Fantastic performance in your dominant victory over Frank Mir. Your most important and arguably your most impressive win – the big stage seemed to bring out the best in you?

As crazy as it sounds I think the time off just helped me get better as a fighter. I am still young in the MMA game and having a year to spend on working on game plans for the elite guys in the division helped me get better.

I understand you almost had to pull out of the fight just two days before UFC 111 due to an abnormality with a blood vessel in your brain? How much did this affect you in the build up, both mentally and physically?

Well I do not pull out of fights but I was almost not cleared to fight due to some of the stringent guidelines the UFC has in place. They brought in the best of the best medical personnel and made sure I understood everything that was being done to me. I get into the procedure on my blog at shane-carwin.com but I was pretty sick for 24 hours after the test were completed. I was thankful they were so through but it was a stressful situation. I do not know if the dye was the cause or if I had just planned wrong but my last pound and a half were tough to cut.

The fight was won through your domination of the clinch which set up the finish – was the clinch game something you were looking to use before the fight, or is that just how the fight materialised?

That was the strategy. Coach Wittman felt that my dirty boxing and power were enough to win this fight. I just executed a perfect game plan.

After the extensive bodybuilding programme that Mir has been undertaking in recent months, he had made a lot of how much bigger and stronger he had become. You didn’t have any problems at all however controlling him against the fence, allowing you to unleash those powerful, short shots. Were you surprised at all by the ease at which you managed him physically?

Not really, when he landed his big power shot I knew we were on different levels and I just relaxed and went to work. I have been big since I was 15 and I walk around close to 300 pounds but I am in great shape for being such a fatty. I am training with elite guys and I have to keep pace so when it comes fight night I am lighter than normal but i have the same strength. I feel more agile and even a little stronger then my opponents. Brock will be a true test for me, while Mir has more talent than Brock, Brock is an elite wrestler with similar size and power. It should make for a great fight.

You talked a lot about testing Mir’s ‘mental toughness’ in the build up to the fight. After the first clinch was separated and he had taken some damage, he seemed to throw some almost ‘hail Mary’ style shots as if going for broke. Do you feel that after taking a few early short rights, Mir realised it wasn’t a place he wanted to be any more?

Not sure what he was thinking but those shots boosted my confidence. I actually enjoy getting hit, it makes me mean and I am not a mean guy. There are times that we will be sparring and I will remove my headgear out of anger (stupidity too) and tell my partner lets go. I love the competition aspect of two people testing each others will.

Next up comes Brock Lesnar for the undisputed title, are you conscious of focussing on this as a title fight as opposed to a grudge match? Do you feel you need to separate the two in your preparation?

I hold no Grudges towards Brock. He is the guy with the belt and that is what I am doing this for. I want to be the best and I have to beat the best to get to that place. Brock is a real threat to any man. He has elite wrestling, he is a super athletic and fast big guy and his power is impressive. That is my focus make sure I give myself the opportunity to win this fight. I am not worried about the belt or what he said in an interview I am just going to focus on imposing my will, executing my game plan.

With Mir now hoping that you defeat Lesnar later this year in order to get his rematch with him, is he someone you might look to work with in your preparation for the fight?

I have a ton of respect for Mir but I doubt I will work with him. I will let my coaches continue to build the ideal training camps and partners to win fights. That formula has worked so far and I will let them take the point on this.

Psychologically, Lesnar seems to need to almost tell himself how much better he is than his opponent, for example talking about both your wrestling careers and past opponents last year; and with his war of words with Mir. Do you look at this as an indicator that at some point in the fight if things aren’t going his way, he’s the kind of guy that can break if he starts to doubt himself?

I have not seen him break yet, that is what I intend to do July 3rd. I want to push him farther than he has ever been pushed. I want to test his heart and see if he is just a big tough guy or a true MMA Warrior. I hope he stays healthy and I can face the best Brock Lesnar ever.

You’ve always been seen as a man with the physical attributes to trouble Lesnar, and apart from it obviously being dangerous to stand with you, he shouldn’t be able to control you on the ground like some of the smaller fighters he’s faced. How do you think he’ll approach the fight?

I feel like I work on being a complete MMA fighter. I do BJJ, I do my Muay Thai, I do Wrestling and Striking. I am a student of the game and have a tremendous amount of respect for the sport and the athletes that participate in it. I want to defeat him with my skills and break him with my will to win.

Going back to UFC 111, being a Brit I was obviously disappointed to see Dan Hardy beaten convincingly by GSP on the night. The fight showed just how important wrestling is to the sport of MMA, and we see a number of wresters at the top of the heap in your Division. With no college wrestling per say in the UK are our fighters always going to be at a disadvantage and playing catch up?

No I think the UK fighters will view Hardy’s sudden rise to stardom as reason to embrace all aspects of the sport of MMA. This is not boxing and you have to respect that. If you are an up and coming fighter how could you not want to cheer Hardy on, ad seeing his success at such a young age means he can come back better and more equipped to deal with a GSP. Think back to when Tito was a Wrestler/Striker, he took time off from MMA to learn submissions. Not because he wanted to win Abu Dhabi but because he wanted to be the best in his division. I expect the UK to have their Champion sooner than later.

Thank you for your time, is there anyone you’d like to thank?

My family, Team Carwin, My management company, and my sponsors. I know they know this but none of this would be possible without them. Join my website and connect with me at www.shane-carwin.com