UFC 116 has some pretty interesting fights on the card, but this event is really about the main event. The heavyweight battle between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin will be a true battle of titans. Both of these guys will probably be well above the 265 lbs weight limit come fight time.
This is a very difficult fight to call because both fighters are very skilled and both have KO power. I don’t think this fight will go past 2 rounds, one way or another, because both of these behemoths will likely be throwing bombs at each other with their huge fists.
I agree with conventional wisdom that Carwin has the edge in standup fighting and Lesnar probably has the edge on the ground with his world class wrestling ability.
Lesnar’s WWE antics definitely alienate a significant portion of the MMA fan base and I understand that, although I think he is an entertaining character. I also admire Lesnar because he is all business when it is fight time.
Despite the long lay off I think Lesnar will be sharp in this fight and I expect him to win by taking Carwin down and stopping him via ground and pound in the 2nd round. Will I be shocked if Carwin KO’s Lesnar? No. He is more than capable of doing that if Brock gives him an opening, but I think Lesnar will be very conscious of that power and try to take away Carwin striking advantage by putting this fight on the ground.
UFC 116 Post Event observations:
Well, the main event, Lesnar vs Carwin, certainly lived up to expectations. It was a great fight, and as I noted in my prediction, could indeed have gone either way. Shane Carwin came very close the KO’ing Lesnar in the first round with a brutal barrage of strikes and elbows that put Lesnar on his back and doing all he could to protect himself. Lesnar regroup between Rd 1 and Rd 2 and came out looking to take Carwin down, which he did fairly easily, using his world class wrestling ability. This where Lesnar a real advantage over most other heavyweights. Lesnar moved quickly to end the fight with a triangle choke that Carwin had no chance of breaking free from.
However, UFC 116 was memorable for far more than just the main event. There were at least 4 or 5 other fights on the 116 card that were exceptional, especially the Akiyama vs Leben fight. Chris Leben took the fight on two weeks notice and won in spectacular fashion in the closing seconds of the 3rd round.
gmf journal 