Tag: MMA

UFC 131: With Brock Lesnar Out, the Main Event Fight Is Now Even Better

My immediate reaction to changing Brock Lesnar and substituting in Shane Carwin was “Junior dos Santos will crush him.”The more I think about it though, the more of a good—and better—main event fight it will be.Carwin is deserving of a seco…

My immediate reaction to changing Brock Lesnar and substituting in Shane Carwin was “Junior dos Santos will crush him.”

The more I think about it though, the more of a good—and better—main event fight it will be.

Carwin is deserving of a second shot at a title and JDS is a great stepping stone to get there. If Carwin does get a shot at Cain Velasquez, it’s very well deserved seeing as he had Lesnar beat until he gassed.

But the fight between Carwin and JDS is more interesting now. Instead of watching Lesnar trying to take down JDS the entire fight, you get two guys who know how to strike and do it very well.

Carwin was able to get rocked and get going again as evident by his first round, knockout win over Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 96.

But Gonzaga is no JDS. JDS has great striking ability and is very agile. The man even knows how to do the “Showtime Kick” for crying out loud. 

You couldn’t possibly put two better fighters in the cage at UFC 131.

Not to mention now we don’t have to see Carwin fight someone like Jon Olav Einemo. Einemo hasn’t even fought since 2006.

Carwin now gets a nice tough test against someone of name value and a top heavyweight in the world. Coming off an injury that required surgery.

The fight features two good strikers now that could duke it out to earn the right to face Velasquez sometime in the fall of this year.

Unlike the removal of Gray Maynard versus Frankie Edgar from UFC 130, this is a good move for the card. 

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Is Shane Carwin Ready To Replace Brock Lesnar Ahead of UFC 131?

Bleacher Report’s Mike Hodges:
Following the announcement surrounding Brock Lesnar’s sudden departure from the main event at UFC 131, it has been confirmed that Shane Carwin will step in for the former UFC heavyweight champion.
This is the second time …

Bleacher Report’s Mike Hodges:


Following the announcement surrounding Brock Lesnar‘s sudden departure from the main event at UFC 131, it has been confirmed that Shane Carwin will step in for the former UFC heavyweight champion.


This is the second time in one week the UFC has had to find a replacement for their main event slot. Earlier this week it was learned that both Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard had to pull out of their title bout at UFC 130 after sustaining injuries. 


The news first broke during a conference call with UFC president, Dana White.


“He was all bummed out about pulling out of the fight,” White said regarding Lesnar’s health, courtesy of MMAFighting.com.


“I told him, ‘Don’t worry about the fight.’ I’m glad it’s not life-threatening.” 


White then revealed Lesnar’s replacement, Shane Carwin.


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Brock Lesnar Pulls out of UFC 131, Shane Carwin Set to Face Junior Dos Santos

This is yet another big hit to the UFC. Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard both had to pull out of their scheduled bout at UFC 130 and now UFC 131 sees the loss of Brock Lesnar—their biggest draw.In a media conference call at 5:00 PM EST, UFC Preside…

This is yet another big hit to the UFC. Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard both had to pull out of their scheduled bout at UFC 130 and now UFC 131 sees the loss of Brock Lesnar—their biggest draw.

In a media conference call at 5:00 PM EST, UFC President Dana White announced that Brock Lesnar is suffering from Diverticulitis again.

Bloody Elbow reports that Brock is not retiring and that he is debating having surgery, although he has no timetable for his return. 

Fortunately, Shane Carwin is now being tapped to fight Junior Dos Santos, with reports indicating that the winner will still be getting the opportunity to fight Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight championship.

This is a big fight for Carwin to be taking on such short notice, but at 36 years old, even he realized he is running out of time. He shared his feelings on being chosen to replace Brock via his website.

“Junior is a serious fight and not the type of fight that you would normally take on a 30-day notice, but I have a dream to chase and I do not have a lot of time to chase it. This is an opportunity to put myself in contention for the title. I know my coaches will have me ready, so I have everything to gain.”

Carwin is a very legitimate contender and a great choice as a late replacement, as he himself had Brock Lesnar bloodied up and nearly finished in their title bout at UFC 116.

The reality of the situation is, however, that he looked absolutely gassed entering the second round of that fight. Although Carwin has proven knockout power, the fact that his tank is already questionable, combined with a recent surgery and short training camp, is a recipe for disaster.

Unless he manages to finish Junior Dos Santos in the first round, which seems unlikely given the Brazilian’s great boxing, he is going to be in serious trouble.

This clearly was not what the UFC was hoping for, as the pay-per-view draw for a card without Brock Lesnar will be significantly less. But at least Velasquez will be given the opportunity to face a new opponent, no matter the outcome. The beating that Cain delivered to Brock the first time around isn’t anything we need to witness twice.

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UFC 133 Preview: Mike Brown and Nam Phan on Target for UFC 133

Lightweights Mike Brown and Nam Phan have recently been added to UFC 133, according to MMAJunkie.com.Brown is heading into this bout in a must-win situation, going 2-4 in his last six bouts. Brown last fought at UFC 125 in a bout that saw him on the lo…

Lightweights Mike Brown and Nam Phan have recently been added to UFC 133, according to MMAJunkie.com.

Brown is heading into this bout in a must-win situation, going 2-4 in his last six bouts. Brown last fought at UFC 125 in a bout that saw him on the losing end of a split decision to Diego Nunes. Brown followed that up with another decision loss, this time to Rani Yahya at UFC Fight Night 23. 

Phan will be heading into this bout following a controversial split decision loss to Leonard Garcia at The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale. According to MMAJunkie, Phan was scheduled to rematch Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24, but a foot injury forced him to withdraw.

The loss also puts Phan into a tough position, as he too will be desperately seeking a win after going win-less in three of his last four bouts. 

Although the main card looks to be finalized with bouts like Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis and Rich Franklin vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, the fight between Brown and Phan will likely been featured on the preliminary card. 

UFC 133 will take place on August 6, live from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

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Is Shane Carwin Ready To Replace Brock Lesnar Ahead of UFC 131?

Following the announcement surrounding Brock Lesnar’s sudden departure from the main event at UFC 131, it has been confirmed that Shane Carwin will step in for the former UFC heavyweight champion.This is the second time in one week the UFC has had to f…

Following the announcement surrounding Brock Lesnar‘s sudden departure from the main event at UFC 131, it has been confirmed that Shane Carwin will step in for the former UFC heavyweight champion.

This is the second time in one week the UFC has had to find a replacement for their main event slot. Earlier this week it was learned that both Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard had to pull out of their title bout at UFC 130 after sustaining injuries. 

The news first broke during a conference call with UFC president, Dana White.

“He was all bummed out about pulling out of the fight,” White said during the media call, courtesy of MMAFighting.com.

“I told him, ‘Don’t worry about the fight.’ I’m glad it’s not life-threatening,” he said regarding Lesnar’s health.

White then revealed Lesnar’s replacement, Shane Carwin.

Carwin has accepted the bout on short notice and is aware of the opportunity that he has been given.

“This is an opportunity to put myself in contention for the title.  I know my coaches will have me ready so I have everything to gain,” Carwin said on his blog.

One has to wonder how Carwin will be able to prepare for an opponent like Dos Santos, especially on a thirty day notice, and against a striker who is as equally as dangerous on the feet. 

Also, it is worth noting that Carwin has not been in the Octagon since last summer. Coincidentally, Lesnar was the last opponent Carwin competed against, and could likely be heading into his bout versus Dos Santos with some ring rust. 

The winner will be next in line to square off against UFC heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez. 

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UFC 131: Shane Carwin Comments on Junior Dos Santos and Brock Lesnar’s Illness

The main event for UFC 131 was scheduled to be Brock Lesnar vs. Junior dos Santos, but has now been changed to Shane Carwin vs. Junior dos Santos. Lesnar is being forced out of the fight due to a flare up of diverticulitis.Carwin, a former UFC interim …

The main event for UFC 131 was scheduled to be Brock Lesnar vs. Junior dos Santos, but has now been changed to Shane Carwin vs. Junior dos Santos. Lesnar is being forced out of the fight due to a flare up of diverticulitis.

Carwin, a former UFC interim heavyweight champion himself, was scheduled to fight UFC newcomer Jon Olav Einemo at UFC 131, but was informed by his manager that he would instead be bumped up to the main event.

The news actually came as a surprise to Carwin, who had no idea about the situation until his manager informed him. 

“I was training and my phone was blowing up so I looked over and saw some missed calls from Dana and Joe Silva,” Carwin said on his blog. “I reached out to my manager to see what was going on and he informed me that we are taking Lesnar’s spot for 131.”

The timing was actually convenient for Carwin, given that he was preparing for a fight and will just need to change the focus of his training. Dos Santos will need to do the same.

“Junior is a serious fight and not the type of fight that you would normally take on a 30 day notice but I have a dream to chase and I do not have a lot of time to chase it.  This is an opportunity to put myself in contention for the title.  I know my Coaches will have me ready so I have everything to gain.”

Despite losing his last fight in the Octagon to Lesnar, Carwin gave his best wishes his former foe as he prepared to take his place.

“I hope Brock is able to recover.  I look forward to facing him again one day.”

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