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We have a potential for fireworks in the sole heavyweight fight on the UFC 157 fight lineup, as Brendan Schaub (8-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) looks to snap a two-fight skid against Lavar Johnson (17-6 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
This fight was supposed to take place in Seattle last December, but a groin injury to Johnson forced him out of the fight and put Schaub off the card entirely. You can see this headlining preliminary fight live on FX along with the other three bouts at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT.
How do these two stack up?
Schaub: 29 years old | 6'4" | 78" reach
Johnson: 35 years old | 6'4" | 81" reach
What have these two done recently?
Schaub: L - Ben Rothwell (KO) | L - Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (KO) | W - Mirko Filipovic (KO)
Johnson: L - Stefan Struve (SUB) | W - Pat Barry (TKO) | W - Joey Beltran (KO)
How did these two get here?
Schaub was the TUF 10 runner-up to Roy Nelson, who knocked him out with a right hand in the finale. The former college football fullback was still considered a good heavyweight prospect, and a run of four straight wins post-TUF, including a KO win over Mirko Cro-Cop, seemed to justify that claim. Lately, things have taken a turn for the worse, as Minotauro Nogueira and Ben Rothwell both knocked him unconscious in the 1st round of their respective fights. His chin has been called into question, with this being his 3rd KO loss.
Johnson entered the UFC from Strikeforce on a two-fight losing skid, but showcased his huge punching power against Joey Beltran and Pat Barry, both KO/TKO wins. The Beltran win was especially surprising considering he'd never been KO'd before in his MMA career. Following the Barry victory, Johnson took a short-notice fight against Stefan Struve at UFC 146, but was instantly submitted via armbar.
Why should you care?
Do I even need to tell you? Schaub's shaky chin and Johnson's sub-par ground game are both exploitable weaknesses, and that means this fight almost certainly won't go the distance and will end with an emphatic stoppage win for one of these two.
SBN coverage of UFC 157: Rousey vs. Carmouche
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