Shane Carwin has lost 20 pounds of un-heallthy weight and you can certainly tell it by looking at him. He looks considerably leaner and less imposing than he has on previous occasions leading up to his fights.
Carwin was on hand for a brief workout and…
Shane Carwin has lost 20 pounds of un-heallthy weight and you can certainly tell it by looking at him. He looks considerably leaner and less imposing than he has on previous occasions leading up to his fights.
Carwin was on hand for a brief workout and media scrum this afternoon in Vancouver, and Carwin 2.0 has definitely made some diet and lifestyle adjustments and he spoke to the media about it today.
“Camp was great man, everything is ok and, I was able to work on a bunch of things and I’m just excited to be able to get back in there and compete I mean this is what I love to do.”
A lot of the initial questions dealt with the last time we saw Carwin in the cage against the man he is replacing in this fight Brock Lesnar. “I always tell myself, when I left that cage I left it all in there. There was nothing more that I could have asked my body to do. I think that fight taught me some things about life and fighting, and things I needed to change.”
When asked to elaborate on what he learned about life, he quickly responded. “Well Josh Ford taught me a lot about what nutrition really is, he taught me about eating healthy and eating for recovery and I think most of all longevity. I’m a family guy and I want to be around for a long time.”
Attention then shifted to the fight on Saturday night.
“This fight is going to be exciting fight you kow, this is a fight for the fans. When you look at Junior and what he believes in and when you look at me and what I believe in you know somebody is going to go down on Saturday night.”
That mentality is the perfect tonic for the UFC and their fans right now and I absolutely cannot wait to see this fight.
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Correspondent for Bleacher Report MMA (Also a Correspondent for MMACanada.net).
The UFC held their open workouts for the media this afternoon at the Tactix Gym in downtown Vancouver kicking off fight week in style.
Main event heavyweight Junior Dos Santos was one of the fighters made available for the media following hi…
The UFC held their open workouts for the media this afternoon at the Tactix Gym in downtown Vancouver kicking off fight week in style.
Main event heavyweight Junior Dos Santos was one of the fighters made available for the media following his brief workout, where the powerhouse spoke on his upcoming fight with Shane Carwin.
It is clear that “Cigano’s” time on The Ultimate Fighter 13 improved his English tremendously, as he did his best to handle all the questions thrown at him, with his interpreter standing at his side.
First JDS was asked about his decision to fight this weekend, instead of take a pass on Carwin after Lesnar pulled out.
“It’s very important to be fighting, ten months is too much time and I’m feeling great. Unfortunately, my opponent got injured and I have to suffer the consequences.” he stated.
JDS was then asked if he thinks he can exploit Carwin’s questionable cardio, “I think it’s an advantage for me. The first time he fought into the second round he lost the fight so for sure I gonna use that in my strategy.”
He was asked if he considered going into this fight at a heavier weight vs. the over-sized Carwin. “No because I feel really good at this weight, I feel strong and fast. My speed is very very good so, I didn’t change nothing for this fight. I am 240 pounds.”
“I believe I will beat Shane Carwin this time and then I will fight for the title.”
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Correspondent for Bleacher Report MMA (Also a Correspondent for MMACanada.net).
Our host, Steve Cofield of Cagewriter talks UFC 131 BETTING ODDS with our expert MMA analysts: Larry Pepe of ProMMARadio and Damon Martin of MMAWeekly. Find out your best bets in the top 3 main.
Our host, Steve Cofield of Cagewriter talks UFC 131 BETTING ODDS with our expert MMA analysts: Larry Pepe of ProMMARadio and Damon Martin of MMAWeekly. Find out your best bets in the top 3 main card bouts.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — MMA Fighting spoke to Shane Carwin on Wednesday about his UFC 131 fight against Junior dos Santos, how he lost over 20 pounds preparing for this fight, changing opponents on one month’s notice, his take on the fight and working with Paul Heyman on the UFC Countdown show.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — MMA Fighting spoke to Shane Carwin on Wednesday about his UFC 131 fight against Junior dos Santos, how he lost over 20 pounds preparing for this fight, changing opponents on one month’s notice, his take on the fight and working with Paul Heyman on the UFC Countdown show.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — MMA Fighting spoke to heavyweight Junior dos Santos on Wednesday about his UFC 131 fight against Shane Carwin, his newfound fame, his take on The Ultimate Fighter, how he expects the fight to play out and more.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — MMA Fighting spoke to heavyweight Junior dos Santos on Wednesday about his UFC 131 fight against Shane Carwin, his newfound fame, his take on The Ultimate Fighter, how he expects the fight to play out and more.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Junior dos Santos sure didn’t look like a pro fighter who hasn’t worked in ten months.
There was no extra flab on display in his first public appearance before his fight with Shane Carwin on Saturday night. No visible signs of torpor. Not even close.
As the Brazilian showed off his boxing skills with some tricky mitt work at Wednesday afternoon’s UFC 131 open workouts, he looked as sharp as ever. Even if he were rusty from the time off, one would think that the way he swatted the focus mitts with the speed and timing of a punk rock drummer couldn’t help but knock that rust right off.
Then again, that’s what the mitts are there for. Lots of people look good hitting them on workout day. After nearly a year on the shelf, though, dos Santos has the distinct air of a man who is tired of hitting a target that doesn’t hit back.
“I don’t care about the opponent now. I want to fight,” dos Santos said, after admitting that he was initially “a little bit disappointed” not to get a crack at Brock Lesnar. “My last fight was ten months ago, so [that’s] too much time to sit out [of] fights.”
It’s also a long time to go without a paycheck, especially for a young fighter in what are supposed to be his best, most profitable years. That, said manager Ed Soares, is why they never really considered waiting for UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez to get healthy enough to give dos Santos his promised title shot.
“It would have been too long,” said Soares. “He would have been inactive for over a year. He wants to fight. He’s got to stay busy. He’s 26 years old and he’s a fine-tuned machine. It’s like having a Ferrari and just leaving it in the garage.”
Then again, agreeing to take the Ultimate Fighter coaching gig opposite Lesnar also put the Ferrari in the garage for a little while, which had financial implications of its own, Soares admitted.
“It does, but you know what? The UFC always finds a way to make things right.”
At long last, the wait is nearly over. He may have lost the chance to trade blows with Lesnar – who dos Santos referred to as “the most popular fighter in the world” – but it didn’t hurt his popularity any to have a weekly stint on reality TV where he was the smiling, gregarious counterweight to the scowling, misanthropic Lesnar.
“People recognize me more on the streets,” said dos Santos. “I’m very happy with that because I lost my opportunity to fight for the title, and then comes the TUF in my life. So it was very good and God blessed me again.”
Allowing fans to see his friendly, easy-going side might have even been the best thing to come out of the experience, though Soares wasn’t surprised to see people take to dos Santos’ warm personality as a coach, he said.
“He’s just a great guy. He’s an all-around good guy. He’s super intelligent, very motivated. He has his goals set and he’s going after them. He doesn’t steer away from that.”
When they heard that Lesnar was out and Carwin was likely in, Soares said, they figured it was a fight they’d have to take sooner or later, so they might as well go ahead and do it.
“Whether he fights Carwin on Saturday or eight months from now, eventually this fight was going to happen. So let the chips fall where they may. In this business, you have to be prepared for everything. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, and I guarantee you it won’t be the last. Doing what we do for a living, we have to be prepared for this. His coaches have been a great influence in putting that in his head that, look, we’re professional fighters. This happens. It’s part of the game.”
With the fight just days away, dos Santos no longer has to worry about when he’ll get paid for hitting someone again. Now it’s just a question of what will happen when he finally gets the chance.
Not surprisingly, “Cigano” likes his chances.
“[Carwin] has good skills in boxing, but I think I’m better than him in boxing. That’s why I think he’s going to try to take me down, because when he starts to feel…I know he’s good and he’s got heavy hands. But I think I’m faster and I’ve got more skills [in the] stand-up than him.”
And just because he’s appeared patient and understanding of all the changes and delays, don’t let it fool you. Dos Santos has been just as frustrated at times with the long layoff due to other people’s medical problems, Soares said, even if he didn’t often complain about it.
“Or, well, at least he doesn’t complain to the media,” Soares added.
Shane Carwin has lost 20 pounds of un-heallthy weight and you can certainly tell it by looking at him. He looks considerably leaner and less imposing than he has on previous occasions leading up to his fights.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia –