Flying under the radar ahead of this Saturday’s stacked UFC 181 event, is a main card bout between two heavyweight fighters looking for redemption.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Watch UFC 181 prelims Saturday on Sportsnet 360 starting at 8 p.m. EST
Travis Browne makes his return to the Octagon for the first time since his disappointing loss to Fabricio Werdum, when he locks horns with TUF 10 contestant Brendan Schaub. Currently No. 3 in the UFC heavyweight rankings, Browne (16-2-1) was outclassed in his last fight by his Brazilian foe, despite being a 2-to-1 favourite prior to the matchup. To add insult to injury, the 32-year-old Hawaiian has been sidelined since April, suffering a broken hand, rib and nose in that gruelling five-round affair back at UFC on FOX 11. Before the loss Browne was on the fast track to a heavyweight title shot, earning three consecutive knockout victories over Gabriel Gonzaga, Alistair Overeem and Josh Barnett.
Schaub (10-4) meanwhile had a forgettable performance in his last fight this past June. The Rein Training Center product was on the wrong side of a split decision defeat to Andrei Arlovski at UFC 174 in Vancouver. Despite what many pundits thought was a controversial decision, his uninspiring performance didn’t do him any favours. Heading into that bout, the 31-year-old was on a two-fight winning streak earning a decision victory over Lavar Johnson and a first-round submission win over Matt Mitrione.
Looking at the style matchup between these two, it’s easy to see why Browne is the heavy favourite. Aside from a height and reach advantage, the 16-fight veteran has 12 knockouts on his resume. In addition, Browne has been working on his standup with acclaimed striking coach Edmond Tarverdyan, head coach of UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. With three of Schaubs’ four-career losses coming by knockout, that’s a frightening factor for the Colorado native.
Conversely for Schaub, his much improved striking defence and ground game have been overlooked in his recent fights. He is one of the more athletic fighters in the division and the longer this fight goes, the more you’d have to favour the "Fighter and the Kid" co-host. If he’s able to neutralize his opponents stand up – like he did successfully in his bout with Mitrione – he could take Browne down and land a fight-ending submission. However, it should be noted, Browne has never been submitted in his career.
With heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez sidelined due to injury and interim champion Fabricio Werdum waiting patiently on the sidelines, the heavyweight title picture is a bit blurry past that inevitable unification matchup. The winner of Saturday’s heavyweight tilt or the upcoming bout the week after between Junior dos Santos and Stipe Miocic at UFC on FOX 13 could potentially be right behind.
It’s no secret all the pressure is on Browne heading into this contest, however an impressive knockout win over Schaub could easily propel him into the heavyweight title picture once again. Despite being a 3-to-1 underdog, if Schaub can earn an upset victory over "Hapa" it would undoubtedly push him into the UFC heavyweight division’s Top 15-rankings and subsequently put the rest of the division on notice.
