R.I.P. Chris “Big Poppa” Schnake: 1974 – 2011

It’s been a tough time of late for the mixed martial arts community, which has seen several of its family members pass away. Esteemed trainer Shawn Tompkins, and the manager of Jake Shields, his father Jack, just recently passed away.

Unfortunately, we here at MMAWeekly.com have to count another of our former colleagues among those we’ve lost. We learned on Tuesday that former MMAWeekly.com interviewer and part-time radio co-host Chris “Big Poppa” Schnake died at the age of 37.

If you didn’t know Schnake, you missed out.

To say he was one of a kind would be a massive understatement… but in a good way.

They say that Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant had a voice that could carry an arena without a microphone. Schnake certainly couldn’t sing like Plant, but in his true calling as a fight announcer, his gruff pipes not only filled every crack and crevice of a venue, when he boomed a fighter’s name, you instantly knew who was on the mic.

Honestly, there are just too many stories (especially of nakedness and kilts), too many moments, too much life that emanated from Schnake to do him justice in a few short words. He probably captured his essence best in his own description of himself on Facebook.

“I am the luckiest man alive. I am a former Marine and a single father of 2 KICKASS sons, Xander and Louden. I am also a world-class announcer and commentator for the greatest sport in the world, the God given sport of MIXED MARTIAL ARTS.”

Details are scarce at the moment, but early reports are that he likely passed in his sleep, possibly due to a diabetes-induced coma.

Not matter how, we lost a good friend in Big Poppa Schnake, who joins another of our former colleagues, Ivan Canello, who also passed away earlier this year.

With Schnake, the best way we could think of to eulogize him was to let him do it himself. The following video captures several classic “Big Poppa Schnake” moments from his time working with us at MMAWeekly.com.

Bless you Schnake; you’ll never leave the MMAWeekly family.

Big Poppa Schnake
February 1974 – August 2011