Injured Shane Carwin pulls out of UFC 125 co-main event with Roy Nelson

A back injury and expected surgery have forced Shane Carwin (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) out of his UFC 125 co-main-event fight with fellow heavyweight Roy Nelson (15-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC).

After dealing with back pain, the former title challenger underwent an MRI on Monday that detected an injury that "may really require surgery," he wrote on his official website, shane-carwin.com.

UFC officials have not announced his withdrawal from the UFC 125 card, which takes place Jan. 1 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Carwin vs. Nelson was slated as the co-headliner behind a lightweight title fight between champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard, which airs on pay-per-view.

With ample time available, UFC officials likely will find a replacement for Carwin. Theoretically, UFC 121 fighters Brock Lesnar (who lost his title to Cain Velasquez) and Brendan Schaub (who defeated Gabriel Gonzaga) are options. So, too, is Frank Mir, who's coming off a September win over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

"If the doctors do not have to perform surgery, then I will be out eight to 12 weeks," Carwin wrote. "If they do have to perform surgery, I do not know how long I will be out of action.

"I was really looking forward to fighting again, and obviously, this is a very disappointing turn of events."

Carwin stated that he struggled with the decision but ultimately decided he needs to be fully healthy to compete in the UFC.

"This is a hard decision but the right one, and I hope Team Carwin can stand by me through this period of my career," he wrote. "No one wants to get me back to winning more than me. I just need to be healthy to do it."

Carwin hasn't fought since UFC 116, when he suffered a second-round submission loss to then-heavyweight champ Lesnar. Carwin nearly ended the fight in the first round with a vicious barrage of punches, but Lesnar survived and then capitalized on a quickly fading Carwin to secure a fight-ending arm-triangle choke. Prior to the loss, the former interim champ had posted 12 consecutive wins, all of which came via first-round stoppage.

Like Carwin, Nelson also looks to rebound from a recent high-profile loss. The former IFL champion won "The Ultimate Fighter 10," which he entered as a heavy favorite, by knocking out Brendan Schaub in the finale. He then posted a 39-second knockout of Stefan Struve. But in a fight that UFC president Dana White said would earn the winner a title shot, Nelson dropped a decision to fast-rising Junior Dos Santos at UFC

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in comes Brock or mir!!! how about it?

Frank Mir-Roy Nelson would be good.

Too soon for Brock, he has to let that nasty cut heal. Frank Mir or Brenden Schaub would make sense, you could also throw in Pat Berry.

Yep, has to be Nelson vs Mir or Nelson vs Brock.

wasnt this the headliner though, you gotta replace him with a name opponent

Brock won't fight 5 weeks after getting his head smashed.

killerofchicken wrote:

wasnt this the headliner though, you gotta replace him with a name opponent

No the headliner is Maynard vs Edgar II.

Mir makes sense but they might keep him on ice for when Brock returns next year.

Ali wrote:

killerofchicken wrote:

wasnt this the headliner though, you gotta replace him with a name opponent

No the headliner is Maynard vs Edgar II.

oh thats right.

Big Nog?

no chance in hell we see ROy vs Brock

killerofchicken wrote:

Big Nog?

Maybe.

Ali wrote:

killerofchicken wrote:

Big Nog?

Maybe.

Whens Big Nog getting healthy though? didn't he have a back problem

Man, sux that this fight is off, I was really warming up to it

lol you guys are really attacking this topic.

killerofchicken wrote:

Ali wrote:

killerofchicken wrote:

Big Nog?

Maybe.

Whens Big Nog getting healthy though? didn't he have a back problem

I don't know what sort of condition Big Nog is in at the moment, I do remember Roy asking for him on MMA live a while back.

lets just say this card is gonna fail even worse now.

josh200612 wrote:

lol you guys are really attacking this topic.

its our duty

josh200612 wrote:

lets just say this card is gonna fail even worse now.

What's the full card again ?

Main card
Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Gray Maynard[1]
Middleweight bout: Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann[1]
Lightweight bout: Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi[1]
Light Heavyweight bout: Brandon Vera vs. Thiago Silva[1]
[edit]Preliminary card
Welterweight bout: Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim[1]
Lightweight bout: Jacob Volkmann vs. Antonio McKee[1]

freakzilla316ftw wrote:

Brock won't fight 5 weeks after getting his head smashed.

Double that.

killerofchicken wrote:

Main card
Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Gray Maynard[1]
Middleweight bout: Chris Leben vs. Brian Stann[1]
Lightweight bout: Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi[1]
Light Heavyweight bout: Brandon Vera vs. Thiago Silva[1]
[edit]Preliminary card
Welterweight bout: Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim[1]
Lightweight bout: Jacob Volkmann vs. Antonio McKee[1]

That's still a great card.

If they can't find a replacement for Nelson then just move Vera vs Silva to the main card. And if Leben's legal problems hamper his fight move Diaz vs Kim to the main card as well.

this is the end of the year card right?

josh200612 wrote:

this is the end of the year card right?

that is correct