Brendan Schaub on Final Strike Landed on Mirko CroCop: “I Wish It Never Happened”

Brendan Schaub and Mirko CroCop exchange at UFC 128

When Brendan Schaub cracked Mirko CroCop with a huge right hand at UFC 128, it not only brought an end to the Croatian’s time in the UFC, it also earned Schaub a “Knockout of the Night” bonus.

Just a split second after the right hand landed with CroCop crashing to the mat, Schaub followed up with one more big bomb to put an exclamation point on the evening, finishing the fight in emphatic fashion.

Unfortunately, replays showed CroCop knocked out from the first shot and the second seemed somewhat unnecessary, and Schaub came under fire for the late blow.

Now that the fight is over and he’s had a moment to go back and watch the outcome, Schaub didn’t think he did anything wrong in the heat of the action, especially considering how fast it happened, but it is something he regrets.

“When people are first telling me I’m like what are they talking about? I didn’t have any clue, and I asked my coaches and they’re like no I don’t get it. I re-watched it and I get what people are saying,” Schaub told MMAWeekly Radio about the final strike in the fight.

“In the heat of the moment, and you’re fighting a guy like Mirko CroCop, when I hit him I saw him go limp and he started to get back up. Now that’s not a guy you want to get back up, that guy’s a monster. So, I better get another one in. The other thing too, I don’t stop until the ref pulls me off. It’s one of those things you don’t stop until Herb (Dean) gets in.”

The split second is all it took for Schaub to land the final blow as referee Herb Dean rushed in for the stoppage. On replay and in slow motion, the last punch looked unnecessary, but much like many fights before that, hindsight is always 20/20.

“I wish it never happened, I wish Herb had got there faster so it didn’t happen. I’m not the guy who looks to hurt a guy when he’s down and out like that at all. That is something I wish had never happened,” Schaub admitted.

The fight which will likely go down as CroCop’s last in the UFC, was a huge win for Schaub.

The former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor has now picked up four wins in a row, with three of them coming by way of TKO. Schaub is proud that he was able to beat a legend in Mirko CroCop, but still understands why fans were giving him a hard time after the finish last Saturday night.

“When I saw it in slow motion, I was like ‘aww man’ cause literally CroCop’s my favorite,” Schaub said.

For his part, Schaub is feeling pretty good after the fight despite a busted up nose courtesy of a short elbow from CroCop early in the fight. The Colorado fighter will now heal up and wait for a call from the UFC about his next bout in the Octagon.

Damon Martin is the lead staff writer and radio host for MMAWeekly.com.
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