Dos Santos, Carwin on Target for UFC 131

Two of the heavyweight division’s heaviest hitters, Junior dos Santos and Shane Carwin have 23 finishes in 24 victories between them. Something has to give, with a potential title shot on the line.

Dos Santos tipped the scales at 239 pounds for his showdown with Carwin (254) in the UFC 131 headliner on Saturday at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The eight others slated for main card duty -- including co-headliners Kenny Florian (146) and Diego Nunes (145) -- also met their contracted weight requirements at Friday’s official weigh-in.

Dos Santos (Pictured, File Photo) will carry a seven-fight winning streak into the match. The 26-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt last appeared at UFC 117 in August, when he battered former International Fight League heavyweight champion Roy Nelson en route to a lopsided unanimous decision at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. A polished and technical boxer, Dos Santos has secured eight of his 12 professional victories by knockout or technical knockout. His list of victims includes the world-ranked Fabricio Werdum, 2006 Pride Fighting Championships open weight grand prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and 6-foot-11 Dutchman Stefan Struve. Dos Santos holds a perfect 6-0 mark inside the Octagon.

Anchored at the Grudge Training Center in Wheat Ridge, Colo., Carwin has not competed since UFC 116 in July, when he succumbed to a second-round arm-triangle choke from Brock Lesnar at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The 36-year-old was a three-time national finalist in collegiate wrestling and a two-time All-American in football. Wins over former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and onetime heavyweight title contender Gabriel Gonzaga anchor Carwin’s resume, which includes 22-, 29-, 31-, 44-, 49- and 69-second finishes. Only one -- his loss to Lesnar -- of his 13 professional bouts has reached the second round. Carwin owns a 4-1 record in the UFC.

UFC 131 -- which airs live on pay-per-view at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT -- also features a heavyweight duel pairing grappling ace Jon Olav Einemo (261) with Dave Herman (233), a middleweight match pitting former title contender Demian Maia (186) against Mark Munoz (186) and a lightweight battle matching Donald Cerrone (155) with Vagner Rocha (155). An hour prior, Spike TV will carry a pair of preliminary fights, as unbeaten middleweight prospect Chris Weidman (186) meets Jesse Bongfeldt (185) and the well-traveled Yves Edwards (155) challenges Canadian kickboxer Sam Stout (155).

Meanwhile, the five remaining preliminary bouts will be streamed on the UFC’s Facebook page and on YouTube: Dustin Poirier (146) vs. Jason Young (145), Nick Ring (185) vs. James Head (186), Darren Elkins (145) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (145), Krzysztof Soszynski (205) vs. Mike Massenzio (201) and Aaron Rosa (261) vs. Joey Beltran (247).

UFC 131 “Dos Santos vs. Carwin”
Saturday, June 11
Rogers Arena
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Junior dos Santos (239) vs. Shane Carwin (254)
Kenny Florian (146) vs. Diego Nunes (145)
Jon Olav Einemo (261) vs. Dave Herman (233)
Demian Maia (186) vs. Mark Munoz (186)
Donald Cerrone (155) vs. Vagner Rocha (155)
Chris Weidman (186) vs. Jesse Bongfeldt (185)
Yves Edwards (155) vs. Sam Stout (155)
Dustin Poirier (146) vs. Jason Young (145)
Nick Ring (185) vs. James Head (186)
Darren Elkins (145) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (145)
Krzysztof Soszynski (205) vs. Mike Massenzio (201)
Aaron Rosa (261) vs. Joey Beltran (247)