BROCK LESNAR TO DEFEND UFC HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE AGAINST SHANE CARWIN

Brock Lesnar will make his first defense of the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 106 against another college wrestling standout, Shane Carwin.  The event will take place at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center on November 21st, and will also feature the return of Tito Ortiz to UFC action after a high profile media ‘feud’ with UFC President Dana White.

Lesnar defeated Randy Couture at UFC 91 to become heavyweight champion, and avenged an early defeat to Interim heavyweight champion Frank Mir at UFC 100 to unify the belts.  Lesnar, a former WWE pro wrestling superstar, has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of the UFC heavyweight ranks—his defense against Carwin will be only his sixth professional fight.  Though he’s relied greatly on his wrestling ability and overwhelming size and strength, the 6’3” 265 pound Lesnar has improved as a fighter every time out.

Making this matchup very intriguing is the fact that Carwin has the size and strength to match up with Lesnar.  Carwin is also 6”3” and has to cut to the heavyweight limit of 265 pounds.  Working in Carwin’s favor is his relative experience (he’s 11-0) and an excellent training infrastructure provided by Greg Jackson, considered by many to be the best trainer in the sport.

Much of the promotion for the fight will revolve around the personality differences of the two men.  Lesnar became the biggest “heel” in the UFC with an unsportsmanlike display following his UFC 100 victory.  While much of this is good old fashioned fight promotion with a dose of pro wrestling theatrics, it’s polarized the UFC fanbase with fans either loving his antics or hoping that someone will be able to “shut him up”.

Carwin, on the other hand, is one of the more likably humble fighters in the sport.  He earned a degree in engineering from the Colorado College of Mines and until recently worked fulltime as an engineer while pursuing his fighting career.  He’s been highly critical of Lesnar’s behavior ever since UFC 100, and depending on who you ask may also have some personal animosity that goes beyond that.  At any rate, it’s the sort of storyline that makes for box office and PPV gold.

Dana White confirmed the matchup with the following statement:

“Brock is ready to go now and wants to fight. Carwin makes the most sense.  Gonzaga destroyed Cro Cop and he (Carwin) totally destroyed Gonzaga. Plus, he hates Brock Lesnar. It’s going to be two huge guys going at it. He’s got the power to knock anybody out and he’s got great wrestling, too. He’s one of the guys that has the size to match up with Brock, too.”

With two fighters that are physically and tactically mirror images of the other, anything can literally happen.  While Lesnar’s fans might not know much about the relatively low key Carwin, he’s a definite threat to take the UFC heavyweight title.