source: www.mmajunkie.com
A back injury and expected surgery have forced Shane Carwin (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) out of his UFC 125 co-main-event fight with fellow heavyweight Roy Nelson (15-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
After dealing with back pain, the former title challenger underwent an MRI on Monday that detected an injury that "may really require surgery," he wrote on his official website, shane-carwin.com.
UFC officials have not announced his withdrawal from the UFC 125 card, which takes place Jan. 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Carwin vs. Nelson was slated as the co-headliner behind a lightweight title fight between champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard, which airs on pay-per-view.
With ample time available, UFC officials likely will find a replacement for Carwin. Theoretically, UFC 121 fighters Brock Lesnar (who lost his title to Cain Velasquez) and Brendan Schaub (who defeated Gabriel Gonzaga) are options. So, too, is Frank Mir, who's coming off a September win over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.
"If the doctors do not have to perform surgery, then I will be out eight to 12 weeks," Carwin wrote. "If they do have to perform surgery, I do not know how long I will be out of action.
"I was really looking forward to fighting again, and obviously, this is a very disappointing turn of events."
Carwin stated that he struggled with the decision but ultimately decided he needs to be fully healthy to compete in the UFC.
"This is a hard decision but the right one, and I hope Team Carwin can stand by me through this period of my career," he wrote. "No one wants to get me back to winning more than me. I just need to be healthy to do it."
Carwin hasn't fought since UFC 116, when he suffered a second-round submission loss to then-heavyweight champ Lesnar. Carwin nearly ended the fight in the first round with a vicious barrage of punches, but Lesnar survived and then capitalized on a quickly fading Carwin to secure a fight-ending arm-triangle choke. Prior to the loss, the former interim champ had posted 12 consecutive wins, all of which came via first-round stoppage.
Like Carwin, Nelson also looks to rebound from a recent high-profile loss. The former IFL champion won "The Ultimate Fighter 10," which he entered as a heavy favorite, by knocking out Brendan Schaub in the finale. He then posted a 39-second knockout of Stefan Struve. But in a fight that UFC president Dana White said would earn the winner a title shot, Nelson dropped a decision to fast-rising Junior Dos Santos at UFC 117.
A back injury and expected surgery have forced Shane Carwin (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) out of his UFC 125 co-main-event fight with fellow heavyweight Roy Nelson (15-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
After dealing with back pain, the former title challenger underwent an MRI on Monday that detected an injury that "may really require surgery," he wrote on his official website, shane-carwin.com.
UFC officials have not announced his withdrawal from the UFC 125 card, which takes place Jan. 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Carwin vs. Nelson was slated as the co-headliner behind a lightweight title fight between champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard, which airs on pay-per-view.
With ample time available, UFC officials likely will find a replacement for Carwin. Theoretically, UFC 121 fighters Brock Lesnar (who lost his title to Cain Velasquez) and Brendan Schaub (who defeated Gabriel Gonzaga) are options. So, too, is Frank Mir, who's coming off a September win over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.
"If the doctors do not have to perform surgery, then I will be out eight to 12 weeks," Carwin wrote. "If they do have to perform surgery, I do not know how long I will be out of action.
"I was really looking forward to fighting again, and obviously, this is a very disappointing turn of events."
Carwin stated that he struggled with the decision but ultimately decided he needs to be fully healthy to compete in the UFC.
"This is a hard decision but the right one, and I hope Team Carwin can stand by me through this period of my career," he wrote. "No one wants to get me back to winning more than me. I just need to be healthy to do it."
Carwin hasn't fought since UFC 116, when he suffered a second-round submission loss to then-heavyweight champ Lesnar. Carwin nearly ended the fight in the first round with a vicious barrage of punches, but Lesnar survived and then capitalized on a quickly fading Carwin to secure a fight-ending arm-triangle choke. Prior to the loss, the former interim champ had posted 12 consecutive wins, all of which came via first-round stoppage.
Like Carwin, Nelson also looks to rebound from a recent high-profile loss. The former IFL champion won "The Ultimate Fighter 10," which he entered as a heavy favorite, by knocking out Brendan Schaub in the finale. He then posted a 39-second knockout of Stefan Struve. But in a fight that UFC president Dana White said would earn the winner a title shot, Nelson dropped a decision to fast-rising Junior Dos Santos at UFC 117.
