By Nate Lawson March 28, 2010 ©Insidefights.comShane Carwin’s knockout victory over Frank Mir at UFC 111 was brutal to say the least. During the 3:48 of the fight, Carwin utilized his superior strength and power to stifle everything the former UFC heavyweight champion could possibly throw his way. Pushing Mir against the cage, Carwin put his dirty boxing to work, pummeling Mir with several vicious uppercuts before finishing the fight with some dominant ground and pound.
The first round stoppage victory earned “The Engineer” the interim heavyweight title in what he considered his toughest fight to date. However, Carwin will be facing the biggest test the division has to offer later this year when he meets UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar to unify the belts.
Lesnar’s greatest strength over his young career has been his superior size and wrestling background. The heavyweight champion has smothered and pounded his way to the top of the division in a remarkably short time. Now, after recovering from career-threatening health problems, he’s back and ready to reestablish himself as the greatest heavyweight in the UFC.
With several strengths of his own, Carwin is ready to make Lesnar’s welcome back an unsatisfying one. His incredible knockout power has led to 12 first round knockout victories with four of those coming in the UFC. The Colorado native also has extreme strength and a solid wrestling background to go with his heavy-handed striking to make him that much more of a threat to Lesnar.
While Carwin is an extremely large heavyweight, those who saw the two standing opposite each other at the Prudential Center last weekend realize that Lesnar is still the much bigger man, and size could certainly play a large role in the wrestling game.
The hardest part about judging Carwin’s chance of success against Lesnar at UFC 116 is the fact that the strong heavyweight has yet to display how solid his wrestling could be against a top heavyweight, or any heavyweight for that matter.. Lesnar is a master of getting the fight to the ground and keeping it there. And while he has his opponents on the mat, the heavyweight champion is notorious for his relentless ground and pound.
If Carwin is able to keep the fight standing, he has more than a puncher’s chance of putting away the giant champion. But if the fight hits the floor with Lesnar on top, Carwin will need to be ready to outwrestle a man that is yet to have any problems with anyone on the ground.
In terms of striking, Carwin will likely fail to push Lesnar up against the cage and batter him the way he did against Mir. However, his vicious power always leaves his opponents vulnerable to the knockout and keep him in the fight at all times. But if Carwin fails to secure a distinct advantage in the stand up, he is going to run out of options to defeat the heavyweight champion.
And that is where the wrestling comes into play. Carwin’s greatest opportunity to win this fight is to avoid the takedowns and utilize a fluid, powerful striking game. He will likely be unable to get the fight to the ground himself, and Lesnar should be able to utilize his size to control the fight on the floor and up against the cage. If Carwin fails to hold his own on the ground, Lesnar will turn him into a punching bag like he did with Frank Mir at UFC 100.
Carwin’s greatest advantage, once again, will be the immense amount of power he holds in each of his hands. If the interim champion can bring a strong, fast striking game to the Octagon on July 3, along with solid takedown defense, he could certainly continue his knockout streak with his 13th in a row.
However, if Carwin is unable to damage Lesnar on the feet and fails to avoid the constant takedown pressure of the heavyweight champion, he is in for a beating. Every man Lesnar has yet to face knows all about that.
Carwin is a phenomenal fighter who has earned the right to fight for the true heavyweight championship. The match up may be surrounded in speculation as to who has the true advantage, but at UFC 116 Carwin has the opportunity to unify the interim title with the one wrapped around Lesnar’s waist and prove all of the doubters wrong.
Will Carwin keep the fight standing long enough to connect with Lesnar, or will Carwin’s takedown defense not live up to the hype? Either way, the fight is a phenomenal match up for the heavyweight division and should make for a short one. The two fighters are brutal heavyweights, and each are after the true heavyweight gold. No interim title will leave the Octagon on July 3, as an undisputed champion will be crowned in a battle of UFC giants.
