Quarterly Rankings
"I'm a fuckin' handful for anybody. You step in there, it's going to be a war and it's not going to be fun. Every punch I throw has bad intentions behind it. I'm competitive and I know that knockin' 'em out wins. Whether it goes five rounds or one round, it's doesn't matter to me. But I'm always looking for the knockout. I guarantee there's going to be a 'wow' at the end of this fight. People are going to be like, 'Did that just happen?'" - Shane Carwin
There are two undeniable truths in Shane Carwin's MMA career: he finishes his opponents, and he finishes them fast.
He has in his first 11 fights, at least. Consider this: in every single one of Carwin's professional bouts, he has stopped his opponent by knockout, TKO or submission in the first round. And except for his MMA debut, which wrapped up at the 2:11 mark, he has never even had a fight last more than two minutes. It's an impressive start to a career, and one that is possibly unmatched in MMA.
Carwin's reputation as a fast starter and fight finisher, as well as his chance to face UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, will be on the line when he meets Frank Mir at UFC 111 on March 27. For Carwin, it will be a huge opportunity to follow up his most recent bout - a knockout win against Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 96 - with a victory that proves that he belongs among the elite of the division.
Recently, Mir has shown more interest in a potential meeting with Lesnar than in his upcoming match with Carwin. Given Mir's past vulnerability to big, athletic wrestlers, it might be wise for him to focus more on the task at hand.
If Mir keeps looking past UFC 111, he could, to paraphrase Carwin's words to UFC.com, "be in for a big fuckin' surprise."
| (44) Comments
Click here to Register!