How do these two stack up?
Carwin: 36 years old | 6'2" | 80" reach
dos Santos: 26 years old | 6'4" | 77" reach
What have these two done recently?
Carwin: L - Brock Lesnar (SUB) | W - Frank Mir (TKO) | W - Gabriel Gonzaga (TKO)
dos Santos: W - Roy Nelson (UD) | W - Gabriel Gonzaga (TKO) | W - Gilbert Yvel (TKO)
How did these two get here?
Junior dos Santos made his UFC debut at UFC 90 in 2008 where he pulled off a huge upset with a devastating uppercut KO to Fabricio Werdum. Since that time he has beaten a number of the division's notable names, including Mirko CroCop, Gabriel Gonzaga, and Roy Nelson, all via spectacular beatings. Dos Santos trains at Brazil's famous Black House gym alongside the Nogueira brothers and Anderson Silva. He has been heavily promoted by the UFC recently as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter.
Shane Carwin was a decorated wrestler in college who came to MMA a bit later in life. He made his pro debut at age 30 and in 2008 came to the UFC with a perfect 8-0 record. His first UFC bout was a destructive 44 second KO of Christian Wellisch. His next 3 fights followed the same pattern and he earned a title shot against Brock Lesnar. There, he pummeled Lesnar, but could not finish him and was submitted in the 2nd round. Since that fight, he has taken a near year long absence to have neck surgery. Originally scheduled to face Jon Olav Einemo on this card, he stepped in to the main event when Lesnar pulled out.
Why should you care?
Because if you don't care about this fight, I'm not even sure why you are watching any fights in the Heavyweight division at all. This is two of the UFC's big four fighting for a title shot. It's an incredibly close fight that will very likely end in a spectacular KO. In short, it's going to be great.
