Of the four ex-NFL players on the upcoming season of "The Ultimate Fighter," Brendan Schaub‘s football stats are the least impressive.  He never played in a game, and never did much more than practice with the Buffalo Bills before being cut.  But the former University of Colorado fullback is probably the most legit fighter of all the ex-ballers.  At 6’4" and 240 pounds, the guy is a former Golden Gloves champion boxer who trains with Shane Carwin and Nate Marquardt in Colorado.  He’s only been a pro fighter for a little over a year, so he’s still pretty green and his 4-0 record includes wins against people you’ve never heard of, like 38-year-old Johnny Curtis in the above video who says, "I’m in good shape," as if someone has just accused him of something. 

Nevertheless, when I talked to him Schaub made a point of distinguishing himself from the other former football players by pointing out that, unlike others, he isn’t in this just because he needs something to do during his retirement:

"The UFC pushes this whole ‘four ex-NFL players’ story. I didn’t play a down in the NFL," Schaub said. "The difference between me and these other football guys is I’m a born fighter. A lot of these guys sound like their NFL career just didn’t work out so now they’re trying MMA. That’s not me. I really am a fighter."

Is that a shot at Marcus Jones?  Sure sounds like it.  We’re not saying Schaub deserves to be a favorite to win the show, especially with guys like Roy Nelson in the way, but at the very least he’s got serious future potential.  Check out more video evidence after the jump.