Nicknames and monikers, synonymous with many combat sports athletes including in the UFC, carry some meaning for these fighters. It could be personal, but some monikers take shape just for fun, and that’s exactly what the situation is for Brendan Schaub. The former UFC heavyweight appears to have not one but multiple nicknames as well.

One of Joe Rogan‘s many friends, Brendan Schaub, may have had a short career, but he does have a respectable 10-5 record. And his career highlight? A stunning knockout of the legendary Mirko Cro Cop. While he does have his fight moniker, there’s another moniker that’s been bestowed to him by his fans, but it was just to take a jibe at him. The moniker is called ‘Bapa’, and here’s the story behind it.

The meaning behind Brendan Schaub’s nickname ‘Bapa’

Brendan Schaub claims that his ‘Bapa’ nickname might be his favorite. Why? Well, he believes that it was just a name for trolling, which became popular among the fandom. “Bapa is probably my favorite. That one’s just, you know, trolls, fans and eventually just took a life of its own,” Schaub stated during an old interview. The former heavyweight fighter even uses that moniker to address people around him, and that’s evident during his YouTube show, The Fighter and the Kid, as Schaub’s been seen calling co-host Bryan Callen by that name.

However, fans on a Reddit post would claim that they gave the ‘Bapa’ nickname to Brendan Schaub to somewhat ridicule him. According to one fan, they call the former UFC fighter by that name because he sometimes makes certain statements that may not be correct, but he appears confident while making those statements. Regardless, that’s a nickname that has stuck for many fans of his post-fighting career. But hold on, because there are some other names Brendan Schaub used when he was actively competing in MMA. Let’s take a look at that front.

Schaub talks about his other nicknames – ‘Big Brown’ and ‘The Hybrid’

While fighting in the UFC, Brendan Schaub was always addressed by veteran ring announcer Bruce Buffer as ‘Big Brown’. Well, there’s no proper explanation behind this name, but the former UFC fighter claimed to have used that name because of his podcast co-host, Bryan Callen. Meanwhile, the 41-year-old used another moniker before that one, ‘The Hybrid’, and guess what? According to Callen, when Schaub adopted that nickname, people assumed that he might be a mixed-race individual.

But the former UFC fighter claimed that the real meaning of ‘The Hybrid’ was actually his athletic capabilities. “Hybrid, because I was a big bug that moved like a little guy,” Brendan Schaub stated on his podcast. Moreover, when car manufacturing giant Toyota released the hybrid version of their Prius car, it ruined his moniker. “That lame Toyota hybrid Prius… Kind of ruined that name, you know… The name kind of got sh*t on after that.”

Seeing how many nicknames Brendan Schaub’s got over the years, it won’t come as a surprise if he has some more of those that haven’t been acknowledged publicly. Nevertheless, let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.