UFC's Shane Carwin Adds MCL Strain To List of Challenges That Include H1N1

Fighters.com’s sixth-ranked heavyweight and UFC title contender Shane Carwin (9-0) suffered a grade II MCL strain a week before UFC 104 in Los Angeles October 24 while training for his UFC title challenge versus second-ranked, UFC champ Brock Lesnar (4-1), Carwin revealed Tuesday.

Fighters.com broke Carwin’s previous revelation that he had also suffered a bout with H1N1 virus, erroneously called “swine flu”, while training for the matchup originally scheduled for UFC 106 in Las Vegas November 21.

Due to an unspecified Lesnar illness, the fight was rescheduled to UFC 108 in Las Vegas January 2, then postponed indefinitely.  It remains unscheduled.

Carwin’s agent told MMA Gospel, Fighters.com’s partner Internet radio broadcast, “It’s not an issue.  Unlike Brock, if Shane fell ill or got hurt they would slot another top guy into the spot and the show would go on.  This is one of the aspects of being the contender not the Champion.  We’re fine, we are training.”

Via Twitter, Carwin simply stated, “Gotta battle through this.”

Chad Edward contributed to this report.