by Kevin De Silva Piques

Created on: October 26, 2009

Shane Carwin is a former Division II national champion wrestler. He is also a former two time All-American football player. His athletic abilities can not be questioned. He is listed at 6 feet 5 inches tall, but is probably closer to 6 feet 2 inches, and weighs around 260 pounds. He will be the first fighter to match up physically with Brock Lesnar.

Shane has won 11 fights in a row, 6 by knockout and 5 by submission. He has not fought passed the first round in any of his fights. Although his earlier fights have come against lesser opponents, his last fight against Gabe Gonzaga showed what kind of fighter Carwin is. Gonzaga landed a very hard shot against Shane that broke his nose. He was rocked by the blow, but recovered enough to land his own right hand on the chin of Gonzaga, knocking him unconscious. It was an impressive performance against a quality opponent, that made believers out of those who had previously questioned Carwin's skills.

In this last fight, two things were discovered about Shane Carwin. The first was, he can take a punch. Although he was rocked and went down from the punch that broke his nose, he still maintained his composure and immediately was able to scramble and bring the fight back up to the feet. It showed incredible heart and determination. The second was that Shane Carwin has the power to knockout anyone at anytime. The simple fact exists, that when Shane lands a punch on the chin, his opponents go to sleep.

It is these qualities that has fight fans excited about the fight with Brock Lesnar. The champ is slightly bigger, slightly stronger, is much quicker, and has faced better competition than Carwin. The two combatants match up closely, but Lesnar has not shown the type of punching power that Carwin has shown in his fights.

This is an excellent match up where either fighter can win the fight. The outcome will be determined by who has the best game plan and who can best execute their plan and control the fight. What has fight fans so excited about Carwin is his punching power. He has said in the past he prefers to stand and bang. He possesses the wrestling skills to possibly keep this fight standing, although it will be a tough task with the speed and strength of Lesnar.

Shane Carwin is a worthy challenger for the UFC heavyweight title. This will be the toughest and most dangerous test that Brock Lesnar will face to this point. I for one will not miss watching this fight. It has the makings of an instant classic. Don't blink, this one could be over very quickly.

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