a fight. It's definitely the best feeling that I've had in the UFC so far."

Schaub now wants to make some noise in the heavyweight ranks, and he's got the perfect opponent in mind.

"I'd love to match up with Frank Mir," he said. "He's one of the stars in the division, and I think I would give him a lot of problems."

"It's in Dana White and Joe Silva's hands, but I think that would be a good fight for me."

Penick's Analysis: I actually think that would be a great fight for Schaub. He's got the hand speed and power to really give Mir some trouble on the feet, and while he's not overly skilled on the ground at this point, he works with a very good team that can get him up to speed with enough of a defensive game to keep a fight with Mir standing. While I believe the UFC may try to set up Lesnar-Mir 3, I'd love to see this fight get put together instead. Schaub fought a great fight against Gonzaga and got another big win, and more performances like that can bring him into contention in the heavyweight division as well.