Who gets this fight? Brock Lesnar is very ill and unable to defend his title in the foreseeable future. He was scheduled to face Shane Carwin this week but now will likely be out of action for months. Odds are the UFC will offer an interim title fight to Shane Carwin for UFC 109 or 110. Carwin is currently recuperating from a knee injury. They don't have an opponent scheduled for him. Currently Big Nog is suffering from a staph infection. He was scheduled to face Cain Velasquez in a title eliminator match at UFC 108. Frank Mir is fighting Cheick Kongo at UFC 107. Junior dos Santos is fighting Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 108. So who gets it?
Re: UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship -- Carwin vs. who? http://www.mmaforreal.com/2009/11/18/1162852/the-ufc-will-create-an-interim It seems the most sensible choice at the moment would be for Carwin to face Velasquez since Cain doesn't have an opponent for the time being, and because they were scheduled to fight at one point anyhow. This way both guys get a title shot rather than one getting it and the other being knocked down a peg in the heavyweight standings. Frank Mir wants to have a rubber match with Lesnar but needs to get a fight or two in between to show he is still a top contender and not just a lucky SOB who fought Minotauro on the worst night of his life. Kongo can't break through into contention but a win over Mir would work in his favour. Junior dos Santos showed everyone that he wasn't a flash in the pan after clobbering Mirko Cro Cop. His fight against Gonzaga should test his ground acumen. Gonzaga has looked good but seems to be a bit of a big game folder like Denis Kang. If Gabe beats JDS he vaults back into contention.
Re: UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship -- Carwin vs. who? IMO Cain should be facing Carwin, but I think if Nog rebounds from his staph infection and can go it should be him. Save the fight between Carwin and Cain for down the line.
Re: UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship -- Carwin vs. who? What they need is a K1 style tourney. 8 guys, one night, win 3 fights and you are the champ. Never happen, of course. What folks like the NSAC have against the tournament format is beyond me. IIRC, K1 was allowed to use that format in the US, but it is prohibited for the UFC.
Re: UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship -- Carwin vs. who? Carwin says they are negotiating an IC fight with Velasquez. Nice.
bleh, I think they're selling one of the best HW fights out there too soon. Both guys should have a few more big fights and then make it a main event on a PPV. Velasquez vs Carwin now will not be a big seller without a big name fighter(s) co-main eventing.
Re: UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship -- Carwin vs. who? EXACTLY what I thought when I saw this. Agree with Celtic fan though. While I think Carwin/Cain deserve it neither one has faced any really good HWs. They need to be built up a little bit more against bigger name guys like Mir, Big Nog, etc. Sadly I think Cain will win and it will force us to wait a VERY long time until Carwin can face Lesnar and since both are old we may never see them fighting in their primes against one another.
I'm also inclined to think that Velasquez will win by ground and pound but I don't see him faring well against Brock so the next in line would either be Nog or Carwin, so it probably won't be that long. Assuming Lesnar can fight within eight months...
Now is the time to use this. fight. Cain and Carwin have worked their way to title fights. Nog has a win over Couture recently, that is it. He doesn't deserve a chance to fight for the belt. He should be 3rd in line. Cain/Carwin will decide who gets to fight Brock and the loser can fight Nog for the next shot. After Nog, that is where Frank Mir / Kongo should be. If Carwin/Cain is a good match, it'll definitely set up a rematch down the road.
Cain and Big Nog are the two most deserving options. Big Nog though it depends on how long he'll be out.
I'd rather Kimbo vs Mir, Kimbo says tapping is for pussy's and we already know Mir will snap if you don't tap.... yup, that would be evil.
