Brendan Schaub has no regrets about his retirement from MMA, though the journey getting there was a bit rocky.
Not a lot as a result of Schaub struggled with the choice however moderately as a result of a public intervention of kinds held by his pal and UFC shade commentator Joe Rogan simply days after a 2014 loss to Travis Browne. The podcast that served as an episode of Schaub’s long-running present The Fighter and the Child ended up as an emotionally charged dialog about why the Final Fighter finalist ought to name it a profession.
“The truth of your ability set, the place you’re at now, I don’t see you beating the elite guys,” Rogan informed Schaub in the course of the episode. “I don’t see you beating Cain Velasquez. I don’t see you beating Junior dos Santos. I don’t see you beating Fabricio Werdum.
“It’s not that you just don’t attempt arduous, that you just’re not devoted, that you just’re not disciplined, that you just’re not clever. There’s shit that different folks can do that you may’t do.”
Schaub responded defiantly with plans to return to the UFC, however finally that battle in opposition to Browne served as the ultimate look of his profession. A decade faraway from that notorious confrontation, Schaub admits it was extremely tough to listen to Rogan’s phrases in that second however trying again now he’s grateful that his pal was brutally sincere with him.
“Once you’re combating particularly at that degree, the UFC degree, particularly today everyone seems to be so rattling good, it’s important to be all in,” Schaub informed MMA Combating. “I feel in the case of me specifically, particularly when Rogan was speaking to me, Rogan knew I had this different set of expertise. I feel, to not take something away from Rogan, I feel he knew I used to be going to achieve success exterior of combating. He’s like, ‘Dude, you are able to do all these things, what are you doing?’ He was proper. He was 100% proper.
“On the time, I used to be mad. My mother and my brother and pop had been so mad at him for doing that publicly and I informed him that. Now they thank him. They’ll name him, they’ll thank him as a result of he’s the one that actually helped me out with that stuff.”
Since retiring from combating, Schaub has continued to provide his podcast alongside comic and actor Bryan Callen in addition to launching his personal YouTube channel. He developed Meals Truck Diaries — a collection that he beforehand did with Showtime the place he would sit down with a fighter, seize some meals and have interaction in an extended dialog moderately than simply a normal interview.
Schaub additionally received concerned in standup comedy amongst many different endeavors which have stored him lots busy since he stopped combating.
Whereas retirement isn’t a “one measurement matches all” for each athlete, Schaub had plans for a profession exterior the cage. That’s one of many the reason why he stays glad along with his determination to name it a profession whereas quite a few fighters wrestle to stroll away.
“The fighters, it’s a particular breed to be a fighter, particularly at that degree,” Schaub mentioned. “It might probably’t be your complete id. That’s how I’ve been in a position to bounce round and do various things. I by no means simply say I’m a soccer participant, I’m a fighter, I’m this, I’m that, I’m a comic book, podcaster. I like a bunch of various issues. So I by no means simply put myself in a single lane. I’m OK getting backlash going, ‘Oh he’s not likely into no matter it’s, off-roading, he’s not likely into comedy, he’s not likely into podcasting, oh he’s only a soccer participant combating.’ All good, individuals are going to do this stuff.
“I feel the No. 1 concern, these fighters get so wrapped up and their id is simply as a fighter. There’s some nice personalities on the market. Nice personalities.”
Regardless of being retired for the higher a part of the previous decade, Schaub nonetheless will get calls each every so often gauging his curiosity in a comeback.
The newest occasion was a proposal from Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA and Schaub admits he was tempted within the second — largely as a result of monetary windfall it might have earned him.
“We had Jorge Masvidal and his supervisor Dean [Toole] on and I work for them now doing commentating however that’s how that happened. They provided me a battle,” Schaub mentioned. “I’m like bare-knuckle MMA? They’re like yeah. I used to be such as you don’t manage to pay for, there’s no manner. He goes, ‘Give us a quantity.’ I gave them an outlandish quantity and he was like lifeless severe, simply appeared me within the eye and goes ‘OK.’ I’m like what?
“For a second I’m like shit, I’ll simply hit the highway now get some highway work in now, let’s get going, that’s an insane sum of money. I simply can’t power myself to do it. At 41, my children, I can’t take one other blow to the pinnacle. I’m good. I don’t must be Elon Musk or ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone wealthy. I’m good. I’m good the place I’m at.”
Schaub additionally revealed for the paycheck he would have obtained {that a} battle in opposition to one other top-level opponent could be required and that solely additional justified his determination to go.
“They’re like, ‘For that quantity you’re going to need to battle [Junior dos Santos] or Derrick Lewis.’” Schaub mentioned. “I’m like no, arduous go. I don’t want these issues.”
With no plans to ever battle once more, Schaub admits below the fitting circumstances he could be tempted, however each a kind of eventualities is low danger, excessive reward. If that part isn’t concerned, Schaub is completely satisfied doing precisely what he’s doing proper now, which doesn’t concerned getting punched within the head for a dwelling.
“It’s a disgrace I’m so large,” Schaub mentioned. “As a result of if a Logan Paul or a Jake Paul happened or a KSI, signal me up! Once you’re speaking concerning the [Junior dos Santos] and Derrick Lewis’ of the world? Hell no.
“Now some YouTuber? I’ll play ball there and make all the cash and get the views. To battle these precise killers? It ain’t taking place. I’ve received children.”
