UFC veteran Brendan Schaub is facing backlash after fans caught him contradicting his own story about how he obtained a limited edition UFC Freedom 250 belt, with a clip circulating that appears to show him admitting the truth on his own show.
On a recent episode of his podcast, Schaub proudly unveiled the belt to his audience, initially holding it upside down before someone off camera corrected him.
“The UFC Freedom belt is here. One of 250. Shout out to the UFC. This thing is bada*s,” he said.
When a co-host asked how he got it, Schaub answered plainly, “UFC sent it.”
Schaub went on to explain that he had not attended the UFC event at the White House, saying, “I did not get the invite,” before adding that the promotion had made it up to him. “They sent me a UFC 250 White House belt that I bought in my studio,” he said, framing the belt as something the UFC had personally sent him.
But later in the same episode, while browsing the UFC store for a pair of Sean Strickland shorts, Schaub seemingly undercut his own account. Complaining about shipping times, he said, “I’ll tell you what though, UFC shop is not fast. I mean, that belt took a hot second to come in.”
When a co-host questioned his purchase timing, Schaub replied, “Yeah, the belt took forever. All right, those are ordered. Your boy got them,” appearing to reference his own belt order in the same breath as his shorts purchase.
Schaub had previously suggested on a hot mic and on another podcast that the UFC had sent him the belt as a personal gesture, part of a broader narrative that he claimed included UFC “higher-ups” calling him regularly to agree with his takes.
So Schaub’s earlier claim that the UFC had personally sent him the limited-edition belt is untrue. His comments suggested that he had actually purchased the belt himself through the UFC Store.
Additionally, Schaub has been banned from attending UFC events. The inability to attend UFC events reportedly goes back much further than the antitrust lawsuit. In 2016, he revealed that the promotion had effectively cut ties with him after deciding that he was “too controversial” and did not “fall in line like the rest.” At the time, Schaub said the decision meant fans would no longer see him on UFC Now, adding bluntly, “I have been banned.”
That ban has seemingly remained an issue years later. In 2024, Schaub again acknowledged that he could not attend UFC events despite still being a longtime fan of the promotion. “I can’t attend UFC events and I love the UFC,” he said. “I would go. It hurts my feelings.”
The moment quickly became fodder for fans online, who pointed to the clip as evidence that Schaub had embellished his relationship with the UFC. Schaub has not addressed the clip or the criticism since the podcast aired.
Despite the mix-up, Schaub used the same episode to praise the UFC’s White House event, calling it “the greatest sporting event I’ve ever witnessed” and giving credit to Dana White and Donald Trump for pulling it off, even as he acknowledged he was not among the limited number of attendees invited to the show.
