Author: Ben Fowlkes

Kenny Florian ‘More Than Likely’ Earned a Title Shot With Win at UFC 131

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – With a unanimous decision win over Diego Nunes at UFC 131 on Saturday night, Kenny Florian not only successfully competed in the fourth weight class of his UFC career, he also “more than likely” earned himself a shot at UF…

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – With a unanimous decision win over Diego Nunes at UFC 131 on Saturday night, Kenny Florian not only successfully competed in the fourth weight class of his UFC career, he also “more than likely” earned himself a shot at UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, according to Dana White.

“I thought it was a great fight,” said the UFC president. “There’s no doubt Diego is a tough guy, and [Florian] looked great tonight. I was curious. You never know until you see a guy fight after doing that kind of a cut.”

Florian, who made his 145-pound debut after failed bids to win a title at 155 pounds, said the drop in weight was “the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” but insisted that he didn’t feel too affected by it during the fight itself.

“Actually, I felt great out there,” Florian said in the post-fight press conference. “During the fight I felt real good. I actually felt I got stronger as the fight went on. It’s tough. That little guy is fast, and I think my timing was a little off in the first round. But once I was able to adjust, I felt great, and felt I was actually able to outlast him.”

Using takedowns and brutal elbows on the ground in the final round, Florian opened up a cut in Nunes scalp that bleed profusely in the final minutes. He also handed Nunes his second defeat in eighteen fights, and impressed White as much with his performance as with his willingness to rile up the Vancouver crowd by sporting his Boston Bruins jersey on the same day as the Stanley Cup finals game between the Canucks and the Bruins.

“I got to respect him,” White said. “They better give him a ticker-tape [parade] when he gets back to Boston. …People ask me, ‘Aren’t you from Boston too?’ I say, ‘I’ve never even been to Boston, man.'”

Florian joked that he “saw a lot of middle fingers” in the crowd before and after his fight, and added that might need to have metal detectors installed outside his after-party in Vancouver just to ensure his safety.

But while he had “several points” during his weight cut where he was wondering if a move to featherweight was such a good idea, Florian said, in the end it’s all part of an effort to become a UFC champion.

“I’m staying at featherweight. I want a shot at the belt. I think Jose Aldo’s one of the best fighters in the game. Lot of respect for him, big fan, but I think every UFC fighter’s dream is and should be to be a champion and to test yourself against the best. He’s one of the best, and that’s what I want. We’ll see after that.”

White stopped just short of officially declaring Florian the next challenger for Aldo’s title, but did say it was probable that he’d get the shot after his victorious debut in the new weight class.

“He deserves a shot at the title,” said White. “No doubt about it.”

 

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With Dominant Win, Junior Dos Santos Cements Himself as Worthy Challenger

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia – From the opening moments of Saturday night’s heavyweight main event, it seemed almost as if Junior dos Santos‘ left hand was magnetically attracted to Shane Carwin‘s face.

By the time it was all over and dos Santos had won the unanimous decision victory in dominant fashion, UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez had plenty of footage on the dangerous jab that will likely be coming his way some time in the fall.

“Much respect for Cain Velasquez,” dos Santos said after winning the No. 1 contender bout at UFC 131. “But Cain, I’m coming for you.”

With the win, dos Santos essentially earned the title shot he’d already been promised last summer after beating Roy Nelson, only this time he also proved that he has the chops in the wrestling department as well as the striking.

Carwin wasted little time trying to get him to the mat in the first round, but throughout the bout dos Santos either shrugged off the takedown attempts or popped right back up after being put down. Perhaps most surprisingly, he even managed two takedowns of his own in the final frame.

His most dominant moments came in the final minutes of the first round, however. After battering Carwin with jabs and left hooks, dos Santos dropped the former interim heavyweight champ and then hammered him with a barrage of left hands that had referee Herb Dean very close to stopping the fight. Dos Santos even looked up at Dean at one point during the assault, as if wondering what was taking him so long to jump in and wave it off.

“Yeah, because I was getting tired,” dos Santos said in the post-fight press conference. “And he didn’t stop the fight, so I asked him, ‘Hey, stop it, man.’ And he said, ‘Keep going, keep going, keep going.’ And then Shane made a good defense, but I think it was the right decision by the referee, because you saw Shane Carwin go back [to] standing and fighting with me. It was a good decision.”

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UFC 131 Fight Night Photos
Yves Edwards is knocked out at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos trade shots at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin attempts to take down Junior dos Santos at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos tries to finish Shane Carwin late in the first at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos (right) rocks Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos kicks Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin is bloodied up at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos punches Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos lands a left hand against Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Blood drips down the face of Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin makes a last ditch effort late in the third round at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos


Carwin barely managed to survive the first round, and when he came out for the second the effects of that barrage were etched into his face. At one point Dean paused the bout to let the doctor look at his swollen, bloodied face and the cuts around his eyes. But Carwin gamely soldiered on and finished the fight, perhaps earning a moral victory by proving that he has not only the cardio, but also the fortitude to go the distance.

“It was a nasty first round and Shane Carwin’s a very tough guy,” said UFC president Dana White. “When you get big guys in there that are hitting as hard as they both are, it’s impressive to see it go three rounds.”

By the time the final horn sounded, though, we hardly needed to look at the judges’ scorecards to know who the winner was. While dos Santos looked like he’d barely been touched, Carwin had the face of a man who’d gotten the worst of a high-speed car wreck.

The victory marked dos Santos’ biggest win to date in his MMA career, but the Brazilian acknowledged that his toughest test will likely come in the form of Velasquez, who’s widely considered the world’s best heavyweight.

“I think my biggest challenge is coming, because Cain Velasquez is the champion and he deserves that. He proved he is very good, so I will be ready for him.”

And while White said he was impressed by dos Santos’ win over Carwin, he also added that he thinks the challenger will be in for a different type of fight when he finally gets his chance to vie for the heavyweight title, which White estimated would happen approximately five months from now, if all goes according to plan.

“Let me tell you, I got to say he’s going to have his hands full. He’s not going to be able to…all these guys he’s been fighting he’s been beating up early, and then he gets to lay back a little a bit. He’s not going to be able to lay back [against Velasquez]. It’s going to be five rounds against Velasquez, and Velasquez will be in his face every minute of it, throwing punches, slamming him on the ground. That fight’s going to be a war.”

 

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Filed under:

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – From the opening moments of Saturday night’s heavyweight main event, it seemed almost as if Junior dos Santos‘ left hand was magnetically attracted to Shane Carwin‘s face.

By the time it was all over and dos Santos had won the unanimous decision victory in dominant fashion, UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez had plenty of footage on the dangerous jab that will likely be coming his way some time in the fall.

“Much respect for Cain Velasquez,” dos Santos said after winning the No. 1 contender bout at UFC 131. “But Cain, I’m coming for you.”

With the win, dos Santos essentially earned the title shot he’d already been promised last summer after beating Roy Nelson, only this time he also proved that he has the chops in the wrestling department as well as the striking.

Carwin wasted little time trying to get him to the mat in the first round, but throughout the bout dos Santos either shrugged off the takedown attempts or popped right back up after being put down. Perhaps most surprisingly, he even managed two takedowns of his own in the final frame.

His most dominant moments came in the final minutes of the first round, however. After battering Carwin with jabs and left hooks, dos Santos dropped the former interim heavyweight champ and then hammered him with a barrage of left hands that had referee Herb Dean very close to stopping the fight. Dos Santos even looked up at Dean at one point during the assault, as if wondering what was taking him so long to jump in and wave it off.

“Yeah, because I was getting tired,” dos Santos said in the post-fight press conference. “And he didn’t stop the fight, so I asked him, ‘Hey, stop it, man.’ And he said, ‘Keep going, keep going, keep going.’ And then Shane made a good defense, but I think it was the right decision by the referee, because you saw Shane Carwin go back [to] standing and fighting with me. It was a good decision.”


Carwin barely managed to survive the first round, and when he came out for the second the effects of that barrage were etched into his face. At one point Dean paused the bout to let the doctor look at his swollen, bloodied face and the cuts around his eyes. But Carwin gamely soldiered on and finished the fight, perhaps earning a moral victory by proving that he has not only the cardio, but also the fortitude to go the distance.

“It was a nasty first round and Shane Carwin’s a very tough guy,” said UFC president Dana White. “When you get big guys in there that are hitting as hard as they both are, it’s impressive to see it go three rounds.”

By the time the final horn sounded, though, we hardly needed to look at the judges’ scorecards to know who the winner was. While dos Santos looked like he’d barely been touched, Carwin had the face of a man who’d gotten the worst of a high-speed car wreck.

The victory marked dos Santos’ biggest win to date in his MMA career, but the Brazilian acknowledged that his toughest test will likely come in the form of Velasquez, who’s widely considered the world’s best heavyweight.

“I think my biggest challenge is coming, because Cain Velasquez is the champion and he deserves that. He proved he is very good, so I will be ready for him.”

And while White said he was impressed by dos Santos’ win over Carwin, he also added that he thinks the challenger will be in for a different type of fight when he finally gets his chance to vie for the heavyweight title, which White estimated would happen approximately five months from now, if all goes according to plan.

“Let me tell you, I got to say he’s going to have his hands full. He’s not going to be able to…all these guys he’s been fighting he’s been beating up early, and then he gets to lay back a little a bit. He’s not going to be able to lay back [against Velasquez]. It’s going to be five rounds against Velasquez, and Velasquez will be in his face every minute of it, throwing punches, slamming him on the ground. That fight’s going to be a war.”

 

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UFC 131 Undercard Live Blog: Soszynksi vs. Massenzio, Ring vs. Head, More

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia – This is the UFC 131 live blog for all five preliminary bouts in support of tonight’s UFC pay-per-view at the Rogers Arena.

The undercard bouts are Michihiro Omigawa vs. Darren Elkins, Joey Beltran vs. Aaron Rosa, Dustin Poirier vs. Jason Young, Nick Ring vs. James Head and Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Mike Massenzio.

The live blog is below.


Michihiro Omigawa vs. Darren Elkins

Round 1: A very calm Omigawa walks to the center of the cage with his hands down low. They feel each other out with punches from far out. Omigawa has the better head movement early, but Elkins is outworking him with punch combos. Good lead left hook from Omigawa jacks Elkins’ jaw. Elkins comes back moments later with a hard right hand that backs Omigawa up. Elkins clips Omigawa behind the ear and makes his legs go shaky for a second. Omigawa leaps in and Elkins takes him down, but is forced to relinquish top position when Omigawa looks for a heel hook. Very active first round by both men. Omigawa looks to be loading up for one big punch, and Elkins corner implores him to get off before the Japanese fighter can throw. Elkins is landing more punches, but a lot of them look like arm punches. He gets after Omigawa in the final twenty seconds and has him reeling a bit before the horn. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Elkins.

Round 2: Omigawa starts the second much more aggressively, chasing Elkins across the cage with punches. Elkins corner assures him that Omigawa can’t keep it up the whole round. Almost on cue, Omigawa’s pace slows. Elkins tags Omigawa, but it’s Elkins who seems to be cut around his right eye. Elkins backs Omigawa against the fence and throws a combo, but Omigawa slips most of the punches and fires back one of his own that connects. Omigawa throws a left hook and Elkins beats him with a right hand counter. Good right hand by Omigawa. Elkins unloads a flurry in response, with Omigawa avoiding most of the blows. Omigawa ducks under a punch and lands a nice right. Elkins dives for an awkward takedown, but it’s not even close. Omigawa is the fresher, less damaged fighter at the end of two. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Omigawa.

Round 3: They touch it up to start the final frame and the crowd cheers their efforts so far. Omigawa wastes little time getting a takedown. Elkins thinks about a guillotine, but it isn’t there. Omigawa goes to work with some nice elbows in Elkins’ guard. Elkins thinks about a triangle/armbar combo, but Omigawa escapes and looks to pass. In the process, Elkins scrambles and tries to take top position before they eventually work back to their feet. Elkins’ face is a bloody mess now. Omigawa is still bobbing and weaving well, while Elkins might have tired a bit. Neither man is terribly active in the final thirty seconds, but the crowd cheers them anyway. Good first fight. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Omigawa.

Darren Elkins def. Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

The crowd is…not pleased.

Joey Beltran vs. Aaron Rosa

Round 1:

Dustin Poirier vs. Jason Young

Round 1:

Nick Ring vs. James Head

Round 1:

Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Mike Massenzio

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

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Filed under:

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – This is the UFC 131 live blog for all five preliminary bouts in support of tonight’s UFC pay-per-view at the Rogers Arena.

The undercard bouts are Michihiro Omigawa vs. Darren Elkins, Joey Beltran vs. Aaron Rosa, Dustin Poirier vs. Jason Young, Nick Ring vs. James Head and Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Mike Massenzio.

The live blog is below.


Michihiro Omigawa vs. Darren Elkins

Round 1: A very calm Omigawa walks to the center of the cage with his hands down low. They feel each other out with punches from far out. Omigawa has the better head movement early, but Elkins is outworking him with punch combos. Good lead left hook from Omigawa jacks Elkins’ jaw. Elkins comes back moments later with a hard right hand that backs Omigawa up. Elkins clips Omigawa behind the ear and makes his legs go shaky for a second. Omigawa leaps in and Elkins takes him down, but is forced to relinquish top position when Omigawa looks for a heel hook. Very active first round by both men. Omigawa looks to be loading up for one big punch, and Elkins corner implores him to get off before the Japanese fighter can throw. Elkins is landing more punches, but a lot of them look like arm punches. He gets after Omigawa in the final twenty seconds and has him reeling a bit before the horn. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Elkins.

Round 2: Omigawa starts the second much more aggressively, chasing Elkins across the cage with punches. Elkins corner assures him that Omigawa can’t keep it up the whole round. Almost on cue, Omigawa’s pace slows. Elkins tags Omigawa, but it’s Elkins who seems to be cut around his right eye. Elkins backs Omigawa against the fence and throws a combo, but Omigawa slips most of the punches and fires back one of his own that connects. Omigawa throws a left hook and Elkins beats him with a right hand counter. Good right hand by Omigawa. Elkins unloads a flurry in response, with Omigawa avoiding most of the blows. Omigawa ducks under a punch and lands a nice right. Elkins dives for an awkward takedown, but it’s not even close. Omigawa is the fresher, less damaged fighter at the end of two. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Omigawa.

Round 3: They touch it up to start the final frame and the crowd cheers their efforts so far. Omigawa wastes little time getting a takedown. Elkins thinks about a guillotine, but it isn’t there. Omigawa goes to work with some nice elbows in Elkins’ guard. Elkins thinks about a triangle/armbar combo, but Omigawa escapes and looks to pass. In the process, Elkins scrambles and tries to take top position before they eventually work back to their feet. Elkins’ face is a bloody mess now. Omigawa is still bobbing and weaving well, while Elkins might have tired a bit. Neither man is terribly active in the final thirty seconds, but the crowd cheers them anyway. Good first fight. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Omigawa.

Darren Elkins def. Michihiro Omigawa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).

The crowd is…not pleased.

Joey Beltran vs. Aaron Rosa

Round 1:

Dustin Poirier vs. Jason Young

Round 1:

Nick Ring vs. James Head

Round 1:

Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Mike Massenzio

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

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UFC 131 Prepares to Contend with Vancouver’s Hockey Hangover

Filed under: UFCVANCOUVER, British Columbia – Late Friday night a taxi crammed full of men in Canucks jerseys rounded a downtown street corner just as the man in the front passenger seat stuck his head out the window and asked a passing stranger, ‘Hey,…

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Late Friday night a taxi crammed full of men in Canucks jerseys rounded a downtown street corner just as the man in the front passenger seat stuck his head out the window and asked a passing stranger, ‘Hey, who won the game?’

This got laughs all down the block. Canadian hockey humor.

As if the massive victory celebration wasn’t obvious even to passing aircraft. As if you could be anywhere in Vancouver and not get swept up in the throng after the Canucks beat the Boston Bruins on Friday night to go up 3-2 in the Stanley Cup finals.

Even for the world’s biggest MMA organization, that’s tough to compete with. That’s why it’s smart for UFC president Dana White to try and swim with the tide on this one rather than against it.

“The thing about coming up to Canada, people love the hockey up here,” White told reporters following the UFC 131 pre-fight press conference on Thursday. “It’s the only thing anybody cares about. It’s part of this culture. They treat us so well here, I feel like we’re the number two sport behind hockey. So when they’ve got their championship going on, I absolutely respect that, a hundred percent.”

That’s good, because he really has no choice.

White did the smart thing by professing to the local media his respect and admiration for hockey players’ skill and toughness – though he also felt it necessary to express his utter disdain for soccer, for some reason. By cozying up to the hockey fever that has gripped Vancouver, maybe he can get a little of the media magic to rub off on his own sporting event at the Rogers Centre tonight.

It’s already worked to some degree. For instance, the weigh-in staredown between Boston native Kenny Florian (clad in a Bruins jersey) and Brazilian Diego Nunes (who conveniently became a Canucks supporter) made a brief appearance during Friday night’s hockey broadcast. As long as the Canucks are the big story – if not the only story – why not see if you can piggyback on it?

The question is, how much money and/or sporting enthusiasm do fans here have left after last night’s post-game debauchery? Well into early Saturday morning the sound of car horns honking and vuvuzelas – what’s the word…vuvuzela-ing? – wafted through the streets. Canucks fans drank and danced in the streets, and nobody got more than half a block without being forced to high-five or hug at least three strangers.

But now that the bar tabs have been paid and the hangovers have settled in, even this rowdy bunch likely needs a little quiet time.

White insists that too much is being made of all this, of course, and he’s at least partially right.

“Everybody’s talking like this thing is a disaster,” he said on Thursday. “It’s not. We’re happy to be here and the show’s going to be successful.”

At the same time, it isn’t likely to sell out. You also have to wonder how many ticket-holders will be in their seats when the first fights start up at around 3 p.m. local time, and how many will still be rehydrating and trying to figure out which bar they left their credit cards at (not that I’m judging – we’ve all been there).

Is that disastrous for the UFC? No. Inconvenient? A little.

It’s still a good card, and it will probably still draw a good crowd of fans who either celebrated in moderation last night or else just love MMA more than they hate pounding headaches. Maybe some will even decide to keep the party going all the way until fight time, though that could get ugly by the time we get to the main event.

The UFC might as well join ’em, since there’s no way it can beat ’em. Not in Vancouver, and not this week.

And who knows, maybe there are some hockey fans who will show up or tune in just in the hopes of seeing the Boston boy Florian get beat up. If there’s anything that can match this city’s love for the Canucks right now, it’s their hatred of the Bruins.

 

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UFC 131: By the Odds

Filed under: UFCUFC 131 features a lot of close betting lines and at least one that is bizarrely longer than I expected, but that only makes it more fun to break down the odds as we prepare for Saturday night’s fights.

Join me below as we sort through…

Filed under:

UFC 131 features a lot of close betting lines and at least one that is bizarrely longer than I expected, but that only makes it more fun to break down the odds as we prepare for Saturday night’s fights.

Join me below as we sort through the main card action, and one or two interesting opportunities on the prelims.

Shane Carwin (+130) vs. Junior dos Santos (-170)

There’s too many variables for anyone to feel totally certain that they know how this will go down. Both have had long layoffs, but Carwin’s the only one who missed significant gym time because of it. We know JDS can box, but we’ve yet to see him against a quality wrestler with Carwin’s power. It’s a tough fight to call for the very same reasons that it ought to be a great fight to watch. Honestly, your best bet is to see if you can find any oddsmaker offering prop bets on whether it will go longer than one round. Personally, I don’t see it happening.
My pick: Carwin. Especially with the odds such that you can make a decent profit off him, he’s the pick that makes the most sense here.

Kenny Florian (-325) vs. Diego Nunes (+250)

Oddsmakers have a lot of faith in Florian, even though none of us have ever seen him make 145 pounds, let alone compete at it. We’ll know more about how the cut is treating him after today’s weigh-ins, but just on Nunes skill and Florian’s weight-dropping x-factor, it’s hard to resist a 2 ½ – 1 line on Nunes. In straight-up picks, I’d still go with Florian. But if you’re going to offer me these kinds of odds I have to think twice. Expect it to drop big time if Florian does indeed look like Christian Bale in ‘The Machinist’ when he gets on the scales.
My pick: Nunes. We know Florian was in for a rough weight cut, and Nunes is no joke. Oddsmakers may have gotten a little carried away here.

Jon Olav Einemo (+155) vs. Dave Herman (-185)

Einemo hasn’t fought in nearly five years and Herman hasn’t exactly faced the cream of the crop before getting called in to essentially fill in for Shane Carwin here, so it’s tough to know what to make of either man. I can, however, tell you that I got a glimpse of Einemo getting a workout in last night in the UFC‘s host hotel, and he looks like an absolute monster. A guy his size with his Abu Dhabi grappling credentials would be terrifying with even decent stand-up, which you have to assume he has after spending time at Golden Glory. Herman? He’s showed flashes of real talent in the past, but who knows if he can do it against a quality opponent on short notice?
My pick: Einemo. When it’s a toss-up like this, you don’t need much motivation to go with the more profitable of the two choices.

Demian Maia (-105) vs. Mark Munoz (-125)

This is the toughest fight to pick on the card, and the odds reflect that. Maia’s jiu-jitsu game makes him a constant threat, whereas Munoz has the dangerous combo of great wrestling and heavy hands. Chances are that these two ground specialists will end up spending a disproportionate amount of time on the feet, which favors Munoz’s one-punch power.
My pick: Munoz. I think this will go a few rounds, but Munoz’s strength and resiliency will win out in the end. I’ll save it for the parlay with these odds, though.

Donald Cerrone (-525) vs. Vagner Rocha (+305)

Here’s one where the oddsmakers and I are in total agreement. Unless he’s felled by a sudden brain aneurysm, Cerrone wins this fight just about any way he wants. The last time I saw Rocha fight was on the prelims of the Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum card. He lost an unimpressive decision to “The Angry Hick,” Brett Bergmark, and he’s going to be facing a much better and even angrier “Cowboy” on Saturday night. Betting on late replacement underdogs is always a questionable choice to begin with, but you lay your money on this longshot at your peril.
My pick: Cerrone. He’s come so far in the last couple years, and he still has more improving to do. This ought to be a showcase fight for him.

Quick picks:

– Yves Edwards (-120) over Sam Stout (+150). It’s a great match-up that could go either way, but Edwards seems dialed in lately. The longer this goes, the more I favor the Thug-Jitsu master.

– Nick Ring (-130) over James Head (even). There’s not much profit in it, but I expect Ring to wipe out the memory of his mediocre first performance in the UFC.

The ‘For Entertainment Purposes Only’ Parlay: Carwin + Munoz + Cerrone + Edwards

 

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Heading Into Dos Santos Fight, Questions Abound for Carwin

Filed under: UFCVANCOUVER, British Columbia – Even in the big media push before a fight, Shane Carwin just can’t seem to bring himself to speak in sound bytes the way some other fighters do.

Even when he gets a perfect alley-oop pass – for instance, a…

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Even in the big media push before a fight, Shane Carwin just can’t seem to bring himself to speak in sound bytes the way some other fighters do.

Even when he gets a perfect alley-oop pass – for instance, a question from a fan as to whether he sees his fight with Junior dos Santos at UFC 131 going more than one round – his answer comes out sounding a little more press release than pre-fight hype.

He talks about heavyweights throwing hard, yet being physically prepared to go all three rounds – it’s an answer that covers the bases and heads off criticism before it starts. It’s also a little boring.

Carwin’s trainer, Trevor Wittman, has no such problem.

“Carwin by knockout. First round,” he says before I can even ask the question.

And it’s not because he doesn’t respect dos Santos’ skills, he clarifies.

“I feel he’s the best heavyweight out there,” Wittman says, then waits a beat before adding, “Outside of Shane.”

For a soft-spoken, media-shy fighter like Carwin who prefers seclusion and a carefully crafted internet presence over getting his name in the news through interviews and public appearances, it doesn’t hurt to have a camp that can do some talking for him.

He doesn’t particularly enjoy all the fight week media attention, according to his wrestling coach, Leister Bowling, and yet he got a heaping helping of it as soon as he was slotted into the main event at UFC 131.

“I don’t think it’s a distraction for Shane; I think it pisses him off,” says Bowling. “Nothing against reporters, but he hates doing interviews. Shane told me the other day that the thing he hates most about MMA is the fame that comes with it, being at the top. He would rather no one recognize him. He would rather he just got to fight, and got paid to do it.”

Though Bowling – himself a three-time All-America wrestler at Dana College – is here to make sure Carwin’s grappling and takedown abilities don’t atrophy as he relies on his heavy hands, he’s also towing the line on the question of whether Carwin will look for the takedown in this fight.

Dos Santos says yes, but the Carwin camp says, don’t be so sure.

“I’m sure a lot of people think that. But if Shane’s going to use his wrestling in this fight, it’s going to be hand-fighting and pummeling and pushing him against the cage and beating him up there, taking his movement and speed away. It doesn’t have to be on the ground for him to do that.”

At the same time, if you’re a Division II national champion wrestler trying to convince people that you aren’t even interested in testing a boxing-based opponent’s takedown defense, that’s going to be a hard sell. Dos Santos sure isn’t buying it. He told reporters earlier in the week that he has “a feeling” Carwin will look to put him on his back.

“If I was in his shoes, I’d be thinking the same thing,” Wittman says. “He’s very confident in his boxing, but when you go out there and out-box people on a consistent basis, you get that realm of, hey, this is what I do and I’m great at it. It’s kind of like when you look at the [Anthony Pettis–Clay Guida fight]. Pettis goes out and it looks like he’s just looking for one kick. To me, when someone gets into that, thinking he can just out-box everybody, he’s overconfident.”

For Carwin, one of the biggest questions is still his cardio. After collapsing against Brock Lesnar, then offering up an explanation about lactic acidosis that sounded to many fans like little more than a fancy way of saying ‘I gassed out,” he spent much of the early part of the week revisiting that loss and the fallout from it.

“Always in life there’s going to be haters and people who try to bring you down, and there’s going to be people who are on your team,” Carwin told reporters. “That’s just the way it’s been through sports. You have rivalries and people that try to bring you down. I’m a positive person and that’s my outlook on life. The people who are going to hate are going to hate.”

Sure, he said, there were some “definite long nights,” after the loss. Carwin admitted he was so depleted in the second round that Lesnar “probably could have got me in a kneebar if he wanted to.”

But like most fighters who suffer a big loss, he pinpointed the issue that he thought was to blame and set up about rectifying it. In Carwin’s case, it was his bulk and his diet. He changed both, slimming down and adding the expertise of nutritionist Josh Ford. Now he’s lighter and quicker, he says. But is he ready to deal with dos Santos’ speed?

Here’s where a wrestler might point out that fancy footwork isn’t so fancy once a guy’s on his back. Here’s where he might openly wonder how good dos Santos’ boxing is when he’s being suffocated against the fence – a “bully” move that Bowling says Carwin has perfected, making life “miserable” for anyone on the business end.

But Carwin? He couldn’t play it much closer to the vest. That’s why it helps to have guys like Wittman on the team. He’ll not only tell you that this one won’t last long, he’ll do it with an enthusiasm that is downright infectious.

For this particular bout, it’s practically coming out of his pores.

“If I were to sit back and say, which fight do we want if we could choose any fight? Which fight would fit us the best, stylistically? It would be this fight,” he says. “I couldn’t be any more excited.”

 

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