Born on a US Military base in Germany, Darrill Schoonover is a heavyweight prospect and former contestant on "The Ultimate Fighter 10". Raised in El Paso, Texas, Schoonover is a US Army vet who wrestled in high school at Coronado High. He began training in judo, submission grappling and jiu jitsu at the age of seventeen, before turning his attention to fighting and pursuing a career as a mixed martial artist. Although Schoonover does compete at heavyweight, he carries a lot of "extra" weight and has had difficulty dealing with the strength and size of the larger fighters he's faced (see his bout with Marcus Jones for a perfect example). Schoonover has fought at light heavyweight in the past, and the additional weight he carries has robbed him of much of the quickness and agility he showed fighting at the lower weight class. Going forward Schoonover would be much better served by either bulking up and focusing on his strength, or by dropping mass and cutting to a lower weight division.

Schoonover has a reputation of being a tough fighter who fights with a lot of heart. He's always prepared to throw down and exchange in the pocket, and has shown he won't get discouraged if he's getting hit or things aren't going completely his way. Schoonover's armed with a big right hand, a good cross and throws respectable power behind his strikes. He'll work his kicks to the body, has a good chin, and has shown the willingness to stand and "bang". Schoonover does tend to get loopy with punching, and does show a propensity to brawl on his feet. He tires quickly, and will need to focus on his technical skills, cardio and conditioning. Schoonover isn't known for the speed or quickness in his striking repertoire and doesn't control distance very well on his feet. In the past he's let opponents get in and out against him as they please, and will need to work on improving his footwork, movement, and clinch skills, as well as shoring up his defensive game.

Schoonover did start his grappling training at an early age, and is well versed and comfortable fighting on the mat. He's shows deceptive quickness on the ground, and does possess good skills from top position. Schoonover will work nice passes from inside his opponents guard as well as showing steady (but not wild) ground and pound abilities. Schoonover is equipped with competent submission skills but has work to do on his guard game. Positionally, Schoonover is a little too complacent and can be controlled and have his guard passed with ease. He will actively look for submissions, but his technique isn't quite in line with the awareness he's shown. Schoonover will need to continue working on his ground and pound defense, guard play and overall technical skills on the mat.