Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin

The Heavyweight Championship rumble between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin at UFC 116 was the biggest heavyweight fight in MMA history in more ways than one. In addition to featuring the comeback fight of the Champion, Brock Lesnar, after he recovered from a potentially career-ending bout with diverticulitus, the match featured the two biggest fighters in the division. Both Lesnar and Carwin came in at the 265-pound limit after cutting to make weight. Prior to the contest, the speculation was whether or not Carwin, a Division II national wrestling champion, could stop the takedowns of Lesnar, a Division I national wrestling champion, and, in turn, whether Lesnar could take the heat of Carwin’s powerful punches.

When the fight finally kicked off on July 3, 2010, Carwin shocked the MMA world by battering Lesnar for the majority of the opening round. The shot heard round the world occurred when Lesnar covered up to avoid punishment, restricting his vision and allowing a dynamite uppercut to find its mark. As Lesnar crumpled to the canvas, Carwin jumped all over him with an unending stream of punches that had referee Josh Rosenthal close to stopping the bout on more than one occasion. When the round ended, Lesnar had just barely survived, but Carwin had all but punched himself out.

After surviving the onslaught, Lesnar came back in the second and quickly scored a takedown on the exhausted Carwin. Utilizing surprising Jiu-Jitsu technique for someone of his size, Lesnar transitioned to a fight-ending Arm Triangle choke and earned the tap.

By bouncing back from adversity and finishing the fight with a high-level Jiu-Jitsu maneuver, Lesnar had answered lingering questions about his heart and ability to take on contenders as powerful as himself. And unlike his ugly post-fight diatribe at UFC 100 after battering Frank Mir to keep the Championship, this version of Lesnar appeared visibly humbled as he addressed the crowd, thanking everyone who contributed to his return to the cage.