UFC 134 Preview: The Main Card

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Heavyweights
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1, 1 NC, 3-2 UFC) vs. Brendan Schaub (8-1, 4-1 UFC)

The Matchup: A rising star in the heavyweight ranks, Schaub’s athleticism and big-time power in his right hand have seen his career surge since losing to Roy Nelson in the finals of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10.

Going 4-0 since that knockout, he has developed into a better product with each outing, as he outpointed a quality veteran foe in Gabriel Gonzaga and then knocked out the faded Mirko Filipovic in March. With each fight, one gets a growing sense that Schaub is putting it together, especially in clinches and transitions, before he drops the hammer with his fast-and-furious right hand.

Nogueira, one of the game’s legends, is on the downslope of a career defined by a desire to face the best. A fantastic guard, heart and willingness to absorb punishment in search of a submission -- which he often secured despite horrific beatings -- endeared him to fans. Underrated boxing skills without one-shot knockout power have been the source of many thrilling exchanges, and his tenacious finishing instinct for submissions gives him the rare dangerous guard in an otherwise wrestler-dominated heavyweight division.

Schaub wants to take another critical leap up the contender ranks, and Nogueira is out to prove he can still compete at this level, even after losing by brutal knockout in two of his last three outings. There are few -- if any -- accidents in UFC matchmaking, and this one has all the hallmarks of a test bout given to a rising contender.

The Pick: Schaub’s movement on the feet and sharp counterpunches will carry the day here. Nogueira may land a shot or two, but Schaub showed a decent ability to withstand Filipovic’s occasional bombs that landed. Too much youth and power, as Schaub moves, lands, sprawls and escapes a bad position or two on the ground en route to a crushing second-round knockout.

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