Carwin made his UFC debut on the undercard of UFC 84 against Christian Wellisch. He won the match by KO via punch in 44 seconds in the first round, demonstrating his punching power by sending Wellisch’s mouthpiece flying across the octagon. Carwin followed up with an appearance in Birmingham, England at UFC 89 against Neil Wain, winning by TKO in 1:31 of the first round.
At UFC 96, Carwin took a major step up in competition when he faced former number one contender and renowned Brazilian Jiu Jitsuace Gabriel Gonzaga. Carwin scored a knockout via a straight right hand after 69 seconds of the first round.
Carwin was then set to face Cain Velasquez at UFC 104, with the winner getting a title shot against Brock Lesnar;[8] however, the UFC reconsidered the bout and Carwin was confirmed to fight for the title at UFC 106 on November 21, 2009.[9] The fight was later postponed after Lesnar pulled out due to illness, with UFC 108 a likely date. Lesnar then pulled out of that fight on October 26, and Dana White reported at the UFC 105 post-fight press conference that Lesnar was too ill to compete[10] and was expected to be out for the first half of 2010 while recovering from an intestinal disorder and subsequent surgery.[11][12]
Carwin fought Frank Mir for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship on March 27, 2010 at UFC 111.[13] Carwin stated on his website that, “Mir is a legend of the sport, and I would be honored to fight him.”[14] Carwin won the fight in the first round by knockout to become the Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. The bout also marked the longest fight of Carwin’s career at 3 minutes and 48 seconds; his previous mark was his MMA debut against Carlton Jones, with the time of 2 minutes and 11 seconds.[15] FollowingUFC 111, Beau Dure of USA Today compared Carwin to Mike Tyson,[16] echoing a similar comparison, made prior to the event, by Mark Wayne of Fightline.com.[17]
Carwin then went on to face Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 116. He was able to dominate the first round after knocking Lesnar down and unleashing a relentless ground and pound attack. However, in the second round, Lesnar was able to take Carwin down and apply an Arm Triangle Choke, forcing Carwin to submit.
Carwin was scheduled to face Roy Nelson on January 1, 2011 at UFC 125;[18][19] however, he later announced on his website that he would pull out of the fight due to back and neck pain, which required surgery that took place on November 2, 2010. Carwin later stated that the neck surgery was a success.[20]
On January 3, 2011, Carwin posted a blog on his website, stating that he had just begun his first day of training since his neck surgery, hoping to be back in the octagon by May or June 2011.[21]
Carwin was expected to face promotional newcomer Jon Olav Einemo on June 11, 2011 at UFC 131.[22] But another bout with diverticulitis sidelined Brock Lesnar, so Carwin agreed to step in to the main event to fight Junior dos Santos for a shot at the UFC heavyweight championship.[23]
It’s scary how similar these two guys’ experience levels are. Both of them have 13 fights. Both have only one loss. They both lost by submission. They have each fought three top level opponents.
Both guys are used to being in their with high level opponents and they are used to being in the UFC’s spotlight, Junior especially because of TUF 13. Based on that, I don’t think experience will play a huge role in this fight.
However, if I had to tilt it in someone’s favor, I would go with Carwin because he has fought for the belt before.
Carwin and his two brothers were raised by his mother, who had the goal of getting all her sons college educations.[6] He received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines as well as a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Technology from Western State College.[6]
Carwin wrestled in college, becoming a two-time NCAA Division II Wrestling National Runner-Up Heavyweight in 1996–97 and the NCAA II Wrestling Heavyweight National Champion in 1999. He was also a two-time All-American in football for Western State and was chosen to participate in the Senior Bowl.
Carwin became an engineer out of college and continues to work in that field while pursuing his MMA career.[7] Carwin is also a volunteer wrestling coach for the University of Northern Colorado.
Shane Bannister Carwin[4] (born January 4, 1975) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was previously the UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion. He won his first 12 MMA fights in the first round which led to his Heavyweight Championship shot at UFC 116 against then-champion Brock Lesnar, which became his first career loss. As of March 21, 2011, he is ranked as the #5 heavyweight fighter in the world by Sherdog.[5]
It’s been a tough week for the UFC. First, the main event for UFC 130, Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard III, was scrapped when both fighters sustained injuries. This left fight fans groaning as Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson vs Matt ‘The Hammer’ Hamill was promoted to the main event.
Then today it was revealed that Brock Lesnar will be unable to headlineUFC 131 because he has been stricken with diverticulitis. Luckily for MMA fans, UFC 131′s main event has not been completely ruined. some would even say that it’s better.
Top contender Shane Carwin has stepped in to fight Junior Dos Santos for the number one contender spot in the heavyweight division.
Carwin and his two brothers were raised by his mother, who had the goal of getting all her sons college educations.[6] He received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines as well as a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Technology from Western State College.[6] Carwin wrestled in college, becoming a two-time NCAA Division II Wrestling National Runner-Up Heavyweight in 1996–97 and the NCAA II Wrestling Heavyweight National Champion in 1999. He was also a two-time All-American in football for Western State and was chosen to participate in the Senior Bowl. Carwin became an engineer out of college and continues to work in that field while pursuing his MMA career.[7] Carwin is also a volunteer wrestling coach for the University of Northern Colorado.
Let’s take a look at how these two stack up.