Tag: Shane Carwin

Facing More Important Fight, Brock Lesnar’s Cage Future Grows Uncertain

Filed under: StrikeforceTwo months shy of his 34th birthday, Brock Lesnar is forced to step away from mixed martial arts again. Since August 2009, he’s fought twice, had two bouts of diverticulitis and withdrawn from three scheduled matches, statistics…

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Two months shy of his 34th birthday, Brock Lesnar is forced to step away from mixed martial arts again. Since August 2009, he’s fought twice, had two bouts of diverticulitis and withdrawn from three scheduled matches, statistics he wishes he could erase from history. Though he once called himself the “baddest S.O.B.” on the planet, there might be more fear for Lesnar now than fear of him.

On Thursday, he announced that he would not be able to fight Junior dos Santos next month due to another diverticulitis flare-up, but at least he managed to put a confident bend on an otherwise disappointing scenario.

“I tell you one thing: I’m not retiring,” he said. “This isn’t the end of Brock Lesnar. It’s a speed bump in the road.”

He may be right. We should hope he is. When Lesnar is fighting, MMA seems to get a little more of the sports spotlight, a little more respect. But right now, his return timetable is a big question mark, largely because of the question marks facing his own care. Lesnar admitted that he is forced with the decision to either have surgery or simply deal with it the rest of his life. The former is no small procedure, involving invasive surgery and recovery time. The latter, as we have seen, can result in recurrences that take him out of action. Either way, there is no easy solution. Because of that, it is only human to wonder if Lesnar’s best athletic days are behind him.

Brock Lesnar and 15 Athletes Whose Careers Were Short Changed in Some Way

As reported by MMAFighting.com earlier today, Brock Lesnar has been forced out of his bout against Junior dos Santos at UFC 131.Lesnar has suffered a recurrence of diverticulits. This same illness caused Lesnar to be out of action for over a year follo…

As reported by MMAFighting.com earlier today, Brock Lesnar has been forced out of his bout against Junior dos Santos at UFC 131.

Lesnar has suffered a recurrence of diverticulits. This same illness caused Lesnar to be out of action for over a year following his bout against Frank Mir at UFC 100.

While everyone in the MMA community wishes Lesner a speedy recovery, he is the latest to be added to the list of athletes who have suffered injuries and illnesses that have shortened or ended their careers.

Although there are way too many to list here, I present to you 15 athletes whose careers were unfortunately short changed due to circumstances beyond their control.

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With Contender Fight Shake-Up, Lesnar’s Misfortune Could Be Carwin’s Gain

Filed under: UFCBy the time UFC heavyweight Shane Carwin got the news it was already well on its way to becoming the top story of the day: former UFC champion Brock Lesnar was forced out of his UFC 131 bout with Junior dos Santos due to a recurring cas…

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By the time UFC heavyweight Shane Carwin got the news it was already well on its way to becoming the top story of the day: former UFC champion Brock Lesnar was forced out of his UFC 131 bout with Junior dos Santos due to a recurring case of diverticulitis.

And as Carwin found out when he finished up his conditioning workout and started returning a slew of missed calls, that same number one contender fight was now his.

“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,” Carwin wrote on his blog Thursday afternoon. “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.”

Perhaps no one is more excited than head Grudge Training Center coach Trevor Wittman, who got the call from the UFC when Carwin was too busy working out to hear the good news, and who has spent the last few weeks dropping hints to Carwin that he should be prepared for just such an opportunity.

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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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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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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