"Shane is the next big thing, bottom line. People say he hasn't fought anybody, but look man, this guy is so athletic, he's sound. We haven't even seen the real Shane because he's only been in there for a minute and a half and he's still fighting with the jitters. This guy only gets better as the rounds go on in the gym. When you watch him, it's hard to believe the guy is a heavyweight. The way he jump ropes and the way he moves is so fluid. I've been excited to see him go deeper into a fight so people could see what this guy brings to the table. Do I think we're going to win the world title? I know we're going to win the world title, no doubt in my mind. Shane Carwin will knockout Brock Lesnar," stated renowned boxing and MMA trainer Trevor Wittman as he talked about Shane Carwin's upcoming clash with UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. Check out what else he had to say about Carwin, Rashad Evans, Nate Marquardt, Kimbo Slice, working on The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 and much more.
PC: How was it doing your first season of TUF?
TW: I enjoyed it man. To be honest with you Percy, when Rashad asked me to go out there to film the show, I really wasn't into it. I didn't want to leave my fighters. I probably watched 3 to 4 episodes before. I'm just never home to watch TV. I've turned to the show and I enjoyed watching the fights, but when it comes down to it, I'm not down with reality shows. When I got down there and met the fighters, I couldn't turn it down. The fighters that we got to deal with all listened so well and were such a great group of guys. I told Rashad...because I was going to try to make it out like 1 or 2 times, but when I got out there, I stayed for the whole thing. It ended up being a great opportunity and if I was asked to do it again, I would do it time and time again.
PC: You had to give Roy Nelson a speech early on in the season. He was not used to getting instruction and criticism. Was that something that he eventually grew out of?
TW: You know what? Leading up to that situation right there, I was so fed up with Roy. I had to get Rashad and Mike Van Arsdale to sit down and have a talk with him. He was just irritating the shit out of me. I told them we have to have a talk with this guy and if not, I don't want to train him. They were cool with it and we went to the back room and had a talk with him; after I talked with him and the other guys talked to him, I really enjoyed Roy. I didn't know what he had been through and how he trained out of his own gym. Some people say he leaves his gym and goes from gym to gym or whatever. I've heard bad things and good things. I tried to judge on my own and I got to learn a lot of different things that he dealt with. Going to a lot of different gyms, you know, I wouldn't want to be at some gyms and some gyms I would love to be in. I don't think he found the right camp to train at or the right people that knew what he was looking for. After the conversation, Roy made a complete turnaround and was a pleasure to work with. I had a blast working with him on the show.
PC: One of the things that is disappointing to me and many others is that we won't get to see Rashad fight Rampage in December. How disappointing is that to you?
TW: To me, it's very disappointing. I know style-wise it would be a great fight for Rashad. How good could that be for Rashad. He loses to Machida and loses his belt and then instantly gets a fight for the #1 spot right away. He beats Rampage and he is right back in contention for the title. That's a gift from God to me and to be able to have the opportunity to go up against Rampage, style-wise I think it would be a great fight for Rashad. I think Rashad would beat him 29 out of 30 times. I really do believe that and I actually feel that Rampage feels the same way. I feel Rashad was able to get into Rampage's head on the show and to be honest with you, as the show keeps going and going, I think Rampage didn't even want to be around Rashad. He almost wanted to become a jokester, just like having fun. He knew Rashad was starting to become more irritated with him and Rashad's comebacks were just so much cleaner. I really don't think Rampage wants to fight Rashad. I never really tried to sit around there little spats and stuff, but I really think Rashad got into his head. I definitely think Rampage will come back to fight again, just not against Rashad.
PC: No fault of his own, but Kimbo Slice got a lot of hype and publicity for going on this show. Do you see an upside to Kimbo Slice in MMA or do you think he should try his hand at boxing?
TW: When we first seen Kimbo was on the show, we didn't pick him because I didn't feel he had the skill set to be a top tier MMA fighter. His training methods, I think he does...his work ethic and everything...after his loss to Roy, he was instantly back out there asking how to do different things. He really wanted to learn how to get out of that position. I don't think he should give it up. I went and hung out with him to watch the UFC and he was just picking my brain and picking my brain. Kimbo is a great dude and I think he has the right mentality and attitude to make it as an MMA fighter and I want to see him go as far as he can. Maybe he's not going to make it to a world title, but he knows that. He told me. He was like, "Man, I'm not fighting for a world title. I'm fighting to show people that I'm here to learn and to get better and that's all I want to do." He wants to show people that he is there to win and not just to hype up his YouTube videos. I was very happy to hear that type of stuff; now when it comes to the publicity and that type of thing, that's just marketing. I'm glad he's on the show because it gets more viewers for the guys that need it. I do feel like it's kind of The Kimbo Show instead of The Ultimate Fighter Season 10. That kind of hurts everybody that was on the show, but then again, it helps the other guys get a little publicity too. It's a hit and miss both ways, you know?
PC: No doubt about it. I think you have done a great job with Nate Marquardt. His last fight was a great knockout over Demian Maia. What would you like to see him do next since Vitor is getting the title shot?
TW: That's an easy question. I want to see him fight Silva. I think he went into that fight with the wrong mentality. There were a lot of people in Nate's head telling him he needs to take Silva down. I thought Nate was dominating him standing. He looked for a shot and got caught with a left hand and got stopped. Nate knows he's got to go out there and make smarter decisions and go out there and react to situations. He doesn't have to go out there and make a situation. He doesn't have to go out there and take Silva down. He doesn't have to go out there and look for the knockout. He just would have to go out there and be Nate "The Great" and I really do believe that he would beat Silva. As for his career and what's next, I'm happy to see Nate do anything. He's building a great fan base and I think people are really excited about watching Nate fight. And no matter who it is, I'm really excited to be in his corner with him and watching him destroy guys.
PC: It's funny because Nate went from people thinking he was too boring for TV to him being one of the more exciting fighters to watch in the UFC.
TW: Well that goes back to the situation in the Silva fight. He was going in there not to lose. When you go into a fight not to lose, you fight defensive. You're not really going out there and showing what type of weapons you really have. And now, Nate's like screw it. He goes out there and lays it on the line. Every fight, from 3 fights ago to the end of his career, he is going to be an explosive fighter.
PC: How is big Shane Carwin doing in preparation for his title fight against Brock Lesnar?
TW: Shane is the next great thing in the heavyweight division. He is one of those guys that has one of the greatest training ethics, or should I say work ethics. The guy works a full-time job. The only thing about that that may hurt Shane is his resting. Maybe he doesn't get enough rest, which is always a big plus and you need to get it. But when it comes to his work ethic, he's a lot like me. I just can't go home and sit on the couch. I can take the day off; I sit on the couch and then its like, "God, I gotta do something." When you have that type of work ethic, it doesn't give you a chance to sit around and think of how big this guy is or how good his ground and pound is. It doesn't allow you to overthink the fight and sometimes, I think that can be an advantage because he's always got something on his plate. He gets in, he works hard and he puts enough time to what he needs to do, gameplanning it without overseeing it. Shane is the next big thing, bottom line. People say he hasn't fought anybody, but look man, this guy is so athletic, he's sound. We haven't even seen the real Shane because he's only been in there for a minute and a half and he's still fighting with the jitters. This guy only gets better as the rounds go on in the gym. When you watch him, it's hard to believe the guy is a heavyweight. The way he jump ropes and the way he moves is so fluid. I've been excited to see him go deeper into a fight so people could see what this guy brings to the table. Do I think we're going to win the world title? I know we're going to win the world title, no doubt in my mind. Shane Carwin will knockout Brock Lesnar!
PC: It was great to finally meet you my man. Good luck with all of your fighters. Is there anything you want to say in closing about TSKO gym or Grudge Clothing?
TW: It was wonderful meeting you man. We actually shut down TSKO and opened up Grudge Training Center. We have a new location. I have about another 2,000 square feet. It is huge. A lot of the guys from The Ultimate Fighter, I don't want to name any names, will be coming out here to train. Some are out here already. I don't want to give out any names until the show is over, but they're already out here, so I'm excited to be working with those guys. I'm just having fun man. Everybody could check out the site at www.grudgetrainingcenter.com and it's actually under www.tskofightclub.com also if you guys want to check out the club. I appreciate all of the fans out there supporting my fighters; just keep watching them.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]