Shane Carwin on his health, looking for a possible 2012 return to fighting

Shane Carwin appears to be on a downward spiral in terms of his MMA career. Including his unsuccessful title shot against Brock Lesnar in July of last year, he has lost two straight fights with the most recent involving a convincing Unanimous Decision defeat to Brazilian contender Junior dos Santos. Since fighting Lesnar, Carwin learned that he cannot rely on knockout power alone to win fights at this level of MMA and needed to turn towards a strength and conditioning program, a change to which he stuck diligently. Though his cardio and heart were impressive in the fight with Dos Santos he ultimately got out-struck by the more technical puncher.

Since June, the 36-year old has been fighting through injuries that, according to Carwin, date back to his college football days where he played at Western State University. His career has recently been in doubt after a string of back injuries, the latest of which have kept from even training to get back in the ring.

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Yesterday, Shane posted an update on his blog about the status of his injuries and his fighting career, writing, “I have spent my entire fighting career dealing with injuries from my football career. I have done my best to get through my training and I have been blessed to get through my fights with relatively little to no damage.”

In the entry he also discussed his current injuries, continuing, “As I ramped up my training for UFC 141 my body locked up during training. It wasn’t like the Lesnar fight but my back just tightened up and I froze. I scheduled an MRI and the results showed that my disc in my lower back is into the nerves.”

This gave many, including Carwin himself, cause for concern on whether he would ever fight again. He explained, “My doctor gave me two options; retire and I could probably go on for a few years without surgery or I could undergo surgery and continue my career.”

He went on to talk about the decision he had to make, stating, “The decision was easy. I have unfinished business. The UFC had me lined up to face one of the best in the world and I am confident I have everything I need to be a Champion.”

Additionally, Carwin also briefly elaborated his future pertaining to his health and his career, concluding, “I am scheduling surgery and I hope to return to the Octagon by spring or summer 2012.”

After a career that started with him being considered the next big thing fans can only hope his health holds up next year so Carwin can get back to stopping opponents in the first round as he has so many times before.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC