You'd think Gabriel Gonzaga had never seen a jab before. Brendan Schaub's isn't lightning quick, but he used it often enough to keep the Brazilian at bay. More importantly, it seemed to throw off his timing and stymie most of his offensive attack. Schaub, the runner-up on Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter, got a solid victory via unanimous decision, 30-27 on all cards.
"Gabe is one of the top heavyweight in the world," said Schaub. "This was a big step up for me. I'm just glad to get out with a victory. (The jab) was the key to my success. Our gameplan was to mix it up and get him frustrated."
Gonzaga (11-6, 7-5 UFC) is a multi-talented guy with great jiu-jitsu and big punching power but he looked listless from the get-go. Schaub popped him with the jab throughout and had Gonzaga on his heels. Gonzaga's best offense came on leg kicks but he didn't throw them with enough frequence. Schaub's speed was too much. Anytime they stood toe-to-toe, Schaub usuaully got off six shots to Gonzaga's two.
Schaub delivered plus-150 as a good-sized underdog. Gonzaga is just 3-5 in the UFC since late 2007.
That makes it 3-1 with the promotion for the 27-year-old Schaub. The former University of Colorado fullback has the size (6-foot-4, 240 pounds) and power to make some waves. This should earn him a shot at a top 15 UFC heavyweight like Cheick Kongo, Stefan Struve or Ben Rothwell.
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