Breaking Down UFC 128: Mirko Cro Cop vs Brendan Schaub

Added on Mar 16, 2011 by John Petit in

UFC & MMA

Heavyweight bout:

Mirko Filipović +300 vs. Brendan Schaub -280

Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipović

(27-8-2 [1nc] ) / 4-4 in the UFC

Brendan Schaub

(7-1) / 3-1 in the UFC

If Cro Cop looks anything like he did against Frank Mir, he is going to have a short Saturday night. I had the displeasure of being at UFC 119, and I think it was one of the most boring fights I have ever seen. At least Anderson Silva danced in the cage when he fought Demian Maia. I personally give both those guys a loss in my book.

Brendan Schaub isn’t going to wait around for something to happen. Schaub has some violent tendencies in the cage that are becoming more and more entertaining to watch. He is riding a tremendous amount of momentum, and he defeated Gabriel Gonzaga by decision at one of last years biggest cards. The only loss on Schaubs record comes at the hands of Roy Nelson. Don’t group Nelson in with your normal T.U.F. Season winners, nelson was an IFL champion, and has some big name wins on his record. Even in his loss, Schaub has only left the first round once, and I am sure he learned a lot about himself in his 3 rounder with Gonzaga. Schaub is going to have a decent reach advantage in this fight, and I think he is going to be willing to take chances to get hands on Cro Cop’s chin.

Mirko Cro Cop is a highly decorated striker who could put just about anyone out cold in his day, but he is obviously on the decline. Cro Cop is one of the legends of the sport, and his record reads like a “who is who” in MMA heavyweight history. He has fought all over the world, and stepping into a cage in front of millions is old hat to him. If we get even just a glimpse of “Pride-era Cro Cop,” it could be more then enough to put Schaub away quickly. However, we haven’t seen that in a long time, and I’m not sure we will ever again.

If you see a hole in Schaub’s game that I don’t, and yes I know its not perfect, that Cro Cop could exploit, then there is some money to be made on this fight. I know you only need one way to win a fight, but typically the fighter to win is the one who has more ways to win. I think Schaub is able to overwhelm Cro Cop sometime in the second round. He will grind Mirko out on the floor, and Schaub will be able to use his wrestling and ground and pound to get the stop. This is one of those fights where you may want to bet with your heart instead of your brain, but Mirko hasn’t given us a good reason to do that in a long time.