Heavyweight Shane Carwin steps into main event with 12-1 record
The Vancouver Sun – June 3, 2011
Shane Carwin might be a stand-in, but with a 12-1 career record and 6-foot-2, 265pound frame, he’s certainly no pushover.
The 36-year-old former interim heavyweight champion jumped at the chance to step into the main event of UFC 131 against Brazilian Junior dos Santos after fan favourite Brock Lesnar was forced to withdraw a month before fight night due to illness.
“This is a super exciting time for me and you get very few opportunities like this in life,” he said in a conference call with media on Tuesday morning. “When I got that call it was an absolute ‘yes.’ Not only do I get to fight one of the best guys in the world, but also with a title shot on the line.”
Both Carwin and dos Santos enter the main event with identical 12-1 records and reputations as entertaining, standup fighters.
Although he was the 1999 NCAA division II heavyweight wrestling champion, Carwin prefers to keep his MMA fights off the mat and rely on his size and striking power to win fights.
None of his 13 career bouts have reached a judges’ decision and only one of his fights has lasted beyond the opening round.
“Both dos Santos and I got to where we’re at by knocking guys out on our feet,” he said. “I think we’re both explosive fighters and I think the fans are going to have a real treat at UFC 131 when it gets to that main event knowing both guys have knockout power in their hands.”
Carwin was slated to fight on the undercard against Norwegian UFC rookie Jon Olav Einemo. Instead, he steps into a title elimination fight against a top contender in dos Santos.
Carwin’s last fight marked his only career loss, after he was defeated by second-round submission by Brock Lesnar at UFC 116 last July.
He said he is eager to get back in the cage and put the lessons from that loss to work.
“I learned a lot. I learned some things about picking my shots when you have somebody hurt. I learned that I had to do something with my nutrition and cardio. … Those are the kinds of things I worked on to try and improve myself for that fight.”
Like Lesnar, Carwin has struggled recently with medical issues.
He was slated to fight Roy Nelson at UFC 125 on New Year’s Day 2011, but he pulled out of the fight two months beforehand with severe back and neck pain.
He was diagnosed with foraminal stenosis, a condition where nerves in his neck and back became pinched and closed off. But, after 11 months of rest without a fight, he said he is fully recovered entering the event next week.
“It’s night and day. As soon as the surgery was over I felt complete relief. It’s a great feeling when you get the feeling back in your arms or legs right after surgery.”
As originally published in The Vancouver Sun