| Shane Carwin | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Carwin in 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Shane Bannister Carwin (1975-01-04)January 4, 1975 (age 50) Greeley, Colorado, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 254 lb (115 kg; 18 st 2 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Division | Heavyweight (265 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 80 in (203 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Style | Wrestling,Boxing | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Fighting out of | Denver, Colorado, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Grudge Training Center Jackson's Submission Fighting[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Trainer | Greg Jackson Trevor Wittman Nate Marquardt | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Purple belt inBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wrestling | NCAA Division IIWrestling | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2005–2011 (MMA) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| By submission | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| By submission | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| By decision | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Engineer[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
| University | Colorado School of Mines Western State College of Colorado | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable school(s) | Greeley West High School | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Last updated on: March 20, 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Shane Bannister Carwin (born January 4, 1975) is an American formermixed martial artist who competed in theHeavyweight division of theUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a formerInterim UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is considered to be one of the hardest hitting athletes to ever fight in the UFC.[4]
Carwin and his two brothers were raised by his mother, who had the goal of getting all her sons college educations. He started wrestling when he was six years old. He received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from theColorado School of Mines as well as a bachelor's degree in environmental technology fromWestern State College.[5] Carwin became an engineer out of college and continued to work in that field while pursuing his MMA career.[6]
Carwin wrestled in college, becoming a two-timeNCAA Division II Wrestling National Runner-Up as a heavyweight in 1996 and 1997, and the NCAA II Wrestling Heavyweight National Champion in 1999. He was also a two-timeAll-American in football for Western State and was chosen to participate in theSenior Bowl. Carwin is also a volunteer wrestling coach for theUniversity of Northern Colorado.
Carwin made his professional debut atWEC 17, weighing 285 lbs, he went on to win his first eight professional fights by first round stoppage, including the Ring of Fire Heavyweight championship during his two fight tenure for the regional promotion, before signing with the UFC.
Carwin made hisUFC debut on the undercard ofUFC 84 againstChristian Wellisch. He won the match via one punchknockout 44 seconds into the first round, demonstrating his punching power by sending Wellisch's mouthpiece flying across the octagon. Carwin followed up with an appearance inBirmingham, England atUFC 89 against Neil Wain, winning another one sided fight viaTKO at 1:31 of the first round. AtUFC 96, Carwin took a major step up in competition when he faced former number one contender and renownedBrazilian jiu-jitsublack beltGabriel Gonzaga. After being stunned by a flurry of punches, Carwin knocked Gonzaga unconscious with a short right hand at 1:09 of the first round.
Carwin was then set to face fellow undefeated heavyweight contenderCain Velasquez atUFC 104, with the winner getting a title shot against then-championBrock Lesnar;[7] however, the UFC reconsidered the bout and Carwin was confirmed to fight for the title atUFC 106 on November 21, 2009.[8] The fight was later postponed after Lesnar pulled out due to illness, withUFC 108 a likely date. Lesnar then pulled out of that fight on October 26, andDana White reported at theUFC 105 post-fight press conference that Lesnar was too ill to compete[9] and was expected to be out for the first half of 2010 while recovering from anintestinal disorder and subsequent surgery.[10][11]
Carwin fought formerUFC Heavyweight ChampionFrank Mir for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship on March 27, 2010, atUFC 111.[12] Carwin stated on his website that, "Mir is a legend of the sport, and I would be honored to fight him."[13] Early in the first round, Carwin dropped Mir with multipleuppercuts from the clinch. Carwin then followed Mir to the ground, took back mount and rained down heavy punches on Mir's head thus winning the fight via knockout to become the UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion. The bout also marked the longest fight of Carwin's career at three minutes and 48 seconds; his previous mark was his MMA debut against Carlton Jones, with a time of 2 minutes and 11 seconds.[14] FollowingUFC 111, Beau Dure ofUSA Today compared Carwin toMike Tyson,[15] echoing a similar comparison made prior to the event by Mark Wayne ofFightline.com.[16]
Carwin then went on to faceBrock Lesnar for the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship atUFC 116. He dominated the first round, knocking Lesnar down and unleashing a relentlessground and pound attack to Lesnar. However, Lesnar survived, and having tired from the first round and never being in a fight beyond the first round in his career, Carwin visibly tired. In the second round, Lesnar took an exhausted Carwin down and applied anarm-triangle choke, forcing Carwin to submit.
Carwin was scheduled to face formerIFL Heavyweight ChampionRoy Nelson on January 1, 2011, atUFC 125;[17][18] however, he later announced on his website that he would pull out of the fight due to back and neck pain, which required surgery that took place on November 2, 2010. Carwin later stated that the neck surgery was a success.[19] On January 3, 2011, Carwin posted a blog entry on his website, stating that he had just begun his first day of training since his neck surgery, hoping to be back in the octagon by May or June 2011.[20]
Carwin was expected to face promotional newcomerJon Olav Einemo on June 11, 2011, atUFC 131.[21] However, another bout withdiverticulitis sidelined Brock Lesnar, so Carwin agreed to step in to the main event to fightJunior dos Santos.[22] Carwin was defeated by Dos Santos via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 30–26). This fight was the first in Carwin's career to ever go to a decision.
On September 9, 2011, Carwin posted a blog entry on his website stating that he was 100% healthy and looking to return to the octagon in late December or early January.[23] However, on October 16, 2011, it was revealed that Carwin would need back surgery. He was expected to be out until mid-2012.[24] However, his recovery took longer than expected, and he was targeting a return to fighting that fall.[25]
On Thursday July 12, 2012,Dana White announced that Carwin andRoy Nelson had been picked as the next coaches for the 16th season ofThe Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and were expected to face each other on December 15, 2012, atThe Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson Finale.[26] However, on November 14, 2012, Dana White revealed onTwitter that Carwin injured his knee and would not be facing Nelson in the TUF finale.[27]
On May 7, 2013, Carwin announced his retirement from mixed martial arts (MMA) after enduring several injuries since his last fight on June 11, 2011.[28]
On July 26, 2016, Carwin announced his plans to return to MMA, five years since his last competitive bout.[29] On September 7, 2016, Carwin announced that he had worked with his management team at Ingrained Media to secure his release from the UFC and became a free agent.[30] On October 28, 2016, Carwin announced he had signed withRizin Fighting Federation. He stated that he expected to debut on their December 29, 2016,card, but later withdrew with injury.[31]
In late 2017, Carwin was in negotiations withBellator MMA but nothing came to fruition, despite having rehabilitated from his injuries.[32]
On October 15, 2016, Carwin participated in a boxing exhibition match against professional skateboarderJason Ellis at EllisMania 13. Per the unique rules, Carwin had one of his arms duct-taped to his body to box Ellis. He won the bout via knockout in the second round.[33]
Carwin is divorced and has a son from a previous marriage.[34][35] He has a daughter born in February 2010.[36]
In 2024, Shane Carwin and other men who fought in the UFC launched a lawsuit against the UFC claiming that they had suffered brain damage and other health problems.[37]
| 14 matches | 12 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 8 | 0 |
| By submission | 4 | 1 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 12–2 | Junior dos Santos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 131 | June 11, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | UFC Heavyweight title eliminator. |
| Loss | 12–1 | Brock Lesnar | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC 116 | July 3, 2010 | 2 | 2:19 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | For theUFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 12–0 | Frank Mir | KO (punches) | UFC 111 | March 27, 2010 | 1 | 3:48 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Won the interimUFC Heavyweight Championship. Knockout of the Night. |
| Win | 11–0 | Gabriel Gonzaga | TKO (punches) | UFC 96 | March 7, 2009 | 1 | 1:09 | Columbus, Ohio, United States | |
| Win | 10–0 | Neil Wain | TKO (punches) | UFC 89 | October 18, 2008 | 1 | 1:31 | Birmingham, England, United Kingdom | |
| Win | 9–0 | Christian Wellisch | KO (punch) | UFC 84 | May 24, 2008 | 1 | 0:44 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 8–0 | Sherman Pendergarst | TKO (punches) | ROF 31: Undisputed | December 1, 2007 | 1 | 1:41 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | Won the ROF Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–0 | Rex Richards | Submission (guillotine choke) | Art of War 4 | October 27, 2007 | 1 | 1:24 | Tunica, Mississippi, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Rick Slaton | KO (punch) | ROF 30: Domination | September 15, 2007 | 1 | 0:49 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Chris Guillen | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Ultimate Texas Showdown 6 | June 24, 2006 | 1 | 0:29 | Frisco, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Justice Smith | TKO (punches) | Extreme Wars 3: Bay Area Brawl | June 3, 2006 | 1 | 0:31 | Oakland, California, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Jay McCown | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Ultimate Texas Showdown 5 | April 29, 2006 | 1 | 1:31 | Frisco, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Casey Jackson | Submission (guillotine choke) | Extreme Wars 2: X-1 | March 18, 2006 | 1 | 0:22 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Carlton Jones | TKO (submission to punches) | WEC 17 | October 14, 2005 | 1 | 2:11 | Lemoore, California, United States |
 | This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Shane Carwin" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| No | Event | PPV buys |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | UFC 116 | 1,160,000 |
| 2. | UFC 131 | 330,000 |
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant Title last held by Frank Mir | 4thUFC Interim Heavyweight Champion March 27, 2010 – July 3, 2010 Lost unification bout againstBrock Lesnar | Vacant |
