This Day in MMA History: June 11

On June 11, 2011, UFC 131 was originally scheduled to be headlined by a heavyweight contenders’ match between Junior dos Santos and Brock Lesnar, who had just finished a season as coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter.” When Lesnar was forced to withdraw from the bout due to the diverticulitis that would eventually require surgery, in stepped former interim champ Shane Carwin.

Both men, incidentally, sported identical 12-1 professional records. Carwin’s sole loss had come in his most recent outing at the hands of Lesnar, in a fight in which Carwin had thrashed Lesnar to a near stoppage in the first round before tiring, while dos Santos was riding a seven fight win streak, the last six of which had come in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. While the oddsmakers had installed dos Santos as a modest -170 favorite, as replacement bouts went, it had plenty of interest.

Once the cage door closed in Vancouver that night, however, the reality was stark and immediately apparent. Carwin, a former NCAA Division II wrestling champion, had generally preferred to lean on his crushing punching power during his fight career, but shot for a takedown within the first minute. When “Cigano” shrugged off that attempt with relative ease, tagging him with a knee for good measure, Carwin seemed to realize that he was stuck on the feet with a striker who was nearly as powerful as himself and far more technically adept. Dos Santos thrashed Carwin for three rounds, during which the American never gave up throwing offense and attempting takedowns, but was simply outclassed.

By the end of 15 minutes, Carwin's face told the tale of a savage, largely one-sided beating. Dos Santos prevailed via unanimous decision, including a 30-26 scorecard, cementing his shot at the title Cain Velasquez had taken from Lesnar the previous fall. That title fight, at the inaugural UFC on Fox event, resulted in a shocking first-round knockout win and perhaps the crowning moment of dos Santos’ career. Carwin, who found himself on the first losing streak of his career after winning his first dozen fights in a row, has yet to fight again since.