Recovered Radach Ready for St. Preux

Benji Radach: Dave Mandel | Sherdog.com

In April 2009, Benji Radach was cruising to a convincing victory in his Strikeforce debut against hard-hitting middleweight Scott Smith. Then, Smith did what he does, finding Radach’s chin and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat late in the third round.

Twenty months later, Radach will reenter the Strikeforce cage, facing up-and-coming light heavyweight Ovince St. Preux on the main card of “Henderson vs. Babalu II,” which goes down tonight at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

“I’ve got my hands full. He’s a big, tall guy. It’s going to be quite the challenge, but I’m always up for that,” said Radach during Friday’s pre-fight press conference. “I’ve never fought anybody with his height and size advantage. I just know that he’s got more skills than we’ve seen. Hopefully I can get around his strengths and find the weaknesses that he has.”

Radach has suffered his fair share of bodily harm, both during his fights and outside of the cage. Prior to joining Strikeforce, Radach received a badly broken jaw courtesy of Chris Leben in a June 2004 SportFight bout. Upon recovery, the International Fight League veteran moved to EliteXC, where he knocked out Murilo “Ninja” Rua. Then came the Smith fight.

“It seems like I’ve had a series of huge speed bumps to hurdle. My first injury, which happened against Scott, I broke my hand in the first round. Now I’ve got a metal plate and six screws in my hand,” said Radach. “I started training [after my hand recovered], and I tore my [pectoral muscle] completely from my shoulder bone. It actually balled up in the center of my chest, and I had to have it reattached. That was probably the worst injury I’ve had.”

Worse yet, surgery on Radach’s pectoral resulted in a staph infection which further prolonged his recovery. Regarding his upcoming bout, Radach foresees more “speed bumps”. St. Preux is a natural athlete and former University of Tennessee linebacker. When called to face the ex-Volunteer, Radach says he paused to think over the proposition.

“I guess I thought about the weight difference and the height, especially,” he said. “I’m just going to have to make do, and it’s a huge challenge for me to deal with those obstacles -- getting inside, working my combinations, getting out and staying away from his big left kick.”

Radach -- who once competed as a welterweight -- will not only face the disadvantage of facing a naturally larger, stronger opponent. In addition, he’ll be doing it on short notice. Both Radach and St. Preux were added to the card late to fill the lineup after Valentijn Overeem, Herschel Walker and Jesse Finney all suffered injuries.

“I needed something to get my butt kicked in gear and get back in the gym. I was actually planning on fighting on this card two or three months ago, but it ended up being full. Then I got a last minute call, and it got my nerves going,” said Radach. “I'm a competitor. I’ve been fighting in some way my whole life, whether it was wrestling or boxing or MMA, so it always excites me to get out there and compete. That’s what makes me happy. It means a lot to get back in there and throw down. I plan on putting on a good show like I always do.”

Though Radach admits that he is “a little bit” undersized heading into the fight, the slugger believes that he could contend all the way up to heavyweight simply because of his punching power. If he manages to upset St. Preux tonight, the future will once again be wide open for the 30-year-old knockout artist. When asked if he would be interested in a rematch with Smith, the ever-game Radach responded predictably.

“Any fight that I lose, I definitely want a rematch. So I’m not looking for it, but I’d definitely take it.”

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Falcao Confident and Ready for a Hurricane

What's common now wasn't always that way in the early days of mixed martial arts. When you said the name of a nation, in this case, Brazil, it was immediately linked to jiu-jitsu, as many Brazilian athletes who went to fight overseas were ground specialists.    
Of course, we had Brazilian strikers in the old days, in the form of Eldo Dias Xavier and Marco Ruas, and later Pedro Rizzo, and Vitor Belfort broke the clichés by being a BJJ practitioner who knocked people out, but mainly, it was an avalanche of BJJers that figured in the UFC for a long, long time.     
And even nowadays, with more than 20 Brazilians on the UFC roster, the majority of them have a Brazilian jiu-jitsu background. But things are changing, and the land of gentle art is actually exporting heavy handed strikers with regularity.
Maiquel Falcao is one of the UFC debutants who comes from Brazil focused on momentarily unplugging foes from their connection to the world. Owning an impressive record of 25-3 with 1 NC, Falcao - a member of the famous Chute Boxe squad - will take his initial step inside the Octagon against Gerald 'Hurricane' Harris on the main card of UFC 123 this weekend in Detroit.  
A boxer who only faced negative results three times during a six year career, Falcao, which means falcon, flaunts a moniker that signifies his style, 'Big Rig'.
"The nickname comes due to the way I fight, like a big truck without brakes,” he said. "It’s better to not stay in front of it - it's not healthy (laughs)."     

Capturing boxing titles on the regional, state and national levels, Falcao moved to MMA in 2004, transitioning between the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions. And he kept himself fighting like this in order to not lose opportunities, the type he couldn't get if he didn't have boxing in his life. 
"I started in boxing because it was a way to put away my energy," Falcao said. "I had a few personal problems and I found in boxing a manner of discipline and the ability to stay away from wrong things." 
Falcao, a 29-year old native of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, stayed on the right and untouchable path for his first eight matches. Even uncertain of his correct training and weight division, he smashed foes in the Southwest and South of Brazil with his fists and only faced three setbacks, two of them to the same man, UFC light heavyweight Fabio Maldonado in two slugfests. From the upsets he took lessons, but not against the famous Maldonado; instead, they were taken from a moment when nobody expected him to lose, against Daniel Ludtke in a mere 1:12 of round one. 
"Train hard and never underestimate your adversary," he says of the quick defeat, but Falcao avenged it by outstriking Ludtke in short 52 seconds nearly two years later.
A fast learner, Falcao continued his walk through MMA in the 205 and heavyweight divisions, but difficulties arrived not in fighting like a pro, but in fighting without the conditions of a pro, as he shared his time between a lot of freelance jobs and his fighting career. 

"In Brazil, it was very hard to fight for a living," he said. "I was killing a lion everyday with discipline and determination. Only recently have I had an opportunity to consider myself a professional fighter. Obviously when we're dedicated to only one thing we perform better.”

"Now I'm really a professional, I fight for the UFC and this makes a difference in an athlete's life. I'm in the biggest show on the planet and I'll be the champion at the right moment. That's a few steps away, but once the time is right, I’ll be ready for the championship." 

It could be the enthusiasm of a rookie, you might say. And he always had the confidence, but joining the Chute Boxe team two years ago increased his aspirations for the upper levels of the sport. 'Big Rig' voices the importance of the new team in his career and continues to talk about the 185-pound belt. 

"I'm in a complete MMA gym where we develop wrestling, boxing, Muay Thai, BJJ and conditioning. Along with the coaches we decided to cut weight and fight as a middleweight. My height is ideal for the division and I didn't have any difficulties dieting or adapting. Chute Boxe formed a lot of champions and I'll be one more." 

First he needs to get by a fighter who is no joke in Gerald Harris. Nicknamed ‘Hurricane’, Harris is 'simply' a wrestler on a 10-fight winning streak with nine stoppages, and with his experience in the Octagon, it’s a taste that the debutant Falcao doesn’t have yet, but he’s not concerned.   

"I don't see this superiority because he has three fights in UFC; after we’re locked in the cage, it’s me and him," Falcao said. "People are talking about his feats (the winning streak, his KOs) and he did his job, but Nov. 20th I'm going to do mine, something I’ve done more times than he did. My mission is to win the fight – and my focus is to knock him out." 

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Schaub Ready to Step Up

"I've worked so hard. I contribute this all to my work ethic and I think that is why you see these knockouts.” An ordinary person reads at a pace between 200 and 250 words per minute. The extraordinary Ultimate Fighter finalist Brendan Schaub has won 7 out of his 8 professional fights by TKO at roughly the same speed. Actually, in the time it takes for the average human being to read this article about this exciting young heavyweight, they could have re-watched every second of Schaub's winning ventures. If one did re-watch Brendan Schaub’s fight career they would be dazzled by both his speed and power. In a word, Schaub is “explosive”.

It is not at all surprising knowing the 27 year old’s background. Schaub has proven himself as a great athlete on the football fields of his home state of Colorado in both high school as an All-American and playing fullback for the Division I University of Colorado. Schaub even went as far as being on an NFL practice squad for the Buffalo Bills. But being a professional fighter soon became Schaub’s top priority.

“I came from a football background and martial arts background, but I've always had a fighter's heart. I've always wanted to pursue the UFC,” he said.

Schaub retired from football and began training to fight full-time in Colorado. Not soon after, he met future UFC stars Nate Marquardt and Shane Carwin. To this day they are his main training partners at the Grudge Training Center under the guidance of Trevor Wittman. Schaub excelled quickly with his striking, winning a Golden Gloves boxing championship, and with his grappling, in which he is currently a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. But that’s all old news about the heavyweight they call “The Hybrid”.

In 2010, Brendan Schaub has spent less than two minutes in the Octagon and knocked out two opponents with a collective record of 25 - 6: Chase Gormley and Chris Tuchscherer. “I never go in there looking to finish them right away,” Schaub admits, “it has just happened that way in my entire career except one fight.” Schaub believes his power is simply a by-product of his extreme effort over the years.

”Doing the strength and conditioning protocols that my coaches had me do in high school, at the University of Colorado, and the professional level are definitely paying off now. It makes me more explosive and quicker than a lot of these heavyweights that are out there today. And I have had a love for boxing ever since I can remember. I grew up around it. But I've worked so hard. I contribute this all to my work ethic and I think that is why you see these knockouts.”

Schaub has had an added incentive to train even harder this year since he suffered his first loss last December to Roy Nelson in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter. “I think I gained a lot of maturity coming off the show and coming off my loss to Roy Nelson. I learned a ton from that,” Schaub continues, “This sport is easy when you are knocking guys out in 30 - 45 seconds. Trevor Wittman says after a loss you can find out if a guy really wants it. What kind of fighter you have.” Schaub’s responded very well with a two fight win streak and now a step-up in competition: Gabriel Gonzaga.

“When I got the call from (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva, he said to me Gabriel Gonzaga. My first reaction was ‘sweet’. That's why I came to the UFC to fight these big names. Then Silva hangs up, and it sets in. I'm like holy s**t, Gabriel Gonzaga!”

On October 23rd, Schaub will be taking on his most acclaimed opponent to date in “Napao”, who has been a fixture in the UFC heavyweight division for the past five years, winning fights by both slick submissions and devastating knockouts. Gonzaga was primarily known as a world champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, but has shown flashes of striking brilliance like the nightmarish head kick knockout of Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 70. And Schaub knows it too.

“I grew up watching this guy. I've seen all of his fights. He was one of those first guys who put it all together. He has a Jiu-Jitsu background, but he has world class kickboxing and he is ready to kick your head off or drop you with a right hand. For me, it is a huge opportunity and I've never trained so hard in my life. I expect he has trained just as hard as me and it's just an honor to fight a guy of his caliber.”

As dangerous as he is as an opponent, Gonzaga has lost two out of his last three fights by knockout. One of those knockout loses was to Schaub’s main training partner: Shane Carwin. “We're kind of like brothers,” Schaub beams when talking of his fellow UFC heavyweight. “We train everyday; he hasn't missed a day with me. We both know each other's tendencies. We expect a lot out of each other. He has gotten really far in the UFC and I plan on doing the same.”

One can only imagine the scene of these two behemoths fighting each other on a regular basis. “If you were at practice yesterday,” Schaub pauses for dramatic effect, “Shane and I go at it! If they would have filmed it I think people would have paid $14.95 for our sparring session. That's definitely the reason I am where I'm at and he'll say the same.”

For Schaub, this fight is just another stage to show off his fast and heavy hands against a top tier fighter, “I visualize the fight probably 1500 times before I even step in there. When it happens, I'm not surprised. I expect to knock out all of my opponents.” But he knows with this opponent in particular the fight could go anywhere and he is ready for it. “He's Gabriel Gonzaga: he's good at both. If he wants to keep it standing - great. But I'm not worried about what he is going to do. I’m going in there to react and force my game plan.”

For Gonzaga’s sake, let’s hope he keeps his chin tucked because Schaub is another young stud headhunting him in the Octagon. If and when Schaub does connect with a shot, “The first thing that comes to my mind is ‘oh, he is screwed.’ I know when he goes down there is going to be a barrage of punches to finish him off.”

Brendan Schaub has seen and done exactly that just about his whole career and he’s eagerly anticipating more of it. Once the fight starts, don’t blink because statistically speaking this fight should not last long. “I can smell blood in the water. And once I think you're hurt - I'm bringing the pressure.”

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