UFC
Shane Carwin ready for "early fall" UFC return, promises "new and improved" fighting game
May 31, 2012 - 1:40:38 PM Shane Carwin ready for "early fall" UFC return, promises "new and improved" fighting game

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Former Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin hasn't been in action since his decision loss to Junior dos Santos last June. Continued issues with his back led to surgery last fall, but he's getting ready to make his return, and he says he's feeling better than ever.

"I informed UFC Matchmaker (Joe Silva) that I would like to fight in Early Fall 2012," Carwin wrote on his personal website. "I would like to be able to fight every three or four months. Barring injury I intend to leave the UFC octagon and head back to the Grudge Training Center to continue the climb. I have spent my entire career dealing with injuries sustained through Football. I am 100% and I feel like a younger version of my former self. The UFC should look into adding some padding in the gloves because I plan on crushing my opponents."

Carwin's heavy hands and his wrestling base led to a 12-0 start to his MMA career. That streak was capped off by four wins in the UFC that brought him the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship. However, his string of immensely fast finishes led to little development in his overall game. That's something he's hoping to remedy as he prepares for his return.

"My entire career is shorter then some Pride Fights," he opined. "I have somehow managed to contend for the UFC HW Title with less than an hour of actual fighting. On one hand that is amazing on the other it kind of scary to think I am facing seasoned veterans with limited experience. Talk about swimming with the sharks. The time off has allowed me to focus on me. Work on the fundamentals of the sport and improve. Maybe most important, to fall in love with the sport again."

"No one ever 'wants' or 'needs' back surgery but I did 'need' the time to improve my skills," he continued. "Being a good wrestler with heavy hands is only a fraction of skills needed to become a World Champion. I am certain when I come back you will see a more diverse and hungry fighter. I will not be worried about my extra pounds causing cardio problems, and I will not stumble on the way up this mountain top."

"You are going to see the Old Shane with new and improved skills fighting because it's what I love to do."

Penick's Analysis: Carwin's hands have always been a game changing weapon, and he came immensely close to defeating Brock Lesnar in the same fashion Cain Velasquez did when the two met in 2010. He's gotten lost in the heavyweight conversation since he's been defeated twice in a row, and because he's been out of action almost a year already. However, a rejuvenated Carwin can still be a very real threat to anyone in the heavyweight division, and when he returns this fall we'll see whether or not he's added anything to his overall skill set.

[Shane Carwin art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]