Shane Carwin punches infinitely harder than you. No matter what number you have in mind, infinity is larger. In the vastness of space and the immensity of time, it is my joy to share a planet with Shane Carwin. It gives me the reassurance that if aliens invaded earth, our first line of defense will be a dude that rocks a size XXXXXL glove. Getting punched by Shane Carwin must be what this guy felt like when he got his head stuck in a particle accelerator. It can cause undesirable and adverse effects — like getting knocked the [expletive] out. I have to use ‘expletive’ because I’m a classy dude, even when I scavenge my bedroom floor for a clean shirt and eventually settle for whatever has the lesser odor.
We knew Shane Carwin was fighting Roy Nelson all along, we even tried to give people the heads up, but everyone seemed to be consumed with using the term ‘Kos’d’ in a sentence. Unfortunately, I missed that episode of The Ultimate Fighter, which makes me a horrible person on some level.
Occasionally, Shane Carwin takes time from his daily training regime of boxing silverback gorillas and wrestling sasquatches to give us the exclusive update on what’s going on in his MMA career. We were fortunate enough to be the first site to get a hold of Shane Carwin after it was ‘officially’ announced that he would be facing Roy Nelson at UFC 125. We threw a few questions at him, he threw a few answers back and no one was injured in the verbal exchange.
I mentioned this match-up to a few of the Fight! Magazine guys, and it turned into me elaborately explaining how getting hit by one of your fists is the equivalent of getting punished by a crime in Singapore and the government bludgeons you with a large wooden mallet. Are you anxious to get the fight on the ground or do you feel you can successfully outstrike Roy Nelson?“I am confident standing up with Roy, and I am confident if it goes to the ground. Roy has a great BJJ skill-set, but I am a great wrestler who trains in BJJ everyday. I know Roy is a much tougher opponent then people give him credit for, but I am going to train like this is a title fight. We are both coming off losses, and we have all seen the UFC cut fighters who have just one loss. We both need this win.”
Do you have anyone in your camp to emulate Roy Nelson’s ‘body shape’?“I have someone in my camp that has trained with Roy, fought with Roy, and they have a lot of insight for me. I am likely going to be bigger than him on the night of the fight, and I hope I will be stronger too.”
Why do you think Junior Dos Santos could not finish Roy Nelson?“Roy is a tough fighter, and a tough fight for anyone. I am not going to train to finish him, but I will train for a 25 minute fight, against a guy who is as hungry as I am. Roy is a veteran, and he has fought a lot of the top guys in the heavyweight division. He is the former IFL Champion, and is currently the guy standing between me and my rematch [with Brock Lesnar].”
What’s going on with that mullet?“You won’t get me talking about hair. I have finally come to grips with my hair wanting to move off my head.
I would have a mullet if I could, but my head will be clean shaven, thanks to
HeadBlade, for UFC 125.”
Alright, let’s get real here. What about we host a contest on MiddleEasy where we get nominate walk-out music and you choose the winner. That’s the future Shane.“I think that might work. I know I want to change my walkout music. I
posted on Twitter that I was looking for recommendations for a new song, and I got over 500 responses. I think that it’s time for a change. What song would you use if you were me?”
How much do you respect Roy Nelson’s jiu-jitsu?
“I have a lot of respect for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and Roy happens to be a master at it. I do not worry about what I can’t control. I will have to use my superior wrestling to offset his superior BJJ. I have been working with Amal Easton, as my BJJ Instructor, for a couple years. However, my last loss should not reflect on him. Amal has spurred my passion for the sport of jiu-jitsu. He is an amazing instructor, and a good friend.”
“As a white belt, I do not expect to go in and submit Roy. So my BJJ is based on gaining overall knowledge of the sport rather then preparing for this BJJ guy or that BJJ Guy. I love the sport, and I realize I have a long ways to go to be on Roy’s level. Thankfully, we are having a MMA fight and not a BJJ match.”
There’s a rumor going around that MC Hammer plans to make a mini-music video (staring himself) to promote each one of the fighters he represents, including your training partner, Brendan Schaub. Insanity or ridiculous?“Is he promoting his music or his fighters? The sport has a way to go before it can start attracting top-tier brands like Nike, Coke or other big companies. If he was having Eminem, or some currently relevant music star, to co-promote his fighters; I get it. I feel more MMA fans know who Brendan is, and they should be promoting him and the amazing stable of fighters they [Alchemist] currently have.”
Since I have a bizarre fascination with your other job, what project are you currently working on as an engineer?
“Ha! It’s the same as last time, and it really is an ever expanding project. I have been moved into an office, and I assume it’s because I’m coming into work everyday looking like I’m married to Ike Turner.”
“I love my job, and I do not care what your dreams are in life. You need to get an education. Go out, use what you have learned, and contribute to society. If you can be a great football player, then you can be a great student and citizen. Unfortunately, people think being an athlete and being intelligent are mutually exclusive.”
How does it feel to be depicted in a Japanese comic Book? “I had not seen this before, but that is pretty funny. It is amazing how getting tapped out looks the same in any language.”
Published on October 14, 2010 at 3:41 pm
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