When people discuss who is best striker is in the UFC heavyweight division, many will say that Junior Dos Santos is that man. There is little reason to disagree, as Dos Santos has racked up 6 straight wins inside the Octagon with all but one fight ending before the final bell due to his powerful striking.
His opponent at UFC 131 is Shane Carwin, who is also known for his powerful punches that have sent four of his five opponents in the UFC home in the first round. Carwin may not be known as a technical striker, but the results of what his hands can do cannot be disputed.
When I compare these two dominant strikers, I come to the conclusion that I have to give the advantage to Shane Carwin for a few reasons.
Dos Santos has exceptional power in both of his hands. “Cigano” has dropped Gilbert Yvel and Gabriel Gonzaga with hard left hook shots. He put Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum to the mat with the right uppercut. Though it would be wise to throw leg kicks, neither JDS or Carwin tend to use them.
Now where is the weakness that makes me believe that Carwin has the advantage?
It lies in his hand placement and the style of punches JDS throws against his opponents. Dos Santos comes in and drops his hands when he throws his punches, and the style of strikes he usually throws are wide and sometimes loopy shots.
The reason Carwin is so effective with his striking is that he throws very heavy straight punches. In all of his fights, with exception to the Frank Mir fight where he landed multiple uppercuts, he has knocked down all of his opponents with a straight right hand.
Dos Santos also has shown that during his fights, he has a very tall stance, which leaves his head and chin exposed. Though he has done a good job at getting his hands up from his chest, where he usually hangs them, he hasn’t fought any real type of boxing-style strikers.
Carwin, on the other hand, keeps his chin tucked near his chest, uses his shoulder as a shield to the right hook and his hands are up by his face. This enables Carwin to stay pretty defensive from all types of strikes but most importantly allows him to counter-strike quickly with those straight punches he throws.
What I have noticed in watching fights with Dos Santos is that his opponents have not been well versed in striking defense. Struve, Cro Cop, Yvel, and Gonzaga have all been susceptible to being knocked out. His most impressive knockout was against Fabricio Werdum, but it makes you wonder if he can knock out a well rounded striker, as he couldn’t put Nelson away.
Carwin has shown that whatever he touches seems to fall down quickly. It has resulted in multiple first round stoppages or some of the ugliest fetus position defense ever witnessed. The only real time he has been threatened on his feet was when he ate a huge shot from Gabriel Gonzaga only to rebound and knock out “Napao” seconds later on a counter punch.
With all of that being said, I fully expect Shane Carwin to win this matchup with Junior Dos Santos. I really believe that this fight will remain standing and that Carwin will not have to take the fight to the ground because of the many holes that Dos Santos has in his striking defense.
In addition to the power of Carwin, it seems like he has been very diligent with his cardio training as he will be well under the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds. So I fully expect to see the best version of Shane Carwin, who should be very hungry after being so close to winning the UFC Heavyweight Championship only to have the opportunity slip through his fingers.
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