Shane Bannister Carwin (born January 4, 1975) is an American former

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competed in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC), where he is a former Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is considered to be one of the hardest hitting athletes to ever fight in the UFC.

Background

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 the

Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines (Mines) is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1874, the school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on ener ...

as well as a bachelor's degree in environmental technology from Western State College. Carwin became an engineer out of college and continued to work in that field while pursuing his MMA career. Carwin wrestled in college, becoming a two-time

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

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-time

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

in football for Western State and was chosen to participate in the Senior Bowl. Carwin is also a volunteer wrestling coach for the University of Northern Colorado.

Mixed martial arts career

Carwin made his professional debut at '' WEC 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.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Carwin made his UFC debut on the undercard of '' UFC 84'' against Christian Wellisch. He won the match via one punch

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...

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 in Birmingham, England at ''

UFC 89 ''UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on October 18, 2008, at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Background The event was headlined by a middleweight ...

'' against Neil Wain, winning another one sided fight via TKO at 1:31 of the first round. At '' UFC 96'', Carwin took a major step up in competition when he faced former number one contender and renowned Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Gabriel 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 contender Cain Velasquez at '' UFC 104'', with the winner getting a title shot against then-champion

Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. As a ...

; however, the UFC reconsidered the bout and Carwin was confirmed to fight for the title at '' UFC 106'' on November 21, 2009. The fight was later postponed after Lesnar pulled out due to illness, with '' UFC 108'' a likely date. Lesnar then pulled out of that fight on October 26, and Dana White reported at the ''

UFC 105 ''UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on November 14, 2009 in Manchester, United Kingdom at the Manchester Evening News Arena. This event aired on the same day, via tape d ...

'' post-fight press conference that Lesnar was too ill to compete and was expected to be out for the first half of 2010 while recovering from an intestinal disorder and subsequent surgery. Carwin fought former UFC Heavyweight Champion

Frank Mir Francisco Santos Miranda III (; born May 24, 1979), is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for sixteen years, and Bellator MMA. A former UFC Heavywe ...

for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship on March 27, 2010, at '' UFC 111''. Carwin stated on his website that, "Mir is a legend of the sport, and I would be honored to fight him." Early in the first round, Carwin dropped Mir with multiple

uppercut The uppercut (formerly known as the undercut) is a punch used in boxing that starts low and travels upwards vertically aiming at the opponent's chin or upper abdomen (so-called " solar plexus"). It is, along with the cross, one of the two main p ...

s 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. Following ''UFC 111'', Beau Dure of ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' compared Carwin to

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...

, echoing a similar comparison made prior to the event by Mark Wayne of ''Fightline.com''. Carwin then went on to face

for the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship at '' UFC 116''. He dominated the first round, knocking Lesnar down and unleashing a relentless

ground and pound Ground may refer to: Geology * Land, the solid terrestrial surface of the Earth * Soil, a mixture of clay, sand and organic matter present on the surface of the Earth Electricity * Ground (electricity), the reference point in an electrical circ ...

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 an arm-triangle choke, forcing Carwin to submit. Carwin was scheduled to face former IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy Nelson on January 1, 2011, at '' UFC 125''; 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. 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. Carwin was expected to face promotional newcomer Jon Olav Einemo on June 11, 2011, at '' UFC 131''. However, another bout with

diverticulitis Diverticulitis, also called colonic diverticulitis, is a gastrointestinal disease characterized by inflammation of abnormal pouches—Diverticulum, diverticula—that can develop in the wall of the large intestine. Symptoms typically include lo ...

sidelined Brock Lesnar, so Carwin agreed to step in to the main event to fight Junior dos Santos. 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. However, on October 16, 2011, it was revealed that Carwin would need back surgery. He was expected to be out until mid-2012. However, his recovery took longer than expected, and he was targeting a return to fighting that fall. On Thursday July 12, 2012, Dana White announced that Carwin and Roy Nelson had been picked as the next coaches for the 16th season of

The Ultimate Fighter ''The Ultimate Fighter'' is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts (MMA) competition produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pilgrim Media Group currently airing on ESPN+. It previously aired for fourteen s ...

(TUF) and were expected to face each other on December 15, 2012, at '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson Finale''. However, on November 14, 2012, Dana White revealed on

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that Carwin injured his knee and would not be facing Nelson in the TUF finale. 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.

MMA return

On July 26, 2016, Carwin announced his plans to return to MMA, five years since his last competitive bout. 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. On October 28, 2016, Carwin announced he had signed with

Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Fighting Federation (stylised in all caps and also known as Rizin FF) is a Japanese mixed martial arts organization created in 2015 by the former Pride Fighting Championships and Dream Stage Entertainment president Nobuyuki Sakakibara. ...

. He stated that he expected to debut on their December 29, 2016,

card Card or The Card may refer to: Common uses * Plastic cards of various types: **Bank card **Credit card **Debit card **Payment card * Playing card, used in games * Printed circuit board, or card * Greeting card, given on special occasions Arts an ...

, but later withdrew with injury. In late 2017, Carwin was in negotiations with

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

but nothing came to fruition, despite having rehabilitated from his injuries.

Boxing career

On October 15, 2016, Carwin participated in a boxing exhibition match against professional skateboarder Jason 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.

Personal life

Carwin is divorced and has a son from a previous marriage. He has a daughter born in February 2010. 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.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship (One time) ** Knockout of the Night (One time) **UFC.com Awards ***2008: Ranked #4 Newcomer of the Year ***2009: Ranked #9 Knockout of the Year ***2010: Ranked #4 Fight of the Year *Ring of Fire **ROF Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Amateur wrestling

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Wrestling Hall of Fame (2011) **NCAA Division II Wrestling Heavyweight Champion (1999) **NCAA Division II National Wrestling Heavyweight Runner-Up (1996, 1997) **NCAA Division II All American (1996, 1997, 1999) *Western State College **Western State College Mountaineer Sports Hall of Fame (2004) *

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) from approximately 1910 through the late 1960s, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N ...

**Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame (2010)

Mixed martial arts record

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Pay-per-view bouts

References

External links

Shane Carwin Profile at the National Wrestling Hall of FameShane Carwin's BlogMiddleEasy.com Interview
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carwin, Shane 1975 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Colorado Heavyweight mixed martial artists American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Colorado Mines Orediggers wrestlers Colorado School of Mines alumni Western Colorado University alumni Ultimate Fighting Championship champions Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male sport wrestlers Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu 20th-century American sportsmen