"The week leading into this fight was hectic. I was unable to get cleared based on the medical records I submitted so I spent a good part of one of the media days in the Dr.'s office. I was able to pass the MRI/MRA that was initially in question but the doctors located a new problem. Apparently there was concern that one of the vessels in my brain looked as if it was connected on one end but not the other. The Dr. told me it could be that or it could be a vessel that was widening or ballooning but they could not really tell and needed a better test. It sounded serious and I wanted to fight so I agreed to the test, which involved CT Angiography (CTA). They had to set up an IV and inject a contrast material in me (containing iodine) and named off some possible side effects, this was all fine, but not when you are less than a couple of days out from a fight. The dye made me pretty sick for about the next 24 hours. I was thankful they were being so thorough, but it could not have come at a worse time."
Fresh off a dominating performance against Frank Mir at UFC 111 this past weekend, heavyweight Shane Carwin details the health struggle he faced in the week leading up to the fight on his blog. On the heels of Thiago Alves' health scare last week, it's certainly worrisome to hear about another high profile fighter's battle with a potentially serious brain ailment. Though he was eventually cleared to face Mir this past Saturday, Carwin states that he also dealt with an illness due to the tests he underwent just two days prior to the bout. Considering this surprising news, how impressive was Shane's knockout victory in hindsight?
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