As expected, an Ultimate Fighting Championship World Heavyweight Title match has been officially announced for UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin between current heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and interim heavyweight title holder Shane Carwin on July 3 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This fight was originally schedule for Nov. 9, 2009 for UFC 106, and then again for January’s UFC 108 card before Lesnar was sidelined–and eventually hospitalized– with an extreme case of diverticulitis.
While waiting for his inevitable title match with Lesnar (4-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), Carwin (12-0, 4-0) went out and earned himself an interim title in the heavyweight division via a first round knockout victory against Frank Mir (13-5).
Carwin took time to speak with me once before the Mir fight and not only did he take time to discus the Katelyn Brand fundraiser for this May 22 at Max Muscle Loveland, but he also took time out of his busy schedule to talk with me after the Mir fight about his training preparations for Lesnar.
JOHN LIVINGSTON EXCLUSIVE 1 on 1 Interivew with UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin on April 14, 2010:
John Livingston: After defeating Mir I saw that you were right back in Colorado and in the gym. What is your primary focus in training currently? Are you beginning to prepare specifically for Lesnar?
Shane Carwin: Yes I am starting my training back up but I have not kicked off the “official” training camp for Brock. I am just getting back into the groove and going over with my coaches things that we can fix and improve.
JL: Can you just talk about how frantic the media requests have been for you and how busy you have been since UFC 111?
SC: It was pretty intense for a bit but my management company is the absolute best at what they do and they filter out a lot of request. In the future you are going to see me limit press coverage and just communicate direct with my fans on my website.
JL: Is the best part of holding the interim title that you know you officially finally have your shot at Lesnar?
SC: Yeah, I felt like I earned my title shot before only to have an illness derail the plans. Then I had to fight a World class fighter in Frank to keep my place in line. So now I know for sure I am the number one contender for the UFC Heavyweight Title.
JL: Can you describe what it was like your first week back in Colorado after your UFC 111 win against Mir? Are you getting stopped all over town for pictures etc?
SC: I was back at work (the next) Monday, but yeah more people have been aware of me. It is fine I love my fans so it does not bother me if they come up and say hi.
JL: What will your mind set be during your full training camp for Lesnar; are you going to enjoy the weeks leading up to July 3 or will it be intense and business like?
SC: Yes I love training, and that is really what makes this work for me. I love MMA and training for fights. The competition day is just the carrot at the end of the stick.
The key thing is having an amazing team of supporters. From the fans, coaches and down to the Sponsors. Coach Bowling, Coach Trevor Wittman, Coach Amal Easton and so many others help me get to where I am now. Companies like Malibu Boats, MTX Audio, Max Muscle, Good4u Beverages, PerformanceMMA.com and Blowoutcards.com really help me complete the journey.
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Here is what the UFC 116 card looks like so far; many Colorado fighters other than Carwin will be featured including middleweight contender Nate Marquardt and TUF 11 finalist Brendan Schaub.
MAIN CARD
* Champ Brock Lesnar vs. interim champ Shane Carwin (heavyweight title-unification bout)
* Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Wanderlei Silva*
* Kurt Pellegrino vs. George Sotiropoulos*
* Nate Marquardt vs. TBA*
* Cheick Kongo vs. Roy Nelson*
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Brendan Schaub vs. Chris Tuchscherer*
* Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski*
* Matt Brown vs. Chris Lytle*
* Jon Madsen vs. Karlos Vemola*
* Julio Paulino vs. Daniel Roberts*
* Kendall Grove vs. TBA*
* Goran Reljic vs. TBA*
* – Not officially announced
Thanks to MMAJunkie.com for the unofficial card
John Livingston is the Chief Staff Writer of Colorado Sports Desk. Follow him on twitter, or become a fan on Facebook.
