Carwin vs. Gonzaga: A Not-So-Sleeper Fight

Rampage vs. Jackson is promising because we know that both fighters are going to show up to brawl. There’s always a chance that the fight will end up on the mat, but that chance is about as small as it can be with the headlining fight at UFC 96 this weekend.

The best matchup on the card, in my mind, is the fight between Shane Carwin (10-0-0) and Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga (10-3-0). Gonzaga is not that long removed from being a top contender in the heavyweight division and is trying to work himself back into that position, and Carwin is trying to establish credibility against his first serious opponent, the first guy who is most certainly not a stepping stone.

The greatest MMA platitude is “styles make fights,” but there’s a reason why we hear it so much. It’s true.

Gonzaga is a world class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt and a dangerous kickboxer, who’s just as likely to finish on the feet as he is on the ground, and Carwin is a former NCAA champion wrestler who’s worked hard to develop a solid boxing game and some decent jiu-jitsu skills. Both are constantly improving, both are well conditioned and both pose serious challenges to the heavyweight title (whether Mir or Lesnar ends up holding the belt).

This could easily be a fight to establish a top contender, but even if it’s not, the classic wrestler vs. jiu-jitsu practitioner is at it’s peak in Gonzaga vs. Carwin. What makes it even more fun is that both of these guys can bang it out too, so even if Carwin uses his wrestling to keep the fight on the feet, Gonzaga is still a huge threat. Wherever the fight goes, both fighters are capable of ending it, and that makes for exciting fights.

Besides, Carwin is the one dude in the division who’s almost the same size as Brock Lesnar and Gonzaga is the most powerful BJJ blackbelt left in the division (the only remaining Mundial champion with the departure of Fabricio Werdum), and perhaps one of the best at applying his game to MMA. This is a phenomenal matchup, and will definitely help to dictate the future of the heavyweight division, as both of these guys will be around for a while.