Dana White has been both lauded and criticized for the way he promotes the UFC. However, he stated in an interview that people have been waiting for years to see a heavyweight title bout with the potential that Lesnar/Carwin carries.
Like him or hate him, he is exactly right.
I grew up watching boxing, and remember watching some of the fights with my dad. It wasn’t my favorite sport at the time but I enjoyed the contests, and looked forward to some of them. Sugar Ray Leonard, Ray “Boom-Boom” Mancini, and some other fighters I can’t remember right now put on some impressive bouts.
However, boxing has become irrelevant. I can’t remember knowing or actively caring about a boxing match. Outta sight, outta mind. Dana is making sure this fate doesn’t happen to the UFC anytime soon.
Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin are two trains with heavy locomotives on the same track heading toward each other at 100 miles per hour. You know the collision is gonna happen, and you can’t wait to see which train is left standing. OK, maybe you aren’t that keyed up about it. But if you’re a UFC fan, a boxing fan, or even a mild sporting fan…the more you know about this fight, the more you are anticipating it.
For those of you that do not already know, Brock Lesnar is a former WWE wrestler that switched to MMA in 2007. Because of his size and quickness, Lesnar managed to fight for (and win) the UFC Heavyweight Title in his fourth MMA fight. Some were upset because Lesnar got a title fight so quickly, and others (myself included) are not cheering for him because of his brash, often offensive outbursts about his opponent.
Most UFC fighters have great respect for their opponents, and in a world often short of true sportsmanship these fighters have gained a lot of followers. Brock, however, has chosen a different road. Because of his antics, he doesn’t garner as much respect as maybe he should.
Say what you want about the man, but his ability, athleticism and desire cannot be questioned. The improvement in Brock’s game has been tremendous, and if he loses tonight at UFC 116 it will not be from lack of training.
Shane Carwin, on the other hand, is well-spoken, well-mannered, and appears to be a true sportsman. Not only has he won all 12 of his fights, but every fight has ended with plenty of time left in the first round.
The train wreck created by these two men is gonna be intense.
Some other things you need to know about this fight:
- Brock is fighting for the first time in about a year due to a severe bout of diverticulitis. Ring rust may be a factor.
- While Lesnar looks like a huge beast (and he is), Carwin’s glove size is bigger.
- Lesnar won the NCAA Division I wrestling championship in 2000. Carwin won the NCAA Division II wrestling championship the year before. Lesnar is greatly downplaying Carwin’s Division II championship. While I am sure there is a difference between the two in skill levels, I am not sure it is going to matter in 2010. Remember when Lesnar got caught in a heel hook from Frank Mir? A world-class wrestler on top of his game would never have been caught in that hold.
- Lesnar is a favorite right now in Vegas (odds -145/+125 as of right now) but has lost ground over the past month when he was as high as -200 (http://www.bestbetufc.com/ufc-odds/ufc-116-odds/).
I am calling this one for Carwin. Mostly because I want him to win, but also because I believe his style is much more controlled than Lesnar’s. Brock will come at you like a raging bull but Shane has been very patient and methodical in his victories. Funny to say that about a guy that hasn’t needed any more than one round to put away his opponents.
If you don’t wanna drop the money on PPV ($40+), find a sports bar that will show the fight. BWW and Hooters usually shows UFC fights.
We are visiting some of my wife’s friends from school right now…so not sure how we are going to catch the fights. If we don’t see them tonight, we will catch it later from home.
If you have never seen the UFC or haven’t seen it for years, this is the fight to catch.
