“It’s the weirdest thing, Doc. It feels just fine when I stand like this.” (Photo: Francis Specker)
In a post to his blog titled “Unfinished Business”, top UFC heavyweight Shane Carwin revealed yesterday that for the second time in a year he will be going under the knife.
“I have spent my entire fighting career dealing with injuries from my football career. I have done my best to get through my training and I have been blessed to get through my fights with relatively little to no damage.
As I ramped up my training for UFC 141 my body locked up during training. It wasn’t like the Lesnar fight but my back just tightened up and I froze. I scheduled an MRI and the results showed that my disc in my lower back is into the nerves . My doctor gave me two options; retire and I could probably go on for a few years without surgery or I could undergo surgery and continue my career.
The decision was easy. I have unfinished business. The UFC had me lined up to face one of the best in the world and I am confident I have everything I need to be a Champion. I am scheduling surgery and I hope to return to the Octagon by spring or summer 2012.”
Tough times for Carwin. Following his second round submission loss to Brock Lesnar in July of last year, “The Engineer” pulled out of a scheduled bout against Roy Nelson to undergo surgery repairing neck, back, and nerve damage. He returned from that procedure to face Junior Dos Santos on short notice, but fell short in the effort. The 36 year old had planned a return to action at UFC 141, but will now go back on the injured reserve list.
Time will tell how how Carwin will bounce back from this operation. Multiple spine surgeries in a short time span don’t sound promising for a fighter’s career, particularly for a fighter getting up there in years.