UFC heavyweight contender and former interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin today announced his retirement from the sport of mixed martial arts. Carwin, who was ranked in the UFC’s official top 10, is one of the best heavyweight fighters in the world and although he hasn’t competed in nearly two years, he remains one of the best 265-pound fighters on the planet and it’s disappointing news that he retired, although it’s not totally surprising. Here is what Carwin today told his fans via the social media outlet Twitter:
“Officially retired 2day:-) thank you to my family, friends and fans! #dreambig GOD BLESS!!!”
Carwin (12-2) retires with a return inside the Octagon, including a notable TKO victory over Frank Mir at UFC 111 that won him the UFC interim heavyweight championship. The 38-year-old Carwin is most famous for his UFC heavyweight title bout at UFC 116 against Brock Lesnar, a fight Carwin lost via second-round TKO. Carwin was nearly awarded the victory in the first round by referee Josh Rosenthal, but Lesnar survived Carwin’s brutal barrage of punches and was able to last until the second round, when he submitted Carwin with an arm triangle choke. Carwin overall went 4-2 in the UFC with T/KO victories over Mir, Gabriel Gonzaga, Neil Wain and Christian Wellisch. In his career the Colorado native has seven wins via knockout as well as one more win via submission. It’s sad to see Carwin call it quits because the UFC’s heavyweight division is so weak but it was the right move considering he has dealt with a variety of neck and back injuries in recent years that have taken their toll on his body. Look for Carwin to continue in MMA to some extent, possibly as a coach of some sorts as he was a decent teacher on TUF season 16, but his time as a competitor is surely over. MFC 37 Main Event Canceled The Maximum Fighting Championship today canceled the main event of Friday’s MFC 37 event, which was set to be a heavyweight title bout between Chris Barnett and Smealinho Rama. According to MMAweekly.com, Barnett has three roles in one of his retinas, and if he is to fight again he would be risking blindness. This is what MFC president Mark Pavelich said:
“I’m disappointed for Chris Barnett, but definitely more so for Smealinho Rama, who trained so diligently for the title shot he desperately wanted.”
It’s disappointing news for both the MFC and for fans that were planing on betting on the event, but injuries are a part of MMA and hopefully Barnett will be healthy again in the near future. Bantamweights Ryan Benoit and Anthony Birchak will now fight in the main event of MFC 37, which airs live on AXS TV.