UFC
UFC 116 PREVIEW: Shane Carwin believes he's just scratched the surface of his abilities, wants to finish Brock Lesnar at UFC 116
Jul 3, 2010 - 10:00:35 AM UFC 116 PREVIEW: Shane Carwin believes he's just scratched the surface of his abilities, wants to finish Brock Lesnar at UFC 116

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

While a lot has been said about the progression Brock Lesnar has made in a short time in mixed martial arts, and that we've still only seen a small amount of what he'll eventually be able to bring to the cage, his UFC 116 opponent Shane Carwin believes he's got a lot of that in himself.

"I have a lot of areas where I feel I've just scratched the surface," said Carwin in a pre-fight conference call last week. "I [feel I] can become a much better fighter."

Carwin's well aware of the unique challenges presented to him by Lesnar, who is perhaps a larger version of him, and he believes their bout at UFC 116 is a classic matchup for the UFC.

"Brock's a big, talented, athletic heavyweight, and those are rare to find," he said. "These are the great fights and these are the ones that you remember."

Carwin's standing in the UFC exploded this year after his knockout win over Frank Mir in March, but it was also his knockout over Gabriel Gonzaga last March that put him in a better position as well. Through it all, Carwin has continued to work full time as an engineer, and says he still keeps his same group of friends and supporters heading into the biggest fight of his career.

"I still treat life the same," Carwin said. "The circle is still the same, there's just a lot more people involved."

And while the story leading into the fight has been Lesnar's return to action, Carwin knows it just takes one punch for him to swing things his way.

"You've got the four ounce gloves on so your margin for error is really small," he said. "[But] if i touch anybody with my hands I can knock them out."

Carwin's ready for a war with Lesnar on Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it's a war he's looking to finish.

"I've got that never quit attitude. I've got a lot of heart and determination. I'm not looking to eke out decisions, I want to get in there and finish."

Penick's Analysis: Carwin is a beast of a heavyweight, and there's no questioning the power in his hands or his heart. His comeback against Gonzaga after getting rocked early was excellent, and his domination of Frank Mir was infinitely impressive. You can never count a guy out that possesses the power that Carwin brings to the cage, and he's right, if he can connect on the right spot with one of his gigantic sledgehammer hands, he can put them out. We'll find out on Saturday if he's able to do that to Lesnar to claim the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship.

RELATED STORY: UFC 116 PREVIEW: Brock Lesnar thought he was on his deathbed; sees July 3 bout as his "second coming": [CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE]

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