UFC 131 Weigh-In Results: All 24 Fighters Competing at UFC 131 Make Weight
Bleacher Report’s Danny Acosta reports:
All 24 fighters expected at The Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for UFC 131 have hit their contracted weights for Saturday’s Octagon action. Here are five things to watch for come fight night—one for every finger in the fist.
1) Can Junior dos Santos maintain No. 1 contender status versus a trimmed-down Shane Carwin?
Junior dos Santos likes to stay busy. It’s why he accepted a fight after being granted a title shot while UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez healed an injured shoulder. He’ll need to stay busy to neutralize the power of Grudge Training Center product and former interim champion Shane Carwin, who returns from an 11-month layoff as an injury replacement for the last man to defeat him, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar.
Of their combined 11 Octagon appearances, the judges have only been called upon once—these heavyweights are power-punching finishers.
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The once-beaten Brazilian aims to keep his title shot with his active and accurate hard-hitting boxing style. Carwin, weighing 254 pounds to dos Santos’ 239, is 25 pounds lighter and eager to subvert dos Santos’ aspirations for gold with his boxer-wrestler base.
The winner meets Velasquez in “four to five months” UFC President Dana White revealed at Wednesday’s pre-fight press conference. Dos Santos holding his place in the bid to challenge Velasquez first would create a title fight between two fighters undefeated in the Octagon and on seven-fight win streaks. It’s an excellent fight, so Shane Carwin’s performance must leave no doubt he’s the better option.
Dos Santos’ speed and cage time—roughly 30-minutes to Carwin’s eight—should be the definitive factor against a hungry opponent. The power Shane Carwin wields in his XXXXXL fists can never be counted out though, especially if they are infused with cardio that can stand up to “Cigano” body punches for 15 minutes.