Carwin Injured, Off UFC 141; Heavyweight Eyes Mid-2012 Return
Former UFC interim heavyweight champion Shane
Carwin has suffered another injury setback. The fighter
recently announced the news on his official website, explaining
that a new back injury will prevent him from competing at UFC
141.
“As I ramped up my training for UFC 141, my body locked up during training,” Carwin wrote in a blog entry. “It wasn’t like the [Brock] Lesnar fight, but my back just tightened up and I froze. I scheduled an MRI, and the results showed that my disc in my lower back is into the nerves. My doctor gave me two options: retire and I could probably go on for a few years without surgery, or I could undergo surgery and continue my career.
“The decision was easy. I have unfinished business. The UFC had me
lined up to face one of the best in the world, and I am confident I
have everything I need to be a champion. I am scheduling surgery
and I hope to return to the Octagon by spring or summer 2012.”
Carwin last underwent surgery in November 2010 to relieve pain in his neck and back. After recovering from the procedure, the heavyweight returned to the cage on June 11, falling via unanimous decision to Junior dos Santos at UFC 131.
Carwin, 36, compiled a perfect 12-0 record to begin his career, culminating with a victory over Frank Mir to win the UFC interim heavyweight belt in March 2010. The former NCAA Division II football and wrestling standout came up short in his shot to unify the belt against then-champion Lesnar, however, submitting to a second-round arm-triangle choke.
“I have spent my entire fighting career dealing with injuries from my football career,” wrote Carwin. “I have done my best to get through my training, and I have been blessed to get through my fights with relatively little to no damage.
“As a man of faith, I know that you are never given more burden then you can carry. I feel that the last couple years have tested me in more ways than I have ever imagined. The challenges [of] being [that] close to greatness and yet so far away have been nothing less than motivating. I look forward to a fast and speedy recovery.”
“As I ramped up my training for UFC 141, my body locked up during training,” Carwin wrote in a blog entry. “It wasn’t like the [Brock] Lesnar fight, but my back just tightened up and I froze. I scheduled an MRI, and the results showed that my disc in my lower back is into the nerves. My doctor gave me two options: retire and I could probably go on for a few years without surgery, or I could undergo surgery and continue my career.
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Carwin last underwent surgery in November 2010 to relieve pain in his neck and back. After recovering from the procedure, the heavyweight returned to the cage on June 11, falling via unanimous decision to Junior dos Santos at UFC 131.
Carwin, 36, compiled a perfect 12-0 record to begin his career, culminating with a victory over Frank Mir to win the UFC interim heavyweight belt in March 2010. The former NCAA Division II football and wrestling standout came up short in his shot to unify the belt against then-champion Lesnar, however, submitting to a second-round arm-triangle choke.
“I have spent my entire fighting career dealing with injuries from my football career,” wrote Carwin. “I have done my best to get through my training, and I have been blessed to get through my fights with relatively little to no damage.
“As a man of faith, I know that you are never given more burden then you can carry. I feel that the last couple years have tested me in more ways than I have ever imagined. The challenges [of] being [that] close to greatness and yet so far away have been nothing less than motivating. I look forward to a fast and speedy recovery.”
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