Shane Carwin may have been defeated last night when he took on UFC champion Brock Lesnar but he certainly gained even more respect from the MMA community. Carwin can certainly punch with more power than almost any other heavyweight but his cardio certainly came up short. Carwin, however, disagrees and let fans know that his cardio was fine but that it was cramps that caused him major problems(via his website):
The game plan last night was to be patient and let the fight come to you. When I had him in trouble the ref keep saying he was going to stop it and then towards the end of the 1st my body began to seize up. In between rounds I could not move my legs and had what felt like a whole body cramp. My cardio was fine but my body was not. What can you do? You have to stand up and face your opponent.
Heading into the second I knew I need to finish the fight or I was going to be in trouble. Much like the Champion he is I am sure Brock was thinking the same thing. I had zero take down defense as my legs were dead to me and the rest is as they say history.
Carwin has been gracious in his previous victories and he was no different in defeat, acknowledging that Lesnar fought like a warrior. Lesnar is slated to fight Cain Velasquez, and it’s too soon to guess on Carwin’s next opponent, but expect to see Carwin in the heavyweight title hunt shortly.