No one apparently informed Steve Carl that World Series of Fighting (WSOF) was banking on a Welterweight trilogy match between Josh Burkman vs. Jon Fitch in the near future.
Carl spoiled those grand plans last night (Sat., Oct. 26, 2013) with a fourth round submission of Burkman at WSOF 6, which emanated from BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Fla., to claim the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion's first-ever 170-pound world title.
"I felt like I could have performed a lot better, but there's something not a lot of people know," Carl said after the win. "Two weeks ago I was in the emergency room with torn muscles and a bulging disc in my back, unable to walk. My last two weeks have been nothing but rest and rehab to get here. I was bound and determined to take this fight, and I'm not really happy with my performance.
"I was so tired I wanted to quit there a couple times. Josh is a really game opponent, and he kept bringing it. Honestly, I didn't think I could do it for a while. My cornermen just kept pushing me through it, and here we are. We did it."
Carl (21-3) -- a relative unknown on the MMA scene prior to last night's upset -- is currently riding a seven-fight win streak. Once his injuries are healed, he'll likely have to defend his belt against Fitch and/or Burkman, seeing as how those are the top two 170-pound fighters currently on the WSOF roster.
For complete WSOF 6: "Burkman vs. Carl" results from last night, including play-by-play coverage of the NBC Sports main card, click here and here.