Brendan Schaub: If I do fight again, it’s for the fans
Brendan Schaub: “I’m going to have to take some time away and step away from the game. If I do fight again, it’s not for me – it’s for the fans. I feel like I owe it to them.”
Brendan Schaub has sat on the bench for all of 2015 and has been a vocal opponent of the UFC’s recent apparel deal with Reebok. Schaub recently joined the Jon Anik and Kenny Florian podcast and talked his situation and whether or not we will see him the Octagon again:
Life is good not getting punched in the face, he said. I was that kid who had to fight for a paycheck and there’s no plan B. You don’t want to fight that guy when you’re sleeping in satin sheets. Because if he needs that other half of his paycheck to beat me, the going gets rough. I’m not stupid. It’s trouble, especially in the light heavyweight or heavyweight division.
At the same time, Schaub acknowledged his struggle to contain his competitive urges, particularly when thinking about the prospect of hanging up his gloves forever.
You feel like a failure because you didn’t get the belt, he said. I didn’t start this just to be a guy. So a part of me is like, god damn it. I watched (Antonio) ‘Bigfoot’ (Silva) and Soa Palelei the other night, and me being a competitor, I’d beat both of those guys in the same night, right now.
But to say that (my career) wasn’t a success, man, I’ve had a great run.
Schaub, who also addressed the UFC’s business practices in an extended interview, said he recently turned down a public appearance because he didn’t want to answer questions about his career.
For me, I love competition, and I miss being camp, he said. But I’m going to have to take some time away and step away from the game. If I do fight again, it’s not for me – it’s for the fans. I feel like I owe it to them.