Rocky Mountain Thunder

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The city of Greeley, Colo., rests on the eastern face of the southern Rocky Mountains, roughly 50 miles north of Denver. It was there that otherworldly power was forged into the hands of Shane Carwin, hands that have left more than one foe staring blankly into dimensions unseen.

Into those monstrous hands, Carwin poured hours of pain and punishment, hope and desire, trust and preparation. They have made him one of the premier heavyweights in mixed martial arts.

Carwin (12-1) will enter the cage for the first time in nearly a year when he collides with once-beaten and world-ranked Brazilian contender Junior dos Santos in a heavyweight title eliminator at UFC 131 on Saturday at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The two brutes have combined for 24 wins -- 23 of them finishes -- in 26 professional appearances. They let their fists fly, consequences be damned.

“Let’s face it,” Carwin says, “both Dos Santos and I got to where we’re at by knocking people out. I think we’re both explosive fighters. We’re knockout artists. That’s how Junior fights, and that’s how I fight. I just believe in my power and my strength in boxing, and he believes in his.”

In terms of pure punching power, perhaps no man in MMA exerts as much force as Carwin. He is the great white shark of the cage. Trevor Wittman, who trains Carwin at the Grudge Training Center in Wheat Ridge, Colo., has experienced it firsthand.

“It’s the difference between an 18-wheeler and a pickup truck,” Wittman says. “When you get hit by him, it’s not a snap-your-jaw type of shot. It’s a crushing shot; your neck, your upper back, you feel your whole body bend. When he puts those four-ounce gloves on, all he has to do is touch guys.

“Power is a unique thing,” he adds. “It’s something you’re born with, but Shane’s also someone who has used explosive moves throughout his life in other sports. Everything on him is bigger. His butt and legs are huge, and that grounded energy is where he derives a lot of his power.”

Carwin -- a three-time national finalist in collegiate wrestling and two-time All-American in football -- can draw upon his ride-the-lightning punching power at any point in any fight. Never was that fact more evident than in his UFC 96 encounter with Gabriel Gonzaga. Jarred by a series of early right hands, Carwin wound up on his back against a world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. He kept his composure, advanced to a standing position and drove a short straight right hand into Gonzaga’s face. The former UFC heavyweight title contender crumpled where he stood.

“It’s a huge advantage,” Wittman says. “When you’ve got a guy who’s not a heavy-handed guy and you’re down two rounds, what do you do? What do you tell him? A guy like Shane Carwin can be losing for 14 minutes and still win the fight.”

Learning from Lesnar

Carwin last fought at UFC 116 in July, when he battered Brock Lesnar for nearly five full minutes, only to succumb to fatigue and an arm-triangle choke in the second round.

“Every time you come out of a fight, you always try to make yourself a better fighter,” Carwin says, “and there were a lot of things I learned in that fight.”

According to FightMetric figures, Carwin outlanded Lesnar by a staggering 61-16 count in total strikes and 39-3 in “significant strikes.” On numerous occasions, it appeared as if referee Josh Rosenthal was close to stopping the fight, imploring Lesnar to act in the face of mounting punishment. Carwin kept punching, and Lesnar kept covering. By the end of round one, the former was spent.

“He rocked Brock and put a knee on his chest,” Wittman says. “He heard the ref. We expected him to stop it three or four times. I remember thinking, ‘Should I tell him to slow down? No.’ He ran through what he had.”

It was a valuable learning experience for the entire Carwin camp. Never before had he been pushed into a second round. Never before had an opponent forced him to pace himself.

“Shane’s a big, explosive guy,” Wittman says. “You’ve got to pick your moments in spots. You’re not going to stop everybody. You have to know when to put it in neutral.”

Now roughly 11 months removed from the scene, Carwin does not fret over the defeat.

“I’m not going to dwell on it,” he says. “There were some definite positives. The one thing I can say is I left everything in the Octagon. I was barely able to walk out of there. I didn’t hold back. I put every ounce of energy I had into that fight. When I walked out of that cage door, I knew that in my mind, so I was OK with myself.”

Carwin has not fought since.

Under the Knife

In the fall, a nagging spinal injury backed Carwin into a corner. As he approached his 36th birthday, he was forced to choose between undergoing surgery or moving forward at less than 100 percent. Carwin went under the knife.

The decision forced him to withdraw from his scheduled New Year’s Day bout with “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 winner and former International Fight League heavyweight champion Roy Nelson at UFC 125. On Nov. 2, he underwent surgery to repair damage to the C5, C6 and C7 vertebrae in his neck.

“It’s something I’ve struggled with over the course of my MMA career,” Carwin says. “Basically, my right arm and down my back was going numb. The surgeon was able to get in there and correct all that. I think most of the recovery was from all the muscle that was pulled and torn apart.”

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