Shane Carwin Exposed by Brock Lesnar's Chin

Brock Lesnar defeated Shane Carwin by tapout. Carwin showed he's a one trick pony tonight by not being able to finish Brock on the ground. If Carwin could do anything other than punch like a third rate boxer (which is amazingly good for MMA standards) he would have won this fight. Carwin connected with Lesnar and put him down for a pummeling but couldn't finish Brock on the ground. Part of this was due to Brock's defence and solid chin but the more important thing was that Carwin had no plan B. Carwin had no submission skills or ability in the full mount to finish off the champion. He is a one trick pony and that one trick didn't work against Lesnar. In the second round Lesnar took a tired Carwin down and finished him with a fairly weak triangle choke.

I think someone as skilled as an Emelianenko or Overeem would definitely have a much better shot at finishing Lesnar (likely by submission similar to what Frank Mir did despite being no where near as talented as Fedor or the Reem). The UFC does not have any such talented 5 tool heavyweights. The only two in the division are Overeem and Emelianenko and both are not in the UFC. I see Cain Velasquez getting the next shot at Brock and that too should be an entertaining fight. I think Cain is more skilled but again with a wrestling background he may struggle against the larger Lesnar in ways that a Fedor would not. Cain's skills are similar to Lesnar's but better, however, he is also much smaller. Carwin may get Junior Dos Santos if Junior beats Big Country. The heavyweight picture has four guys in the UFC and three guys in Strikeforce that, in my opinion, are probably the best out there.

Carwin's 35 and probably doesn't have too many more chances left, especially if he loses his next fight. I don't see him getting a rematch with Brock unless he puts together a solid win or two and Brock continues to defend. However, if an Overeem or Emelianenko join the UFC I think Carwin's chances are going to be slim to survive at the top levels despite his great KO record. Carwin proved he can't win outside of one round. Brock took Carwin outside of a round by showing great defence and a solid chin and that was enough to win. Carwin had nothing left in round 2.

Brock Lesnar Defends Against Shane Carwin at UFC 116

Brock Lesnar returns from a long layoff due to illness today to take on a guy who has made a name for himself recently in the UFC. That guy is Shane Carwin. Carwin and Lesnar both built their names off of Frank Mir whose claim to fame was getting destroyed by Brandon Vera and beating a washed up and ill Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Now these two biggies go at it to see who is the best Mir beater. The most exciting thing about this fight isn't that these two are good MMA fighters but rather that they are huge and Brock Lesnar was in the WWE where he made his claim to fame. I would definitely watch this fight just based on those two factors. These two wrestlers turned strikers will show the world how two behemoths who never trained in striking can smack each other around. You can't get any better than that! I just hope wrestling plays a factor in this fight at some point.

Now, let's get down to the nitty gritty of it all. Carwin wants to keep this fight on his feet so that he can dismantle Brock with his proven superior striking. Whether he's against the cage or in the middle of the ring, if Carwin's on his feet he has the best chance to win. For Brock, he needs to get this thing to the ground and out muscle Carwin for positioning so that he can lay on the ground and pound. The strategies couldn't be more obvious given the limited skill sets of these two wrestlers turned brawlers. It'll be interesting to see who gets his way and ultimately wins this fight.

Make no mistake Fedor is still the most skilled and talented heavyweight in the world today. Werdum got lucky but everyone loses eventually. Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre both lost as well. Fedor will defeat Werdum in the rematch and then I hope we'll see a clash of two truly talented MMA artists in Overeem and Emelianenko. Until that happens, lets sit back and enjoy this freak show at UFC 116. Hey, Dana loves the freak shows as he proved when he set up James Toney vs Randy Couture.