UFC 116 boasts a main event for the heavyweight title between two larger than life (pun intended) opponents. Shane Carwin (12-0) and Brock Lesnar (4-1) will face off on Saturday in what will likely tell the true pecking order of the heavyweight division not only in the UFC but in MMA. This fight has has its ups and downs in getting made but it’s finally upon us, and promises to be an intriguing fight regardless of the outcome.

There are two things that stand out to me in this fight. The first is that Brock Lesnar only has one loss on his record and it was largely due to the slick jiu jitsu of Frank Mir and the inexperience of Lesnar. The second is that Shane Carwin has never lost a fight, seen round two, or even the 4-minute mark of any fight. Today I’d like to talk about Carwin, tomorrow I’ll cover more about Lesnar.

Shane Carwin is a good fighter. He has seen adversity and overcome it during a fight, and he has found success in the most successful MMA promotion in the world. I don’t say this lightly, even more so he has devastated every one of his opponents the majority by KO and TKO, even half of his submissions are by punches. On paper this seems like real trouble for Brock Lesnar.

The MGM Grand Arena is the chosen battleground for the latest high profile UFC Pay-Per-View. In the Octagon this Saturday, current heavyweight king Brock Lesnar (4-1) will defend his belt against interim champ Shane Carwin (11-0) and Japanese-Korean Olympic Judo prodigy Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-2) will face late replacement and middleweight TUF alumni “The Crippler” Chris Leben (20-7). Originally slated to face “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (34-10-1), this bout was almost scrapped when Akiyama took slight at what he viewed to be an inferior replacement for the injured Brazilian brawler who pulled out of the bout due to several injuries including damaged ribs and a knee injury. The UFC was, however, able to persuade Akiyama to take the fight anyway and the bout was made official. An odd stylistic clash between the hard nosed brawling of Leben and the refined premeditated and technically exquisite Shotokan karate/Judo attack of Akiyama, this fight is definitely one of the more difficult pairings to predict with any certainty. This is due in part to the less concrete variables of Leben’s condition going into this fight just two weeks after a come from behind KO of Aaron Simpson (6-1) and weather or not Akiyama is writing Leben off as a sure thing. At UFC 116 we will find out just how much that fight took out of “The Crippler” and just how much respect Akiyama will show his opponent.

Clynch House, a member’s only website which offers major discounts to it’s members on specific brand gear, will have it’s first event this week starting July 2-5 featuring Ranger Up.  Members can expect to receive up to 60% off products from Ranger Up with 10% going to Soldier’s Angels.

MMA Gospel and MMA Gospel Radio founder “The Reverend of MMA” Turk Vangel has been signed as the color commentator for the newly founded Red Canvas Fights. Turk will be working along side veteran announcer Ron “The Yacman” Yacovetti on July 10 in Palmdale, California at the Clear Channel Stadium for Red Canvas. You can [Read More]

Yesterday, in the wake of the “The Tree” Michael Kirkham (1-3*) disaster in South Carolina, I set about the internet in search of those people who make it their business to rise up and cry for the ban of Mixed Martial Arts on a federal level.  I prepared myself to look on this argument objectively [Read More]

MMA Gospel Radio comes back after the big 50th episode with two great guests. Jake Rosholt joins us to talk about his injury and what the future holds for him. Then “The Reverend of MMA” Turk Vangel and Gary Friedman talk Strikeforce including the legacy of Fedor, Jan Finney vs Cyborg and much more. We [Read More]

At UFC: 116 Lesnar vs. Carwin the always exciting “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (28-17-5) will step into the Octagon and square off with TUF season 7 standout “Immortal” Matt Brown (11-8) in a showdown that has serious Fight of the Night potential.  The pair last met in 2007 at United Fight League: Fight Night at [Read More]

Strikeforce strikes again, and I’m trapped inside a glass box of emotions on this one.

There were four fights on the main card of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum and none of them went to decision. This sounds like it could be a promising night for Strikeforce however the only issue is that the heavyweight division [Read More]

On June 24, 2010, after suffering his fourth straight loss at the hands of “The Hammer” Matt Hamill (8-2) at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale, the UFC brass has decided to terminate light heavyweight “The Dean of Mean” Keith Jardine’s (14-8-1) contract with the promotion.  Despite his less than stellar 6-7 [Read More]