Next for UFC Champ Lesnar: Winner of Carwin v Velasquez, or Fedor
“I am sure [UFC Matchmaker] Joe Silva told Cain [Velasquez (6-0)] the same thing he told us,” Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked heavyweight Shane Carwin (10-0) posted at his blog Sunday: “Winner gets the title shot.”
Cream of the UFC’s young heavyweight crop, wrestlers Carwin and Velasquez will fight at UFC 104 in Los Angeles in October for the opportunity to challenge undisputed UFC champ Brock Lesnar (4-1), who beat-up Frank Mir (12-4) at UFC 100 in Las Vegas Saturday.
Carwin knocked out former UFC title challenger “Napao” Gabriel Gonzaga (10-4) last March in Columbus at UFC 96.
Velasquez mauled Cheick Kongo (14-5-1) to a one-sided UD last month in Cologne at UFC 99.
But, at the UFC 100 post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White threw a wild card into the UFC heavyweight title picture.
“Eventually, Fedor’s going to be here,” White said emphatically of Fighters.com’s Heavyweight Champion “Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko (29-1). He added, “I want Fedor. I want him to come to the UFC and everything else. We’ll end up getting that deal done. And then we’ll do Brock versus Fedor, and it’ll be a huge fight.”
Emelianenko will fight ninth-ranked “Babyface Assassin” Josh Barnett (20-5) at Affliction M-1 Global’s Trilogy in Anaheim 1 August, which will finish his contract with Affliction.
But, signing Emelianenko has eluded White before. UFC contracts demand exclusivity, preventing Emelianenko from competing in Sambo tournaments, the Russian combat sport in which he’s a former world champion, and in Japanese promotions, where he is an icon. Emelianenko’s management demands a co-promotion with their M-1 Global promotion, as they’ve done with Affliction. Neither side has been willing to budge from their demands; and, White has made no indication why he thinks that’ll change when Emelianenko’s contract with Affliction ends.
If the deal is done, however, an Emelianenko v Lesnar square off would seem to push back a title shot for the winner of Carwin v Velasquez.
That hasn’t stopped Carwin from poking at the big guy, Lesnar, calling his post-fight antics Saturday “lame” and stating, “He may be a Champion but he has a long ways to go before he earns the respect of a Champion.”
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Way too gray of an area right now to tell. My thoughts are that Carwin with another year of cage experience can beat Lesnar. He has beyond a doubt the punching power to end any fight with one shot. But, he looked a bit sloppy against Gonzaga in the beginning of that fight, got caught and then knocked Gonzaga into dreamland. But it is this very sloppiness he showed against Gonzaga that would have him on his back against Lesnar.
But then again, one tap on Lesnar’s button by Carwin could end the fight on its feet just as easy. However, I think Carwin needs experience.
I think Velaquez is too small a heavyweight. Although he is a tremendous wrestler, Lesnar would provide the same problems for Velaquez that he did Couture.
I still think Fedor would beat Lesnar if they fight within the next year. Fedor is not getting any younger. But as you stated, Josh Barnett is no walk in the park.
Barnett could beat Fedor. In fact, I think the Barnett fight is the most dangerous for Fedor in years.
Whoever gets the next crack at Lesnar, one thing is for sure. They’re not working him too hard! If he has to wait until Carwin v Velasquez, he isn’t going to fight again until at least February 2010.