UFC News 2016: Schaub Banned From Two UFC Shows; Veteran Barnett Shares Thoughts On Champ Werdum's Injury Excuse
Retired professional mixed martial arts fighter and former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub has purportedly been banned from two of the company's online shows, "UFC Now" and "UFC Tonight."
In a report by Stephie Haynes for Bloody Elbow, the 32-year-old Schaub spoke about the entire incident in detail in his podcast entitled "The Fighter and the Kid," a show he hosts alongside comedian and actor Bryan Callen.
Schaub believes the main reason for the said ban was his incessant opposition with the UFC's recurring deal with major apparel company Reebok.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The report adds that this is also Schaub's primary reason for having an early retirement from fighting. Despite the rift between him and the UFC, Schaub promised not to burn bridges with the company he used to be a part of.
He did admit that his feelings were hurt by what had happened, noting that he had been doing his fight analyses on UFC Now. But now that he is out of the said obligation, Schaub says he is happier to have the time to put his focus solely on his podcast with Callen.
"Thank God, 'cause I'm gonna be here, and don't get it twisted, there is no show on UFC Fight Pass, bigger than The Fighter and the Kid, so you can take your show, and kick rocks," he said.
Meanwhile, former UFC heavyweight champion and mixed martial arts veteran Josh Barnett gave his opinions on current champ Fabricio Werdum's decision to pull out of the UFC 196 main event card. Werdum opted to put himself on the sidelines after a recently revealed back and foot injury.
His decision came a day after heavyweight contender Stipe Miocic was put in as a replacement for Cain Velasquez, who was originally intended to face Werdum but also pulled out due to an injury.
In a report by MMA Fighting, "The Warmaster" says he understands Werdum's reason for pulling out, given that a fight with Miocic would not do as well financially, compared to a fight with Velasquez. Barnett, however, says that the Brazilian champion should have just worded his statement a little better, for the public to have a good understanding of the situation.
"I understand his reasoning, but when you say that in the public when we're supposed to be swimming in a sea of tough guys, sometimes there's aspects of the business side that you're not gonna get everybody to understand," Barnett said.
