UFC 181 Date: December 6, 2014 Arena: Mandalay Bay Events Center City: Las Vegas, NV Heavyweight bout: Big Brown (+270) vs Hapa Browne (-330) Fight Breakdown: It’s Browne vs “Big Browne” on Saturday night on the main card of UFC 181, as Brendan “Big Brown” Schaub takes on Travis “Hapa” Browne in a three round heavyweight tilt. The Hawaiian “Hapa’ is the betting favorite heading into this contest at -330 ($330 to win $100), with the return on the underdog “Big Brown” being +270 ($100 to win $270) at Several Bookmakerss. Brendan “Big Brown” Schaub (10-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) had a two fight winning streak snapped five months ago at UFC 174, where he lost a very controversial split decision to returning veteran heavyweight Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski. In fact, 13 of 15 MMA websites scoring the fights gave it to Schaub, while one scored it for Arlovkski and the other a Draw. Five of the 13 had scored all three rounds for Schaub. Despite the fact, the first couple of rounds were very uneventful and close, so I think two of three judges considered it a coin-flip and went with the veteran. Now back at the drawing board, The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 finalist will be looking to bounce back into the win column when he takes on “Hapa” in Las Vegas. “Big Brown” has great boxing skills and packs a lot of power in his punches. He is very quick on the feet and has good footwork, not to mention tremendous cardio. He has fast hands and uses them to put together some excellent combinations. The 31 year old works a solid jab, has a great uppercut and a heavy overhand right, which he often likes to throw after first faking with a left. He is a fighter who has a ton of heart and great fight IQ, and while his chin is not the greatest, he does have noteworthy striking defense, not to mention very good takedown defense and top-notch submission defense. The Colorado native is solid on the mat, possessing an excellent Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu game and owning the only d’arce choke submission finish in UFC history. He works great takedowns, including a nice body-lock and a powerful double-leg, and when he gets on top of his opponents on the mat, he is near impossible to get off, as he has very heavy top control. Schaub is certainly very good in top position, as he not only has great control, but is a serious threat with his submissions and looks for the T/KO with his powerful ground and pound. Travis “Hapa” Browne (16-2-1 MMA, 7-2-1 UFC) is coming off a unanimous decision loss against veteran Fabricio Werdum in what was the first five round main event fight of Browne’s career. He was favored to win the bout and ended up losing every single round on all three judges’ scorecards. It was a disappointing outing for Browne, who blamed the loss on his team and moved his training camp to Glendale, CA for his next bout, where he is focusing on his striking at the Glendale Fight Club under the tutelage of head-striking coach Edmond Tarverdyan. The Hawaiian is a striker who packs knockout power in every limb, and likes to implement them all in his fights. He is undoubtedly a knockout artist, as 12 of his 16 professional mixed martial arts career victories have come by way of T/KO; nine of them in the first round of action, with seven of them in under two minutes. Browne is a very fast athlete who possesses excellent footwork and moves well around the cage. His Muay Thai is solid and improving, and he is effective with his counter striking. Recently promoted to a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, “Hapa” is talented on the mat, as well. His submission game and grappling are improving. His defensive grappling is very good, too, as does a phenomenal job of defending takedowns, now having defeated two opponents via knockout using his elbows during takedown attempts. Browne is a durable fighter with a good chin and above average conditioning. He enters this bout with a slight disadvantage in cardio, but makes up for it with a three inch advantage in height and two inches in reach. Gabe’s Thoughts: Simply put, as long as he avoids the knockout blow, I think Schaub will win this fight. If it goes all three rounds, I favor him to pick up the decision, though it will most likely be a close call. As for a finish, I think they both have a good chance of scoring one. They can both knock each other out, but I think Schaub is the only one who can get a submission. Browne has solid Jiu-Jitsu, but “Big Brown” is on another level. I think if Schaub uses his fight IQ and fights smart, he will avoid Browne’s heavy blows and the fight will ultimately favor him when It hits the judges’ scorecards for a decision. Gabe’s Call: “Big Brown” by Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Brendan Schaub (+270) 3.5u to win 9.45u
