A fight like the one coming up on Saturday at UFC 134: Rio between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira -- truly one of the legends of the sport -- and Brendan Schaub, a moderately talented up and comer kind of puts the lie to technical analysis.
The truth is that Schaub's skill set is extremely limited. He's a former college football player who relies on raw power and athleticism to overwhelm his opponents. Not that he's not working hard or training with a good camp, but the reality is that he's reliant on his powerful right hand, considerable recuperative abilities and quickness.
Unfortunately against the aging and injured Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira that should be more than enough. Nogueira has spent years developing a fairly sophisticated boxing game to compliment his deadly Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu attack. Sadly he's slowed so much in recent years that it doesn't make much difference. He's also seen what was once the games most enduring granite chin crumble into dust.
Nogueira doubtless retains a massive advantage on the ground, given his dangerous BJJ skills, but the problem is he doesn't have the speed or wrestling skills to put Schaub on the ground. If Schaub is foolish enough to take Nog down or let him pull guard, he could be in deep trouble, but it's too easy to just stand up and walk away from all but the most determined of Nog's half-guard sweeps. If Schaub falls into the old lion's traps it would be an uncharacteristic lapse for a kid with a fairly impressive fight IQ.
Unless Nog is enjoying an improbable return to his youthful form, expect to see the young lion feast on the old in this one.
Aspect
Nogueira
Points
Schaub
Advantage
Range Fighting
Boxing
Technical But Slow
2
Some Power
Schaub
Kickboxing
Slow
1
Improving
Schaub
Wrestling
Limited
2
Improving
Schaub
Clinch Fighting
Dirty Boxing
Effective
1
Good
Nogueira
Thai Clinch
Ok
1
Improving
Schaub
Throws/Trips
Decent
1
Ok
Schaub
Ground Fighting
Positional Control
Very Good
1
Limited
Nogueira
Scrambling
Good
1
Ok
Nogueira
Escapes
Slick
1
Hapless
Nogueira
Submissions
Excellent
1
Ok
Nogueira
Intangibles
Damaged
1
Up And Coming
Schaub
Overall
Aged
5/8
On The Move
Schaub
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