Shane Carwin confident against Brock Lesnar
With good reason, Interim UFC heavyweight champion Shane Carwin believes in his power. Not one opponent has withstood him in his twelve fights into his professional mixed martial arts career.
On July 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, with returning titleholder Brock Lesnar, Carwin will lock horns in an anticipated unification bout at UFC 116 “Lesnar vs. Carwin”.
In a teleconference, Carwin said, “If I touch anybody with my hands, I can knock him out. These are four-once gloves. Your margin for error is pretty small, especially being heavyweights”.
Carwin and his exploits are well documented, anchored at the Grudge Training Center in Colorado. The 35-year-old has finished five opponents in less than a minute and has never seen the second round. His longest to date is a three-minute-and-forty-eight-second outing against former heavyweight champion Frank Mir, which ended in a knockout.
“I’ve got a never-quit attitude; this is what I love to do. I am passionate about it. When I get in there, I want to fight. That’s how I look at it”, said Carwin.
He faces an uphill climb in Lesnar. At the University of Minnesota, the 6-foot-3, 265-pound South Dakota native was a four-time collegiate All-American wrestler. This is where he won a national championship as a heavyweight in 2000. In 2007, he transitioned successfully to MMA. After the transition, he carried a three-fight winning streak. In nearly a year, Lesnar has not competed because of life-threatening intestinal disorder in late 2009.
“Brock’s a big, talented, athletic heavyweight, those are rare to find. Those are the ones that push you to your limit. Every fight’s your biggest fight,” he said. “This is definitely the biggest fight of my career, but I don’t try to approach it any different. I think it’s a great time [for me to fight Lesnar]. It’s a challenge I look forward to”, said Carwin.