Carwin unflappable facing Lesnar showdown at UFC 116

UFC interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin is massive, athletic, intimidating and surprisingly soft-spoken.

He's 265 pounds and a former collegiate football player and national champion wrestler.

With 12 first-round stoppage victories in 12 pro fights, some have said he is unstoppable.

Two of the most prominent figures in his training camp say Carwin is a workaholic.

It seems a strange way to describe someone who has made each fight look so easy, but trainer Trevor Wittman and training partner Brendan Schaub see just how much Carwin puts into each session in the gym.

He will put that labor to the test when he tries to unify the heavyweight belt against champion Brock Lesnar in the main event of UFC 116 on Saturday at the MGM Grand.

Carwin, a father of two who still maintains a full-time engineering job, also works hard when he does finally get home.

"He's always remodeling something. You should see the guy's house. He can never just relax," said Schaub, who also will fight on the card.

Schaub added anyone that says Carwin is not a full-time fighter because of his work outside of MMA is off base.

"You couldn't train more than that guy does," Schaub said.

All that work could explain why Carwin has little time for theatrics and trash talk leading up to one of the biggest heavyweight bouts in Ultimate Fighting Championship history.

Carwin had been accused of conducting a "media blackout" in recent weeks, but he says the situation was blown out of proportion. He says he simply made a decision to stop answering questions for everybody that called his cell phone and instead requested all media go through official channels.

Carwin fielded queries for about 15 minutes at Wednesday's open workout, but was typically to the point with his responses.

"The thing is there are a lot of fighters that put on a show when they get here and seem like a person they're really not. Shane is who he says he is,'' Wittman said. "Everybody sees him as the people's fighter and this guy that works hard, and that's who he is. He hasn't changed at all. He hasn't even changed his car. The guy is the same person."

On the heels of Fedor Emelianenko's loss last week, the winner of Saturday's bout will be considered the world's top heavyweight fighter. But if the 35-year-old Carwin does start to allow success to go to his head, he can count on quickly being brought back to earth.

"I'm still an average guy. I've always worked hard and still am (working hard). Nothing has ever changed, and nothing will change," he said. "I looked over at my wife the other day and I said, 'Do you realize that you're married to one of the baddest men on the planet?' It didn't impress her."

Another quick knockout would impress just about everyone else, though Carwin doesn't think Lesnar will be willing to give him that chance.

"I think (I have the advantage) in the striking, and we'll see whether or not he has the advantage in wrestling," Carwin said. "That's probably going to be his game plan. I don't foresee him trying to stay on the feet too long.

"If I touch anybody with my hands, I can knock them out."

Carwin is also proud of his interim title belt.

"I think there's a sense of prestige that goes along with it. I beat Frank Mir, who's a legend of the sport," he said. "We didn't know if Brock was going to make it back, so there's some honor in that. I'm not going to downplay it. I appreciate it."

One thing's for certain: He worked hard for it.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.