So, who exactly is Brendan Schaub fighting?
Well, it's Stefan-itely not Struve, who was damn near Reem-tossed to make way for a certain checkered-short Croatian by the name of Mirko Filipovic.
Yes, the same "Cro Cop" who was cro-cocked by Frank Mir back in September. Yes, the same Frank Mir who was originally tapped to fight Brendan Schaub after "The Hybrid" punched Gabriel Gonzaga's Zuffa pink slip. Yes, the same Gabriel Gonzaga who knocked out Filipovic before, well, you get the point.
The six degrees of Kevin Randleman has apparently ended where it started, with a Schaub call-out of the former PRIDE legend back in November:
"If the UFC calls, I’m up for whatever they ask me to do… but I did say I think that next step up from Gonzaga would be a guy like Frank Mir or Mirko Cro Cop. For me, that’s kind of headed in the direction of getting closer to the title."
Ask and you shall (eventually) receive.
According to Fighter's Only, the Schaub vs. Filipovic bout is slated for the UFC 128 pay-per-view on March 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
After a bitter separation with his consciousness during Roy Nelson's win at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 Finale in late 2009, Schaub roared back to conquer three straight heavyweight opponents, finishing two of his super-sized victims via first round knockout.
Following his unanimous decision win over "Napao," the Denver slugger asked for -- and seemingly received -- a major step up in competition against Mir.
The promotion apparently changed its mind, temporarily inserting Struve but eventually settling on Filipovic.
Cro Cop made a name for himself with a terrifying offense in PRIDE, one good enough to earn him the title of 2006 open weight grand prix champion.
Unfortunately the 30-something striker has been a mediocre 4-4 as a UFC import, looking listless against the mid to top heavyweights while doing just enough to crush a few cans and remain employed.
True, no one will mistake him for a title contender, but a win over the surging Schaub would go a long way in restoring some of the mystique he owned earlier in his career.
Stay tuned to MMAMania.com for more updates on this still-developing fight card as they become available.
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