Dissection by Dallas: Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin @ UFC 116

By CagePotato contributor Dallas Winston For a match-up of such epic proportions, both literally and figuratively, Lesnar vs. Carwin does not offer a ton of evidence to analyze.
In the grand scheme of the MMA heavyweight scene, both Brock Lesnar an…

Shane Carwin Brock Lesnar UFC 116 clash of the titans

By CagePotato contributor Dallas Winston

For a match-up of such epic proportions, both literally and figuratively, Lesnar vs. Carwin does not offer a ton of evidence to analyze.

In the grand scheme of the MMA heavyweight scene, both Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin are relative newcomers, as their total career fights combined equates to a number one-half of former god Fedor Emelianenko’s times at bat. In only five fights, Lesnar has shown marked improvement and new aspects of an evolving game in each outing, and even though Carwin specified that his focus is becoming a well-rounded fighter, his right hand alone has left a trail of twelve motionless cadavers in its wake.

My team of MMA scientists submitted the official report from their pre-fight ceremonial ritual — in which bits of evidence are fed into the “MMA Math Machine” to extrapolate key factors that assist in fight predictions — and the findings for both read: Big. Strong. Wrestle good. Punch hard.

As much I’d like to over-glorify things, that’s really what this fight boils down to.

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UFC 116: Preview and Predictions

Filed under: UFCAfter a serious health scare and a year away, UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will finally return to the Octagon Saturday night at UFC 116, and his return will come against his biggest opponent to date, the undefeated Shane Carwin…

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After a serious health scare and a year away, UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will finally return to the Octagon Saturday night at UFC 116, and his return will come against his biggest opponent to date, the undefeated Shane Carwin. It’s one of the biggest heavyweight battles in the history of mixed martial arts, and it’s the main event of what may be the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view show of the year. We’ve got the full preview and predictions below.

In Brock Lesnar, UFC Has a Pay-Per-View Powerhouse

Filed under: UFCTo establish himself as the undisputed heavyweight champion of mixed martial arts, Brock Lesnar still has to beat Shane Carwin Saturday night at UFC 116. But there’s no question that Lesnar — just five fights into his MMA career — is …

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Brock LesnarTo establish himself as the undisputed heavyweight champion of mixed martial arts, Brock Lesnar still has to beat Shane Carwin Saturday night at UFC 116. But there’s no question that Lesnar — just five fights into his MMA career — is already the undisputed champion of pay-per-view.

Lesnar isn’t just the biggest pay-per-view draw in the UFC, he’s by far the biggest pay-per-view draw MMA has ever had. When the UFC brought Lesnar on board two and a half years ago it added an outsized personality, a legitimate athlete who won an NCAA heavyweight wrestling title, a ferocious competitor with the drive and determination to become the best fighter in the sport, and a celebrity who had already become a proven pay-per-view draw in pro wrestling — all in one enormous 265-pound package.

Brendan Schaub Says He’s Ready for Primetime, Chris Tuchscherer

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveLAS VEGAS — Brendan Schaub’s name did not appear anywhere on the UFC’s official schedule, but that didn’t stop the Colorado native from making an appearance at the open workouts at the MGM Grand Conference Center Ma…

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LAS VEGAS — Brendan Schaub‘s name did not appear anywhere on the UFC’s official schedule, but that didn’t stop the Colorado native from making an appearance at the open workouts at the MGM Grand Conference Center Marquee Ballroom.

While Schaub was there mainly in support of teammate and main event participant Shane Carwin, in a way, it also symbolized his hope to be considered among the sport’s top-level heavyweights following his UFC 116 match against Chris Tuchscherer.

“I expect to be on the main card after this,” Schaub (5-1) told MMA Fighting. “It’s an honor to be on the Spike prelims, but after this, I expect big-name opponents. I think this will separate me from the rest of the up-and-comers. I think I showed what I do to up-and-comers like Chase Gormley and the guys on the [Ultimate Fighter] show, so I think from here it’s going to be some pretty big-name UFC vets for me.”

Brock Lesnar Relaxed for Comeback Despite Major Strategy Shift

Filed under: UFC, NewsLAS VEGAS — With so much focus on Brock Lesnar’s return from illness as the main storyline for UFC 116, it’s been easy to miss some of the fight-oriented details of his upcoming title unification bout with interim champion Shane …

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LAS VEGAS — With so much focus on Brock Lesnar‘s return from illness as the main storyline for UFC 116, it’s been easy to miss some of the fight-oriented details of his upcoming title unification bout with interim champion Shane Carwin.

Yet in all the words that have escaped the mouths of those who’ve spoken about Lesnar in the last few days, few will have as much impact on Saturday night as a quick revelation that some might have missed if they weren’t fully attentive to his words. Despite the long layoff, Lesnar is essentially re-inventing himself for the biggest fight of his life, admitting to reporters that he’ll be taking the risk of competing in a brand-new stance.

“I brought in Peter Welch, and we changed my stance and switched it from traditional to southpaw,” he said. “It’s really worked out, helped on wrestling and shooting. We changed a lot of things and we’ll see if they work I guess.”

Gambling Addiction Enabler: UFC 116 Edition

Well, we’ve got a big UFC event coming up this weekend, which means you should all head over to fightpicker.cagepotato.com (or apps.facebook.com/fightpicker) and make your predictions for UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin. Congrats to FightPicker Grandmaste…

UFC 116 Lesnar Carwin poster

Well, we’ve got a big UFC event coming up this weekend, which means you should all head over to fightpicker.cagepotato.com (or apps.facebook.com/fightpicker) and make your predictions for UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin. Congrats to FightPicker Grandmaster Aaron Rampey for becoming the first player to crack the 10,000 chip mark. Well done, buddy. That’s gonna look awesome on your CV.

Of course, if you had some balls you’d bet actual money on the fights, and not silly-ass "PotatoChips." As usual, we’d like to help you win some cash for Saturday’s event — or at the very least not take heavy losses. Betting lines are below, courtesy of BestFightOdds.com; if you don’t know what this stuff means, read this first.

MAIN CARD
Brock Lesnar (-130) vs. Shane Carwin (+140)
Yoshihiro Akiyama (-200) vs. Chris Leben (+185)
Chris Lytle (-195) vs. Matt Brown (+160)
Krzysztof Soszynski (-218) vs. Stephan Bonnar (+195)
George Sotiropoulos (-195) vs. Kurt Pellegrino (+160)

SPIKE TV PRELIMS
Brendan Schaub (-295) vs. Chris Tuchscherer (+264)
Ricardo Romero (-145) vs. Seth Petruzelli (+120)

PRELIMINARY CARD
Goran Reljic (-155) vs. Kendall Grove (+145)
Gerald Harris (-245) vs. Dave Branch (+200)
Daniel Roberts (-170) vs. Forrest Petz (+145)
Karlos Vemola (-160) vs. Jon Madsen (+150)

Read on to get that paper…

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