Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin Announced For UFC 116 On July 3
The UFC officially announced on Tuesday a heavyweight title unification match between champ Brock Lesnar and interim champ Shane Carwin for the main event of UFC 116.
The event is set for July 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Lesnar (4-1) was sidelined for several months in late 2009 due to a case of diverticulitis. After undergoing minor surgery and implementing changes to his diet, he was able to recover from the illness in early January. Since that time, the former NCAA Division I wrestling national champ and four-time All American wrestler has been working his way back to his regular training routine. He last competed at UFC 100 in July 2009, avenging his only career loss against Frank Mir with a TKO in the second round, unifiying the heavyweight titles in the process. Lesnar now gets the chance to unify the belts once again when he goes up against interim champ Carwin.
“I can’t wait to get back in the Octagon and defend my UFC heavyweight title,” Lesnar said in a UFC press release. “July 3rd can’t come soon enough. I’m ready to fight. At UFC 116, Shane Carwin is going to face the REAL UFC heavyweight champion. I’m going to end Shane’s perfect record and walk out of the Octagon with my championship belt around my waist.”
Carwin (12-0), a former NCAA division II national wrestling champion, recently won the interim heavyweight title by defeating Frank Mir via first-round knockout in March at UFC 111. All twelve of his career victories have come in the very first round. Carwin will be looking to maintain an undefeated record and become the undisputed heavyweight champ.
“I have wanted a chance to compete against Brock since my college wrestling days,” said Carwin. “He is an elite athlete who is always dangerous. His college wrestling background makes him extremely tough. I will be the first fighter he has faced who is equal in size. He won’t be able to bully me or hold me down as he has others in the past. This is the biggest fight of my life. I think it can go down as one of the greatest fights in UFC history. I expect to have my hand raised and to become the REAL UFC heavyweight champion.”
The UFC also announced several more bouts for the card. In the co-main event, middleweights Wanderlei Silva and Yoshihiro Akiyama will face off. Other fights on the card include Krzystof Soszynski vs. Stephan Bonnar, Brendan Schaub vs. Chris Tuchscherer, Kendall Grove vs. Goran Reljic, Chris Lytle vs. Matt Brown, and Jon Madsen vs. Karlos Vemola.
Tickets for UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. PT on Thursday, May 13, at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations, by calling 800-745-3000, at www.ticketmaster.com, www.mgmgrand.com, or the UFC’s official website, www.ufc.com.
UFC Fight Club members will have a chance to purchase tickets at 10 a.m. PT on Tuesday, May 11. A special pre-sale will be made available for UFC newsletter subscribers at 10 a.m. PT on Wednesday, May 12.
The main card airs live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m.ET/7 p.m. PT.
Related posts:
- UFC Officially Announces Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin at UFC 106 in November
- Frank Mir Training A Lot Of Jiu-Jitsu For Upcoming Fight With Shane Carwin
- Brock Lesnar Says Shane Carwin Hasn't Fought Anybody
- Shane Carwin Excited To Fight The Best Frank Mir
- Brock Lesnar to Defend Heavyweight Title Against Shane Carwin at UFC 106
