I know I am a few days late, but with two young kids my weekends are getting busier and busier. UFC 131 is over and done with. Another successful Canadian show put on by the UFC, you have to love the Canadian fans they really get into each and every fi…
I know I am a few days late, but with two young kids my weekends are getting busier and busier. UFC 131 is over and done with. Another successful Canadian show put on by the UFC, you have to love the Canadian fans they really get into each and every fight.
The main event was very surprising as I am not sure there are too many people who felt that Carwin and Dos Santos would make it out of the first round. It almost didn’t as Dos Santos has Carwin on the ropes and was punching the holy hell out him, but much like his fight against Lesnar where Josh Rosenthal gave Brock an opportunity to recover, Herb Dean paid Carwin the same respect and was proven right when Carwin battled on.
So we know where Dos Santos is headed and that is a showdown with UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez as soon as the the champ is fully recovered from shoulder surgery. Other than that there are no set matchups for the other nine fighters who fought on the main card.
Let’s take a look and see what makes sense for the rest of them.
How about that picture? If that doesn’t tell you I am moving up in the world then I don’t know what does! The Hot Seat is back and this time we will focus on UFC 131: Carwin vs. Dos Santos which will take place this Saturday night from Vancouver.
Dos S…
How about that picture? If that doesn’t tell you I am moving up in the world then I don’t know what does! The Hot Seat is back and this time we will focus on UFC 131: Carwin vs. Dos Santos which will take place this Saturday night from Vancouver.
Dos Santos was originally scheduled to face former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar with the winner getting the next shot at current champion Cain Velasquez, but Lesnar was once again felled by diverticulitis and forced to withdraw from the bout.
So in steps the returning Shane Carwin, the former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion who himself is coming back from neck surgery. Carwin was scheduled to take on UFC newcomer Jon Olav Einemo, but jumped at the opportunity to participate in a number one contenders bout.
I recently had an opportunity to interview Carwin and he is as focused as ever and ready to move one step closer to winning the heavyweight title. He is very confident and for good reason, he hits like a mack truck. He is one of the sports truly good guys and deserves all the success he attains.
Some are calling this version of Carwin, Shane Carwin 2.0. This Carwin may be new and improved both physically and mentally due everything he has gone through since suffering his first loss to former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 116 las…
Some are calling this version of Carwin, Shane Carwin 2.0. This Carwin may be new and improved both physically and mentally due everything he has gone through since suffering his first loss to former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 116 last July.
He underwent surgery to repair a neck injury which forced him to pull out of a bout with Roy Nelson at UFC 125. Now that he is healed physically it is time to see how he reacts after suffering his first career loss. It was an especially damaging loss considering how close Carwin came to finishing Lesnar off in the first round.
They say a fighter learns more from his losses than he does from his wins and if that philosophy rings true then we can expect an even more dangerous Carwin than we have seen in the past. A powerful puncher, an outstanding wrestler and one of the more intelligent fighters in the business, Carwin will give Junior Dos Santos all he can handle and may find himself opposite current UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez sometime this year.
Some are calling this version of Carwin, Shane Carwin 2.0. This Carwin may be new and improved both physically and mentally due everything he has gone through since suffering his first loss to former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 116 las…
Some are calling this version of Carwin, Shane Carwin 2.0. This Carwin may be new and improved both physically and mentally due everything he has gone through since suffering his first loss to former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 116 last July.
He underwent surgery to repair a neck injury which forced him to pull out of a bout with Roy Nelson at UFC 125. Now that he is healed physically it is time to see how he reacts after suffering his first career loss. It was an especially damaging loss considering how close Carwin came to finishing Lesnar off in the first round.
They say a fighter learns more from his losses than he does from his wins and if that philosophy rings true then we can expect an even more dangerous Carwin than we have seen in the past. A powerful puncher, an outstanding wrestler and one of the more intelligent fighters in the business, Carwin will give Junior Dos Santos all he can handle and may find himself opposite current UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez sometime this year.
I have had the opportunity to speak with Carwin on a few different occasions and he is a humble, down to earth gentleman who puts his family first. He still works a full time job as an engineer at a local water authority. Carwin takes great pride in the relationship he has with his fans whom call themselves the “Carwin Army”
Bryan Levick: How are you feeling physically and mentally going into your bout with Junior Dos Santos? How has your body held up to the surgery you had?
Shane Carwin: I am doing fine, I had lost a lot of weight after the surgery. Since then I have been trying to redefine how I fuel my body. I feel great and thankful I haven’t had any complications or setbacks.
BL: When you prepare for a fight do you train specifically for that particular fighter or do you train to improve your all-around skills?
SC: We do gameplan, but the focus for a guy that has less than 20 minutes in the Octagon competing is to make me a complete fighter. I have power and I need to blend that power with skill and adapt to the fighter I am facing.
BL: Do you feel as though you will fully be able to prepare for Dos Santos with just a month’s notice?
SC: I am a modern day warrior and I have never questioned who I was going to fight or when I was going to fight them. I am training full time and training to fight, whoever the UFC throws at me I will be more than happy to face.
BL: I recently read that you were weighing in a little less than usual, is that due to a specific diet and do you feel as though that will allow you to compete at a higher level overall?
SC: Yeah I had lost some weight after the surgery, but I was able to put it back on pretty quickly due to my addiction to Slurpees! I started training and I was weighing in around 280lbs. and the weight just kind of fell off. I am totally eating organic and limiting my intake of sugars and such, but I am still working as hard as I ever have.
BL: You have had so much success with your stand-up and your power, do you go with what brought you to the dance or will their come a time when you will test how good of a ground game JDS really has?
SC: For the answer to that you will have to tune in on June 11 to find out.
BL: You’ve proven before that ring rust doesn’t hinder your performance, will that be harder to maintain as you get older and because you are coming off a major surgery?
SC: Not at all because of the way we train at Grudge. The training we put each other through is actually harder than we fight. While I may not be in the Octagon I am still fighting guys like Nate Marquardt, Elliot Marshall, Brendan Schaub and Todd Duffee.
BL: Obviously losing to Lesnar was tough, but did you get to know him a little bit better after your fight and did you gain a new found respect for him?
SC: I have always respected his abilities, but I really do not know him well enough to make a personal call. He is a family guy that likes to hunt and spend time with his family. I am exactly the same way. I am sure he is a great guy and will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest heavyweights.
BL: I know you have done a lot of charitable work in the past, are you doing anything specific now that we can share with the public and try and help whatever cause you are working on?
SC: I am working with Max Muscle Ft Collins to raise money for a young man. Matt Hughes is coming to the event. I am also an avid supporter of the US Armed Forces.
BL: As long as you come out of this fight relatively injury free, how much time would you need to prepare for Cain Velasquez should you emerge victorious?
SC: If I am injury free I would need 60 days to be ready for Cain. My goal would be to fight three times in 2011. Whenever Cain is ready I will be sure to be ready as well.
BL: Is there anything you have learned to appreciate more since being injured and after suffering your first career loss?
SC: I try not to worry about the things in life I can’t control. I am focused on winning and advancing to the next level. I want to secure my legacy in this sport.
For those of you interested in learning more about Carwin, the Carwin Army and all of the great charitable work he does visit his website.
Last night couldn’t come fast enough for me. I was salivating at the chance to watch Anthony Pettis and Clay Guida mix it up at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 13.. Everything was pointing towards the direction of not only a Fight of the Night bonus, but a…
Last night couldn’t come fast enough for me. I was salivating at the chance to watch Anthony Pettis and Clay Guida mix it up at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 13.. Everything was pointing towards the direction of not only a Fight of the Night bonus, but a possible Fight of the Year award as well.
Pettis has shown time and time again that he has a penchant for pulling off exciting and surprising moves that leave people shaking their heads in amazement. From his head kick knockout of Danny Castillo to his outwrestling Shane Roller at WEC 50, Pettis leaves no stones unturned when looking for ways to win.
He is as active a fighter as there is and now that he was going to face off with the original Energizer Bunny of mixed martial arts Clay Guida, we thought these two were going to go non-stop for 15 minutes and leave the fans screaming in favor of five round non-title fights.
Last night couldn’t come fast enough for me. I was salivating at the chance to watch Anthony Pettis and Clay Guida mix it up at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 13. Everything was pointing towards the direction of not only a Fight of the Night bonus, but a …
Last night couldn’t come fast enough for me. I was salivating at the chance to watch Anthony Pettis and Clay Guida mix it up at The Ultimate Fighter Finale 13. Everything was pointing towards the direction of not only a Fight of the Night bonus, but a possible Fight of the Year award as well.
Pettis has shown time and time again that he has a penchant for pulling off exciting and surprising moves that leave people shaking their heads in amazement. From his head kick knockout of Danny Castillo, to his outwrestling Shane Roller at WEC 50, Pettis leaves no stones unturned when looking for ways to win.
He is as active a fighter as there is, and now that he was going to face off with the original Energizer Bunny of mixed martial arts Clay Guida, we thought these two were going to go nonstop for 15 minutes and leave the fans screaming in favor of five round nontitle fights.
Ever since fans got their first glimpse of Guida, they recognized his heart and his insatiable desire to compete. This is a man who could probably run a marathon after just finishing a grueling war inside the cage. Even with all of his desire and energy, Guida was still lacking an ability to finish his opponents; he would get them down and seemingly lie on top of them.
Some started calling him Lay Guida because of his lie-n-pray style. Don’t get me wrong. I am not someone who constantly complains when another fighter continuously takes his opponent down and inflicts little to no damage. As long as he is trying to land or improve his position, then it’s up to the fighter on the bottom to get back up.
Guida seemed as though he was trying his hardest to hurt his opponent or get into a better position instead of lying inside of their guard, but he wasn’t all that successful. Don’t get me wrong. He was giving it his all, and he wanted to do more—that can never be called into question.
Guida had his share of spectacular moments, such as his fights of the year with Tyson Griffin and Diego Sanchez, but it is my belief it was due more to the pressure put on by his opponents than it was his willingness to stand and trade with them. In his fight with Sanchez, he took a beating and even when he took Sanchez down, he did virtually nothing. In fact, Sanchez was far more active from the bottom than Guida was from the top.
Then Guida started training with Greg Jackson, and it was a like a light bulb went off in his head. He became more aggressive and in turn much more appealing. He won three straight fights all by stoppage against Shannon Gugerty, Rafael Dos Anjos and Takanori Gomi. Against Gomi, he looked like a true title contender. He was fighting to win instead of fighting not to lose.
Those fights combined with the excitement that Pettis brings to the cage each and every time out were reasons enough for fans to expect a war last night. Instead, we were treated to Guida reverting back to his pre-Jackson days, and doing what he had to do not to lose.
Even though he spent most of the fight on top of Pettis, it was Showtime who was looking for ways to finish the fight and land strikes from his back. He was far more active and was constantly looking for armbars and triangle chokes. One thing I do have to say about Guida is he showed excellent submission defense last night.
No one wants a champion who is going to fight the way Guida did last night. We are not asking these guys to risk losing every time out just to make us happy, but there has to be a happy medium. Fans felt Frankie Edgar was too boring until he showed his first victory over BJ Penn wasn’t a fluke, and then followed that up with a fantastic fight against Gray Maynard.
If I’m Dana White, my worst nightmare would be a UFC Lightweight Title bout with Guida and Maynard as the two participants. Both men have a history of smothering their opponents without doing much to finish them off. Maynard seemed to really open up against Edgar at UFC 125, but it’s still to be determined whether or not that was sign of things to come or just an aberration.
Guida is everything a champion is not. He is not very easy on the eyes. In fact, he looks like a caveman. His hair is unkempt and all over the place. He rambles on and on during his interviews making very little sense and has no problem belching or blowing his nose in front of the cameras. Not everyone has to be dapper like GSP, but a champion is expected to carry himself in a certain manner.
Is Guida the type of fighter White and Lorenzo Fertitta want leading the charge for one of their most exciting divisions? Is he the guy they want to send out on press junkets promoting the sport and trying to attract new fans? Absolutely not, which is why there will be plenty of sleepless nights for UFC management if Clay Guida ever becomes the UFC Lightweight Champion.
