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Forget Brock and Kimbo, Shane Carwin is the next Big Thing

Brock Lesnar and Kimbo Slice have taken the MMA world by storm over the past 12 months and both have been promoted as the hottest attraction in the sport. The problem is, neither one has lived up to all the hype. UFC newcomer Shane Carwin not only looks like a top contender, but he is showing the world that despite the lack of hype he is the future of the sport in the heavyweight division.

Dana White threw a ton of money at Brock Lesnar after just one professional fight only to have Lesnar tap out to Frank Mir in less than 2 minutes. Lesnar showed great strength and explosive quickness but his lack of experience is what killed him in the end. Brock still has a chance to be great in the sport but a second consecutive loss in the UFC could doom his future in the company.

Kimbo Slice was an internet sensation street-fighter that parlayed that into a contract with EliteXC. After wins over Bo Cantrell and Tank Abbott, Slice was nearly upstaged by James Thompson. Slice was shown that he is still years away from being called a great fighter.

While Lesnar and Slice may have the ’sizzle’ for a top fighter, Shane Carwin back up the ’sizzle’ with the steak. Carwin has only been fighting professionally since 2005, but in that time he has amassed a 9-0 record with 4 knockouts and never having a fight go into the second round.

Carwin has a great athletic background. He is a former two-time NCAA Division 2 All-American in football. Carwin, a native of Colorado, is all a very accomplished collegiate wrestler. He was national runner up twice in the heavyweight division in 1996 and 1997. He won the national title in his weight class in 1999. At 6′4″, 265 pounds, Carwin is a huge man with muscles sprouting out all over his body. He may be every bit as powerful and quick as Brock Lesnar but with a better all-around game.

Carwin last fought in the Octagon in May, against Christian Wellisch. He knocked out Wellisch at 44 seconds of the first round with a huge punch. Although his next match has not been announced, you can bet it will be against a top contender in the heavyweight division to give Carwin the chance to prove he belongs. You can also bet that he will take the opportunity and run with it and then maybe he’ll start to get some hype and recognition by MMA fans, fighters and management.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 29th, 2008 at 1:20 am and is filed under Kimbo Slice, Shane Carwin, In the Cage, Frank Mir, Dana White, Brock Lesnar, UFC. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.