Shane Carwin vs. Cain Velasquez Off; Carwin to Challenge Lesnar for UFC Title

Posted Aug 20, 2009 11:49AM By Ariel Helwani (RSS feed)

Filed Under: UFC

Shane Carwin will face Brock Lesnar for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 106.

FanHouse has learned that Carwin's bout against Cain Velasquez at UFC 104 has officially been scrapped, and the 11-0 heavyweight will main event the November 21st card in Las Vegas against Lesnar (4-1).

MMAMadness.com first reported the news of the potential title fight late Tuesday evening.

The Carwin vs. Velasquez bout at UFC 104 was supposed to determine the No.1 contender for the UFC heavyweight title. No word just yet on who Velasquez will be facing instead, but FanHouse has learned that the 6-0 American Kickboxing Academy will still be competing on the October 24 card in Los Angeles.

No official reason was given for the switch.

Carwin is 3-0 inside the Octagon, however, only one of his victories -- a first-round TKO win over Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 96 -- has come on the main card.

Lesnar captured the UFC heavyweight crown when he defeated Randy Couture at UFC 91. He successfully defended it at UFC 100 in July, defeating interim champion Frank Mir via second-round TKO.

Carwin doesn't appear to be a big fan of Lesnar's, as he very vocal about how unimpressed he was with Lesnar's post-UFC 100 behavior:

"The flipping off of the fans that just lined your pocket with millions of dollars is just LAME. He may be a Champion but he has a long ways to go before he earns the respect of a Champion. The fans are why we do this Brock, this sport is not about fat paychecks and drama it is about hard work and sacrifice for a shot to do what you did last night. It doesn't matter how much money you make if you can't earn your peers respect and the respect and love of the greatest sporting fans in the world. We have no scripts in this sport, no pre-determined earning amount and no pre-determined outcomes. It doesn't matter if you win or loose it matters how you win or loose."

Tito Ortiz vs. Mark Coleman is also rumored for UFC 106.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-20-2009 @ 12:24PM

neozoo said...

wow!
i really would have preferred to see shane/cain than shane/brock.
i don't know that i get this, other than to keep brock hot and in the publics eye.

8-21-2009 @ 1:47AM

johnnynumber5 said...

It's all about PPV money. The Carwin vs Velasquez fight would have pushed the winner vs Lesnar into 2010 which isn't good for business. Simple. The UFC can't have their best PPV draw off for the entire year because of scheduling conflicts. So, they just cancel the OCT fight between Carwin & Vleasquez and make it an November card for Lesnar & Carwin. Otherwise, Lesnar doesn't have a viable opponent until at the earlier Q1 2010 and thats assuming no major injuries. It's just Dana being Dana.

How about that Gegard mousasi ... Told you.

8-21-2009 @ 8:17AM

hey johnny,
did you read my reply to you in the "Spike Trumpets UFC 100 Ratings". if so, i was curious on your thoughts and if not, check it out.

8-20-2009 @ 2:09PM

DRAGON said...

I wish people would really sit back and really take a good look at any fight event, whether it be boxing or MMA. The one thing they always do is interview the fighters. To get a better view of the state of mind the fighters are in and to see what the fighters are going to say about or to each other. To sensationalize the fight. Thus, creating the DRAMA for the fight and hyping it up. So when a guy like Brock Lesnar comes to the UFC and creates DRAMA don't knock the guy for it. Especially, since it comes easy for him coming from the WWE. It's the drama, plus his performance that makes you watch him and watch who he is fighting against. Whether you love him, like him, hate him, or could care less, if you're a fan of MMA you will watch a fight that Lesnar is in. Either to route for or against. Do I condone his flippin-off of the fans? Heck no. Would I have done it myself after looking for accolade from my fans and receiving a huge boom of boos? Hell yeah. And I would have been chewed out just like he was, minus the beer comments because I drink all beers. It's easy to criticize from the stands, but when a man goes into the Octagon and earns a victory with his own two hands, he should at least get some form of appreciation. Now, I feel the boos stemmed from the fact that Lesnar is in some form a "Paper Champ." It looked better on paper him versus Couture, than anyone else in the heavyweight roster. Couture is a superstar fighter and needs to compete against another superstar fighter. A lot of the guys in the heavyweight division are good-great fighters, but at the time, none were superstars or really shining, I should say. Any of them put into a fight against Couture for the title would have been a lackluster turn out or, in my opinion, a predictable outcome. This was a business decision and a smart one. No matter what though, Lesnar earned it with his own hands. So if you are going to dislike the man, be clear on your dislike. His behavior unsportsmanlike? Yes. Be upset. He created some drama? Yes. Did it hurt the sport? No. Does he need to earn the respect of the other fighters? No. We need air to breathe, food to eat, clothing and shelter to protect us from the weather. You don't NEED respect. Would it be nice to have the respect of the other fighters? Yeah, but that's my opinion. Right now, whether he has it or not, respect isn't what is around Lesnar's waist - it's gold. And ALL fighters respect the gold if it's earned. Lesnar earned it. Keep it up, Brock, and congrats on the new addition to the Lesnar family.

8-22-2009 @ 7:19AM

Rudeandtat2d said...

i absolutely could not agree more.. very well put!

8-20-2009 @ 2:10PM

Paul said...

The size and strength of Shane Carwin is what is so impressive. He is just about as big as Brock and he packs a big right. I would love to see him knock Brock's clock.

8-20-2009 @ 2:56PM

From his stats, Carwin does look like the man that can do it. Only two years apart in age and whatever their reach is are the only mitigating factors that decide this fight. I would just like to see a fighter actually have some form of offense on Lesnar. No one but Couture has really given Lesnar any challenge.

8-20-2009 @ 3:28PM

Ohio Cannibal said...

wow. I'm curious as to the reasoning. I really want to see Lesnar vs Carwin, so I'm glad it's going to happen, but I feel bad for Velasquez. I bet Velasquez ends up on the card the UFC puts against Fedor's first Stikeforce fight. Not sure who he'd fight... maybe Gonzaga?

8-20-2009 @ 7:41PM

mitch said...

I think this is the best HW championship fight.Carwin is big and strong let them go at it.He is a good wrestler with a punch and has the Best chance of beating Brock I think.Who else should Brock fight?

8-21-2009 @ 8:27AM

Joe said...

Carwin is the guy that I have been waiting to see fight Lesnar. He is big and strong but not as big as Lesnar. Carwin weighs around 260 but Brock goes about 290. I doubt Carwin cuts any weight to make the 265 limit. Brock is a little younger and fought better opponents. I think Carwin has a good chance to win this fight and I hope he pulls it off. I wish Carwin would have gotten into MMA a little earlier. He hasn't had a lot of experience and he is 34. He has only had one tough opponent in Gonzaga and he got knocked down against him so I hope he can take a punch from Lesnar. Carwin has a good training camp and partners so hopefully he has gained a lot of experience from them. This is a tough fight to pick a winner. I think Carwin has better standup and submissions. He submitted most of his opponents before he came to the UFC, but in the UFC he knocks his opponents out. He is 11-0 in his professional MMA career with 6 KO's and 5 submissions. Nobody has made it through the first round against him. I have to think that Lesnar has better wrestling and is quicker. If Lesnar gets him down I hope Carwin can get back to his feet the way he did against Gonzaga. If he can he should win this fight.

8-21-2009 @ 10:02AM

imshortyk said...

Good points, Joe Daddeh. But I would have to give the nod to (don't say it!) Brock. He is, as you stated, quicker. And for a dude his size to move like that is an act of the supernatural to begin with, coupled with his incredible strength, I just can't see Carwin bullying him in any way. I'm not sure if Brock's reach is longer or not, but I do expect a boxing match in this one. Brock knows he won't be able to muscle Carwin around like his past few opponents, so he'll have to resort to his super long reach and water cooler sized fists. That's what he had to do against Randy, since he (surprisingly) couldn't keep Cap'n America on his back.

I do think this is the best the Heavyweight division has to offer (outside of Randy) at the moment, so I like this fight. It will be competitive, but it will probably be short. Brock in two rounds.

8-21-2009 @ 12:52PM

dalejr8tony said...

I just wish Carwin would get the same kind of hype that Brock does. Not only does Shane have bigger hands than Brock, but he has to cut those same size gloves and tape them up before each fight. Oh but Brock's hand are the size of "lunchboxes".(Dana) Even though he has yet to be tested outside the first round, I think his record speaks for it self and warrants to be built up a little better.

8-21-2009 @ 2:48PM

Eric said...

Truth be told these guys are near replicas of eachother.

Both have a standard one two boxing style. I would give the punching power advantage to Carwin ... he has uncanny power in his right hand. Wellisch & Gonzaga both dropped like a sack of potatos.

Both guys are great wrestlers, but I can envision Carwin being on his back long before seeing Brock on his. The wrestling advantage will definitely go to Brock.

I see this being a somewhat cautious stand-up fight until someone gets clipped and finished in the 2nd or 3rd round.

8-22-2009 @ 12:54PM

richardbikle said...

i think carwin has a reasonable chance. carwin isnt going to be able to stop brock's takedown, and when brock takes him down he will dominate carwin. lesnar is the much more dominate wrestler.

carwin has a punchers chance. lesnar didnt take those shots from mir at the start of the second well at all. mirs handwork looked better than before, but its not world class standup. the first guy that can keep lesnar on the outside with punches will likely ko lesnar; trouble is, keeping lesnar outside is no easy task.
lesnar is going to win this fight on the ground.

8-22-2009 @ 5:01PM

perfectly said,
i agree with you completely.