Onetime UFC title challenger Shane Carwin (12-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) will have to wait a little longer to return to the win column.
The injury bug has struck yet again, and an ailing back has forced Carwin to go under the knife and remain on the sidelines until spring or summer of 2012.
Carwin announced his condition on his official website,
Shane-Carwin.com.
"I have spent my entire fighting career dealing with injuries from my football career," Carwin wrote. "I have done my best to get through my training, and I have been blessed to get through my fights with relatively little to no damage.
"As I ramped up my training for UFC 141, my body locked up during training. It wasn't like the (Brock) Lesnar fight, but my back just tightened up and I froze. I scheduled an MRI, and the results showed that my disc in my lower back is into the nerves. My doctor gave me two options: retire and I could probably go on for a few years without surgery or I could undergo surgery and continue my career.
"The decision was easy. I have unfinished business. The UFC had me lined up to face one of the best in the world and I am confident I have everything I need to be a champion. I am scheduling surgery and I hope to return to the octagon by spring or summer 2012."
Carwin's UFC 141 return had not been announced by the UFC, but there was some speculation he would be welcoming recent Strikeforce heavyweight back to the octagon. Now, the discussion is all for naught.
Carwin hasn't competed since a June loss to current No. 1 contender Junior Dos Santos at UFC 131. That loss came 11 months after a championship loss to Lesnar at UFC 116 in which Carwin infamously dominated the opening round only to have his body give out on him in the second, when he was submitted by then-champ Lesnar.
Despite the challenges, Carwin said he remains focusing on resuming his career post-surgery.
"As a man of faith I know that you are never given more burden then you can carry," Carwin stated. "I feel that the last couple years have tested me in more ways then I have ever imagined. The challenges the being close to greatness and yet so far away has been nothing less then motivating.
"I look forward to a fast and speedy recovery."
