UFC 131 takes place this Saturday night, June 11 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. The original main event for this summer kickoff was Brock Lesnar vs. Junior dos Santos, with the winner guaranteed a title shot against Cain Velasquez sometime this fall, probably November 2011.
Velasquez tore his rotator cuff en route to defeating Lesnar for the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship of the world last October. Dos Santos, who was scheduled to face Velasquez for the title, agreed to fight Lesnar for the No. 1 contendership instead of crowning an interim champion.
But Lesnar pulled out of the fight after a recurrence of diverticulitis, and Carwin (who gave Lesnar all he could handle at UFC 116) stepped in as Dos Santos’ opponent.
UFC has now released the first video to hype Shane Carwin vs. Junior dos Santos, and Carwin comes across like a menacing beast ready to beat the living hell out of Dos Santos. While I think Dos Santos has the skills to put away Carwin, I watched the extended preview for UFC 131 with surprise at how Carwin seemed to relish the spotlight and how hungry he seems to smash Dos Santos in the face.
“I like Junior dos Santos, but I’m going after the (UFC heavyweight) title,” Carwin stated matter-of-factly in the preview video.
Carwin, an NCAA Division II heavyweight champion, coldly stated, “These hands are meant to tear somebody apart.”
That was a cold, chilling statement, but nothing compared to the moment where Carwin said, “I respect Junior dos Santos, but I’m going to knock him out, and I’m not going to feel any remorse for it.”
Carwin also said, “I’m going to knock out Junior dos Santos, and I think he knows it.”
Dos Santos is the same as he always is, the same likable personality you saw on The Ultimate Fighter this season. Carwin seems like a man with something to prove, especially after the loss to Lesnar, and he hits the pay-per-view consumer right on the chin with the line, “People who pay to see Shane Carwin fight are really going to get their money out of this one!”
The extended preview show is available online. I highly recommend it to all MMA fans. It’s one of the better hype shows in a while. Check it out here.
Shane Carwin vs. Junior dos Santos at UFC 131 takes place this Saturday night, June 11, live on pay-per-view.
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