UFC 145 Fight Card Primer: Brendan Schaub Vs. Ben Rothwell

Photo by Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

The UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans card will feature Heavyweight action as Brendan Schaub (8-2; 4-2 UFC) faces Ben Rothwell (31-8; 1-2 UFC). This is the fourth of six fights on the main PPV card. Schaub is currently ranked as the #12 Heavyweight in the world according to the USA TODAY / MMA Nation Consensus MMA Rankings; Rothwell is unranked. The PPV card begins Saturday, April 21 at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.

This is the lone Heavyweight fight on the card and is an important fight for both men. This is a battle between two fighters who have the potential to make an impact in the UFC, but are now coming off of losses. Back to back losses would be bad for either man, and for Rothwell in particular, dropping to 1-3 in the UFC would be a disaster. It will be interesting to see if both bring a greater degree of urgency into Saturday's fight.

How do these two stack up?

Schaub: 29 years old | 6'4" | 79.5" reach
Rothwell: 30 years old | 6'5" | 80" reach

What have these two done recently?

Schaub: L - Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (KO) | W - Mirko Filipovic (KO) | W - Gabriel Gonzaga (UD)
Rothwell: L - Mark Hunt (UD) | W - Gilbert Yvel (UD) | L - Cain Velasquez (TKO)

How did these two get here?

Brendan "The Hybrd" Schaub comes to the UFC through The Ultimate Fighter, where he was on season 10. There, he made the finals before being knocked out by Roy Nelson. Coming into the UFC with a small 4-0 record, Schaub quickly showed that he was a legit talent in the Heavyweight division with 4 straight wins after the Nelson loss. Last summer, he was defeated by Big Nog in a highly emotional fight for many fans. Now, he's in the same position Ryan Bader found himself in after the Tito Ortiz loss - trying to remind everyone that he is a contender and that this loss was just a fluke.

Big Ben Rothwell came into the UFC as a well traveled and decorated veteran. A former IFL champion and product of the Miletich Fighting System, Rothwell had nearly 40 fights to his credit before entering the UFC, including a win over Nelson. But he's struggled in the UFC, going 1-2 and looking pretty bad in his last fight against Mark Hunt. Rothwell was, for years, one of the better unsigned Heavyweights, but it seems like he may have come to the UFC too late in his career to make a real run. I imagine he is fighting for his job here.

Why should you care?

There's always some appeal to the Heavyweights, no matter what. And both of these guys are tough. But make no mistake, this could get ugly.

UFC 145: Jones Vs. Evans - Brendan Schaub Vs. Ben Rothwell Dissection

More UFC 145 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump.

SBN coverage of UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans

UFC 145: Jones Vs. Evans - Rory MacDonald Vs. Che Mills Dissection - Dallas Winston

UFC 145 Dana White Vlog Part 1 - Kid Nate

Video: Complete UFC 145 Weigh Ins And Jon Jones Vs Rashad Evans Stare-Down Pic - Kid Nate

UFC 145 Judo Chop: Just How Good Is The Striking Of Jon Jones? - Fraser Coffeen

UFC 145 Weigh-In Results: Jones 205, Evans 204 - Tim Burke

UFC 145: Jones Vs. Evans Staff Picks And Predictions - Tim Burke

UFC 145: Chris Clements Talks Debut Against Wisniewski - Steph Daniels