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Check out what he has to say...

Brendan Schaub MMAjunkie about his upcoming match with Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic at UFC 128. Check out the highlights:

On how he plans to use his respect for Cro Cop: "There's a difference between me and, I think, the last number of opponents 'Cro Cop' has had in that I respect the guy so much I'm going to go in there and give him the best that I've got. My respect is by throwing a right hand in his face. These other guys, they're clapping and hugging and high-fiving. There's a reason I got that fight. (UFC president) Dana White knows I'm a pretty intense guy in the octagon."

On being a huge fan of Cro Cop: "In college, I was a big fan of Mirko 'Cro Cop. I even wore his shirt to workouts all the time. When he fought Fedor (Emelianenko), I talked all of my buddies – who weren't that into mixed martial arts – into ordering the pay-per-view. I was a broke college student, so I talked six or seven of my buddies into watching the fights. It's just crazy. I got calls and texts from those guys when they found out about the fight, remembering that night when we all watched him fight Fedor. I was definitely a fan of him, and I'm looking forward to the challenge."

On being all business with him in the octagon: "After (the fight), hopefully me and 'Cro Cop' are buddies. But I couldn't care less about that. I'm just trying to get the win and get a convincing knockout."

On caring more about his ranking than any friendship: "That's the whole goal, and that's the objective here. Wins over guys like Gabriel Gonzaga and Mirko 'Cro Cop' put you in that title contention. For me, I just put my head down, and I don't worry about the matchups or anything. I'll get there through hard work. I just have to do my job and win."

On wanting to move to the next level in his division: "I think the only knock on me would be experience. That being said, I feel like, and I think my coaches and my camp would agree, that I can compete with any heavyweight in the UFC."