Heavyweight Schaub on "Ghost Adventures"

UFC FIGHTER BRENDAN SCHAUB GUEST STARS ON ALL-NEW “GHOST ADVENTURES” AT THE PEABODY-WHITEHEAD MANSION IN DENVER, CO

FRIDAY, MARCH 16 AT 6:00 PM, 9:00 PM AND MIDNIGHT ET/PT

Travel Channel presents an all-new episode of the popular series, “Ghost Adventures” on Friday, March 16 at 6:00 and 9:00 p.m., ET/PT with a re-air at midnight.  This season, the "Ghost Adventures" crew – Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin – is back to investigate the scariest, most notorious, haunted places in the world.  The trio interviews eyewitnesses and historians at each location, arming themselves with the stories of the ghosts they later confront during their dusk-to-dawn lockdowns.  Then they review and analyze their findings with some of the most-respected experts and specialists in the paranormal field.
In Friday’s original episode, Zak, Nick and Aaron attempt to uncover the truth behind an unsolved murder at the Peabody-Whitehead Mansion in Denver.  Built in 1889, its first owner Dr. William R. Whitehead was convinced the building was plagued by the spirits of hundreds of soldiers he tried to save from his days as a surgeon for the Confederate Army during the United States Civil War.  After his death, when controversial Colorado Governor James Peabody moved in to the mansion, things only worsened.  The governor was viewed by many as the enemy of the working man and in 1904, the Governor ordered state militia to break union strikes by the region’s gold miners by brute force.  Hundreds were injured in the violence, and dozens were killed as their bloodshed was on the governor’s hands.  All the years of torment are now trapped inside this now empty Grant Street mansion.  In addition to being the site of a suicide, there have been over 120 years of ghostly activity in the building including reports of visitors being pushed up against the wall by unseen forces!
UFC Fighter Brendan Schaub joins the trio at the Peabody-Whitehead Mansion in hopes to shed some light on the evil entities in order to learn more about the darkness that lies within the walls of this historic location.  During the investigation in the basement, it gets personal when a spirit calls out Brendan by name, and then reveals new evidence about an unsolved crime.  This turn of events triggers the involvement of the Denver Police Department – currently reviewing the “Ghost Adventures” team's evidence.
“Ghost Adventures” is produced by MY Tupelo Entertainment for Travel Channel.  For MY Tupelo, executive producers are Michael Yudin and Joe Townley.  For Travel Channel, executive producer is Daniel A. Schwartz.

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Schaub to Face Struve in March UFC Bout

Brendan Schaub | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Brendan Schaub will be fighting in March, but it won’t be against Frank Mir.

Despite early reports that the “Ultimate Fighter 10” finalist would meet the former heavyweight champion in his next bout, it now appears that Schaub will face Dutch prospect Stefan Struve. Sherdog.com has confirmed that both Schaub and Struve have verbally agreed to the match-up, which was first reported on Monday by Sportsnet.ca.

Although the Sportsnet.ca report placed Schaub-Struve on the UFC’s Versus-televised March 3 show, sources inform Sherdog.com that an event has not yet been decided upon. Other cards which could potentially host the bout include UFC 128 on March 19 and UFC Fight Night 24 on March 26.

Schaub has gone 3-0 inside the Octagon since losing to Roy Nelson at the “TUF 10” finale. Following respective 47- and 67-second knockouts of Chase Gormley and Chris Tuchscherer, “The Hybrid” took a step up in competition against former title contender Gabriel Gonzaga. In a bout which saw Schaub leave the opening round for the first time in his career, the 27-year-old soundly defeated Gonzaga via unanimous decision at October’s UFC 121.

Struve has himself won back-to-back fights since being defeated by Nelson in March. After a dramatic, come-from-behind knockout of Christian Morecraft at UFC 117, the 6-foot-11 “Skyscraper” dispatched of Sean McCorkle via technical knockout earlier this month in the co-main event of UFC 124. Only 22 years old and already with 25 professional bouts to his name, Struve also holds UFC wins over Paul Buentello, Denis Stojnic and Gormley.

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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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Main Card Report: Shields, Sanchez, Hamill, and Schaub Win

The highly-anticipated UFC debut of Jake Shields was a victorious one, but his three round split decision win over Martin Kampmann in the UFC 121 co-main event Saturday night at Honda Center wasn’t exactly the showcase many expected, as a mix of fatigue and Kampmann’s defense kept the longtime welterweight and middleweight star from making the statement he wanted to. ANAHEIM, October 23 – The highly-anticipated UFC debut of Jake Shields was a victorious one, but his three round split decision win over Martin Kampmann in the UFC 121 co-main event Saturday night at Honda Center wasn’t exactly the showcase many expected, as a mix of fatigue and Kampmann’s defense kept the longtime welterweight and middleweight star from making the statement he wanted to.

Shields vs. Kampmann
Scores were 30-27, 29-28, and 28-29 for Shields, who improves to 26-4-1; Kampmann falls to 17-4.

Shields was able to get the match to the mat quickly, but Kampmann’s mat defense was solid as he kept his foe from improving position for very long. With two minutes gone, Kampmann got back to his feet, with Shields still keeping a tight grip on him. After a stalemate against the fence, the two broke, Shields scoring with a couple kicks before getting turned back on two late takedown attempts.

In the second, Kampmann’s takedown defense continued to be solid, and he even added a knee and a guillotine choke attempt to the equation before Shields got loose with a little over three minutes left. Kampmann didn’t stay down for long though, and with Shields visibly tired and his nose bloodied, ‘The Hitman’ had the perfect opportunity to take control. Shields kept battling, searching for a submission from the top position while tossing in the occasional strike, but again, Kampmann made it to his feet, and he pinned his opponent against the fence in the hopes of wearing him down.

Kampmann was in complete control as the third round started, and he made that clear as he stuffed four straight takedown attempts from Shields. After the fourth, Kampmann looked for the choke twice, but came up short. Shields had nothing left in his gas tank though, and the only question left was whether he would be able to make it to the final horn. Amazingly, Shields was able to take Kampmann’s back in the final moments of the bout, but he was unable to take his foe out before the final bell.

Sanchez vs. Thiago
After a lackluster loss to John Hathaway in May, many wondered whether Diego Sanchez’ move back to 170 pounds was a wise one. But in one of his best performances to date, the former lightweight title challenger silenced any doubters with an action-packed three round unanimous decision win over Paulo Thiago.

Scores were 30-26, and 29-28 twice for Sanchez, who broke a two fight losing streak in his first fight back with longtime trainer Greg Jackson.

Sanchez came out winging overhand rights at Thiago, who cooly deflected any incoming fire. Sanchez adjusted and looked for a takedown, and though it was rebuffed by the Brazilian, he was able to get off some close range strikes after the two locked up. After breaking, Sanchez’ attack was more measured, allowing Thiago to take him to the mat midway through. While on the canvas, Thiago almost locked in a choke, but Sanchez fought loose, got back to his feet, and was able to score with some hard shots before Thiago answered with the same before the end of the round.

The fast pace continued in round two, with the battle shifting from the feet to the mat. Here, Sanchez was able to score with his strikes from the top position while Thiago tried to lock up his arm. After some dangerous moments, Sanchez pulled free and following a wild scramble he lifted Thiago over his head and slammed him down to the mat as the crowd went wild, chanting “Diego, Diego.” Sanchez wasn’t done yet, as he pounded away with strikes while taking his opponent’s back.

Thiago shot for a takedown to open the final round, but Sanchez turned it in his favor and got in the top position on the mat. Again, Thiago worked to get Sanchez’ arm, but the ‘Nightmare’ pounded his way free and took the Brazilian’s back while looking for a choke. Thiago’s submission defense was solid, but Sanchez’ strikes were breaking through with regularity. Eventually, Thiago, his face bloody and battered, got free, but Sanchez wouldn’t let him enjoy freedom for long, as he pounced on him once again, ending the bout with a furious flurry of ground strikes.

With the win, Sanchez ups his record to 24-4; Thiago falls to 13-3.

Ortiz vs. Hamill
It was teacher versus student, but the student, Matt Hamill, took the drama out of the showdown with his Ultimate Fighter 3 coach Tito Ortiz by the second round, using a steady ground and pound attack and effective standup striking to earn a three round unanimous decision victory.

Scores were 30-27 and 29-28 twice for Hamill, who improves to 11-2; Ortiz, who is winless since beating Ken Shamrock in October of 2006, falls to 16-8-1.

Ortiz went on the attack from the start, scoring well with his strikes until Hamill caught a kick and took the fight to the mat. Ortiz got up almost immediately, but he emerged with a cut on the side of the head and a mouse under his right eye. The crowd alternated with chants for each fighter as Ortiz went back to his strategy of attacking Hamill’s legs with kicks while adding in the occasional flurry upstairs.

The fight’s pattern stayed consistent in round two, with neither Ortiz or Hamill trying to take matters to the mat. Ortiz was beginning to show signs of fatigue, by Hamill wasn’t being busy enough to make matters worse. That changed midway through the frame, when Hamill took Ortiz to the canvas and began working his strikes from the top position. Ortiz stayed busy from the bottom, even trying to lock in a triangle choke, but Hamill’s inside game was effective, and he eventually got into side control, where he ended the round in complete control.

Confident not only in his standup, but in the idea that Ortiz didn’t have enough gas in the tank to hurt him, Hamill potshotted Ortiz in round three, piling up the points in the process. Ortiz gamely trudged forward, but had nothing left, even falling short on his lone takedown attempt. Hamill was more fortunate, taking Ortiz to the mat in emphatic fashion with 90 seconds left. It was there that the fight stayed until the final bell, with Hamill leaving a lasting impression with his ground assault.

Schaub vs. Gonzaga
Rising heavyweight star Brendan Schaub added a sizeable notch to his belt in the main card opener as he defeated longtime contender Gabriel Gonzaga via three round unanimous decision.

“Gabe’s one of the best heavyweights in the world and a big step up for me,” said Schaub. “I’m glad to get out with the victory.”

Scores were 30-27 across the board for the Ultimate Fighter season ten finalist.

Schaub’s speed and movement kept Gonzaga at bay throughout the first half of the opening round, and when he added quick combinations to the mix, it was clear that ‘Napao’ was going to have his work cut out for him, especially after his first takedown attempt was stuffed. With 20 seconds left, Schaub rocked Gonzaga with a right hand, and moments later a second right put him down to the mat, but the bell intervened before ‘The Hybrid’ could finish.

His head cleared by the minute’s rest between rounds. Gonzaga began attacking Schaub’s legs with kicks, but the Colorado native kept pressing forward, trying to use his jab to set up another big right hand. With two minutes left, Schaub fired off a flurry of strikes as the crowd roared, but again Gonzaga – his nose bloodied - withstood the attack and made it out of the round.

Surprisingly, Schaub shot for a takedown early in the third round, and while Gonzaga tossed the attempt aside, it was surprising that he didn’t want to try his luck out on the mat. While standing, Gonzaga pressed his foe, but paid for it by eating quick shots on the way in from Schaub. And while the pace understandably slowed in the final stages, when the bout ended, there was no question that Schaub had pulled off the victory.

With the win, Schaub improves to 8-1; Gonzaga falls to 11-6.

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