Get yer' bottle rockets ready because this Fourth of July weekend is going to be popping with mixed martial arts fireworks.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) today officially announced the titanic heavyweight showdown between division champion Brock Lesnar and interim titlist Shane Carwin that will headline the monster pay-per-view (PPV) event, which is scheduled for the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 3.
UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin" features a main event that was supposed to take place in Nov. 2009. However, Lesnar was stricken with a serious stomach ailment prior to the super-sized showdown, sending him to the hospital for an extended period of time and nearly killing his budding fight career.
But a "miracle" that defied modern medicine somehow rescued the former NCAA wrestling champion. And he's been on the road to recovery ever since, adopting a a new diet, training camp and attitude.
How the experience, as well as his renewed approach to the sport and wellness, affects his performance inside the Octagon remains to be seen.
Carwin, meanwhile, just returned from a lengthy absence to smash former champion Frank Mir at UFC 111 in March to solidify his place in line as potential heir to the throne.
"The Engineer" put on a frightening display of power at the Prudential Center. And afterward, Lesnar was kind enough to meet him in the cage after his victory and take potshots at his newly earned interim title, but Carwin wouldn't get dragged into a war of words.
He's likely saving his talking for the fight -- and if the Mir bout was any indication -- he'll have a lot to say ... with his very own ham hocks.
UFC 116 will also feature a middleweight showdown between Wanderlei Silva and Yoshihiro Akiyama, as well as a highly-anticipated rematch between Stephan Bonnar and Krzysztof Soszynski.
For the latest UFC 116: "Lesnar vs. Carwin" fight card and rumors click here.
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