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Getting your player ready...

Ever wanted to ask a sports personality a question? Now’s your chance. They will answer readers’ questions in The Denver Post’s “Fan Mail” feature.

In this edition, Greeley’s Shane Carwin, a top MMA heavyweight contender, talks about how he’ll approach Junior Dos Santos at UFC 131, his career-best fights and how he’s not like Tito Ortiz.

Keep an eye out for next week’s installment. Send your Qs in an email to fanmail@denverpost.com.

Hey Shane, how do you think you’re gonna beat Junior Dos Santos on Saturday? Knockout or submission?

—Ryan, Longmont

Shane Carwin: I’m always looking to finish the fight, either by knockout or submission. I’m constantly trying. I just go in there and do my thing. This is something I love to do and I’ll take a win any way I can get it. But I’m mostly always looking for a knockout.

I just go in there and try to impose my will on him. Dos Santos is a great boxer and he has great hands. We’ve trained for all that. We’ll go in with our gameplan and try to implement it, try to get a knockout on him as soon as possible.

Are you approaching things differently coming off the first loss of your career? Did it change things for you?

—Miguel, Denver

Shane: After every fight you should change as a fighter, and try to improve on things. Change is important.

So after that loss to Brock (Lesnar), I looked at some cardio things, some conditioning, nutrition. I looked at everything. I’ve been trying to become a better fighter in all aspects of the game.

That fight just — it went my way in the first round. But by the second round, my body just shut down. I’ve learned from that.

Where’s your weight at? How did you diet to lose 35 pounds? How does it feel to be that much lighter?

—Hassium, Colorado

Shane: I normally walk around at about 285 pounds. But I’ll weigh in this week at about 260.

I got together with Josh Ford from ForgedFuel. He put me on a healthy, organic diet. We really changed my nutrition. The types of protein I’m getting now are lots of fish and chicken. The purpose behind every meal is for recovery. That’s the key. It’s just a good, clean diet. And the timing of the meals is real important too.

Now I’m lighter on my feet. I got with coach Loren Landow, who was working with some of the Broncos during their lockout workouts. He’s a great conditioning coach. I believe my explosion is much better now. Anytime you can improve on those things, it makes you a better athlete.


When you fight do you feel like you are representing Colorado?

—Kory McWain, Aurora

Shane: Oh yeah, absolutely. I made it in Colorado – born and raised. I’ve been a Broncos fan since Day 1. And I love the Nuggets, Avs, Rockies. I feel like I represent Colorado in mixed martial arts, along with our team. Absolutely.

I believe you said in an interview that signs of old age usually appear at around 10-15 years of fighting. You started MMA at around age 30, right? So you’ll be treating fans for quite a number of years to come?

—Muhammad, Mahwah, N.J.

Shane: If I can stay healthy, yeah, definitely. I’ve had some injuries from previous sports that took a toll. I started playing football at age 8, wrestling when I was 6. They took a toll on me because I played them all the way through college.

But I might see a push through 40. You’re only as old as you feel. And I feel a lot better lately. My desire is still there. I love competing. There’s that fire that burns inside me.

Who’s the fight you most want? If you were the scheduler? do you want a piece of Brock Lesnar again?

—Dave, North Denver

Shane: I would love to compete against Brock again, if he’s able to come back. He’s coming back from a surgery and a serious health issue with diverticulitis. I wish all the best for him in his recovery.

But by the time he comes back, hopefully by then I’ll be champion. And the tables will have turned. It’d be a good rematch.

What has been your favorite moment so far in your career? Do you have any fighters you root for in lighter weight divisions?

—Eric, Buffalo, N.Y.

Shane: My favorite moment is probably after the win over Frank (Mir). Just the shot at the title I got, and then to become the interim champion. It was a lifetime of work to get to that point. I’d been competing my whole life. And it finally got me a belt.

But my best performance was during the first round against Brock. I just feel like I was in a zone and I could just see everything coming at me before it happened. I was able to counter and just felt real comfortable in the fight.

The Frank fight was a good performance too. We implemented a game plan. That was a different kind of fight.

The (Gabriel) Gonzaga fight was good. He clocked me a couple of times and broke my nose in the first couple minutes, but I was able to come back for a victory (a knockout in the first round).

Who’s the best pound-for-pound fighter right now?

—Jardin, Littleton

Shane: I’d say Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva have done a great job. They both have some long streaks of defending their titles.

If that fight ever happens, between them, I’d have to go with GSP. Because he’s my teammate. But it’d be a good fight.

Do you drive a white Rolls-Royce like Tito Ortiz?

—Brian, Denver

No. I just drive an F-150. I’m from Colorado, man. I don’t know how far a Rolls would make it. Maybe on a tow truck.


Greeley’s Shane Carwin will go against Brazil’s Junior Dos Santos in a title-eliminator at UFC 131 in Vancouver on Saturday. Carwin, 36, works out of Grudge Training Center in Wheat Ridge and Easton Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Boulder.

He’s 12-1 since 2005, including an interim heavyweight title victory over Frank Mir at UFC 111 last year. Carwin’s only loss was a a second-round submission to Lesnar in a July 2010 title fight at Las Vegas.

Carwin’s matchup against Dos Santos could put the former collegiate Division II national wrestling champ from Western State College back in a championship bout. The Carwin-Dos Santos winner earns a title fight.

Find more info on Shane at the fan community. And from Vancouver at Yahoo.com.

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