UFC 131: Is Carwin vs Dos Santos a Better Fight?

UFC 131 Fight Card: Is Shane Carwin vs Junior Dos Santos a Better Fight?

UFC fans got terrible news last week when it was learned that Brock Lesnar would be replaced by Shane Carwin after dropping out of his scheduled UFC 131 fight with Junior dos Santos due to another bout with diverticulitis.

While Lesnar dropping out of the fight will certainly hurt the buyrate bottom line for the UFC, one could make the case that the main event of UFC 131 is actually better now.

I know what you’re thinking—Shane Carwin lost to Brock Lesnar in his last fight, so how could Carwin vs. Dos Santos be better than Lesnar vs. Dos Santos? But remember, it’s not necessarily the rankings of the fighters that matter. As they always say, “styles make fights.”

At UFC 131, it will have been almost a year since the last time we saw Shane Carwin step into a UFC cage. 12-0 at the time with all 12 wins coming by way of knockout or submission, Carwin was already the UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion and looked to be on a warpath toward the official UFC Heavyweight Championship.

But it was Brock Lesnar, who was coming off of his first bout with diverticulitis, who stopped the Colorado native’s undefeated streak in its tracks.

Now a year older and a year wiser, Carwin was scheduled to fight UFC newcomer Jon Olav Einemo at UFC 131 before the opportunity to fight dos Santos arose. Though no fights in MMA are a slam-dunk, this certainly looked like an attempt to get Carwin back in the win column against a 35-year old fighter with questionable standup skills.

Now lined up to face a fighter who mirrors his 12-1 career record, Shane Carwin will need to significantly change his training regiment as he prepares for the event. Jon Olav Einemo is an absolute wizard on the ground while Junior dos Santos has spent about as little time on the ground in his MMA career as has anyone in the sport.

That said, dos Santos poses a significantly bigger challenge in the stand-up game, as he may possess some of the best technical MMA boxing skills of any heavyweight. Dos Santos has won eight of his 12 fights by way of knockout, including memorable highlight-reel knockouts against Stefan Struve, Fabricio Werdum, Gilbert Yvel and Gabriel Gonzaga.

A member of the Black House MMA team, Junior dos Santos works regularly with the likes of Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo and Lyoto Machida, along with a host of other top talents in the world; many of whom are among the very best strikers in their divisions. Dos Santos is no exception.

Months ago, I would’ve laughed at anyone who suggested that training with Steven Seagal at Black House would be an advantage for dos Santos, but two crazy front kicks to the face from Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida later, and I’d now be eating my words. It still seems crazy on the surface, but there may actually be some legitimacy to the hype.

Regardless, the UFC 131 main event will feature two big-time strikers who have the ability to knockout anyone in the sport, which could very well lead to a standup war the likes of which is rarely seen in MMA, with two fighters who may never even look to bring the fight to the ground.

While the jiu-jitsu fan in me wants to shake my fist at this kind of technique, I know that the overwhelming majority of fans are looking for the big knockout to tell their friends about the next day. They may cheer a beautiful transition on the ground or a nice submission, but those things are rarely remembered when fans talk about the “best fights ever.”

I’m always reminded of the standup war at The Ultimate Fighter 1 finale, when Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin fought in an epic battle to determine who would be the victor and earn himself a UFC contract. While Griffin won the fight, many fans will always remember this war as one that helped get them more excited about the sport, or even expose them to the sport in the first place.

It wasn’t the most technical battle and it was fought on the feet practically the entire time, but this fight is one that is still talked about now over six years after it happened.

Shane Carwin vs. Junior dos Santos is sure to be a more technical battle than that was, but it does have the potential to have the same type of impact for fans.

So don’t tune out just because Brock Lesnar’s name is no longer on the marquee. If Carwin has worked on his cardio enough to last the full three rounds without gassing like he did in the second round of his fight with Lesnar, we may actually be looking at a potential Fight of the Year candidate in the main event at UFC 131.