‘Older’ Carwin jumps on the chance to face JDS

Shane Carwin got a late start to his MMA career and now that he's in his mid-30's, he's jumping on the opportunity to grab a title shot.

Brock Lesnar, ill again with diverticulitis, has dropped out of his title eliminator with Junior dos Santos on June 11. With the clock ticking on his career, Carwin, 36, felt like he had to take the shot.

"Junior is a serious fight and not the type of fight that you would normally take on a 30 day notice but I have a dream to chase and I do not have a lot of time to chase it.  This is an opportunity to put myself in contention for the title. I know my Coaches will have me ready so I have everything to gain, Carwin said on his blog. "My manager said 'This is where you belong' and I am going to make sure I do everything I can to prove him right."

The important phrase in there is clearly the reference to not having a lot of time. Carwin's been battling back issues. He was also facing a long climb back up the ladder after nearly 13 months off. This fight throws him right into the title mix. The winner is likely to get UFC heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez in the fall.

Carwin (12-1, 4-1 UFC) is certainly qualified to face a guy like dos Santos (12-1, 6-1 UFC), but he's in a tough position. He had back surgery in the fall of 2010 and hasn't fought since his UFC 116 loss to Lesnar. Coming out of that defeat, there were also questions about his stamina.

For JDS, Carwin brings a similar build and background to Lesnar, although his striking is much more dangerous. Dos Santos is predicting a finish on one side or the other.

"His boxing skills are great," Dos Santos told Sherdog. "It's gonna be a great fight with tough blows from both sides. I would say that it will end by knockout."

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MacDonald dominates Diaz at UFC 129


Rory MacDonald pleased the 55,000 fans in the Rogers Centre on Saturday night with a dominating win over Nate Diaz. MacDonald, a native of British Columbia, won on all three judges crowds: 30-26, 30-27, 30-26.

The fight started much more slowly than it ended. MacDonald used leg kicks throughout the first round while Diaz mostly used jabs. MacDonald tried for a takedown, but Diaz reversed him, broke from MacDonald's hold and stood up. Diaz tried for a single-leg takedown late in the round, but couldn't get it. Diaz seemed frustrated by the round, as he taunted MacDonald as the horn to end the round sounded.

As the crowd in Toronto chanted, "[Expletive] you, Diaz," MacDonald started the second with a takedown. Diaz got back to his feet, but MacDonald punished him with short strikes as Diaz stood up. MacDonald then followed it up with another takedown. Again, they returned to their feet, and this time the fight went against the cage. Diaz tried for a takedown, but MacDonald stopped him. In the final seconds of the round, MacDonald worked in a few more knees and punches before the time ran out.

MacDonald made his mark in the third round when Diaz made the tactical error of trying for another takedown. MacDonald stepped out of the takedown attempt, then followed Diaz to the ground. He took his back, and used it as an opportunity to slam Diaz to the ground twice in a row. MacDonald landed several more strikes when Diaz was on the ground. Diaz came close to standing up and then MacDonald supplexed him again. Diaz tried to come back in the last seconds, but it was too late. MacDonald had made his mark, all over Diaz's face. The Canadian crowd exploded, cheering on their native son's win.

Diaz was hoping to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, who earlier this month convincingly defended the Strikeforce welterweight belt, but it was not meant to be. MacDonald, who recently started training at Georges St-Pierre's training home of Tri-Star Gym in Montreal, didn't relent during the fight. Now, the 21-year-old MacDonald's record moves to 11-1, while Diaz is 13-7.

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Aldo defends belt in UFC 129 five-round war

Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick had a lot to live up to after the excellent fights that made up UFC 129. They delivered in a five-round decision that ended with Aldo keeping the UFC featherweight belt, with him winning 48-45, 48-46 and 49-46. (The score read after the fight of 50-43, 48-46, 49-46 was a miscalculation.)

Aldo started with his trademark leg kicks early, landing several before the first minute of the fight was up. Hominick returned a few strikes, but had a hard time getting close enough to land anything of consequence. Aldo then used a takedown that Hominick tried to turn into an armbar. Aldo got out of it easily and then used the close proximity to land short strikes. The repeated elbows opened a cut under Hominick's eye. They were stood up by referee John McCarthy with 30 seconds left in the round, only for Aldo to get another takedown.

By the second round, Hominick had a lump on his forehead and a cut under his eye, but still came out with several body shots. Hominick had an easier time landing strikes and avoiding Aldo's. He tagged Aldo with several jabs before Aldo got a takedown. Hominick grabbed onto Aldo's arms to try to force a stand-up, and it worked. Back on their feet, Hominick landed a leg kick but again, Aldo got the takedown.

Between rounds, Hominick's corner told him that Aldo was fading. As the two came out in the third, Aldo was able to land leg kicks, but Hominick was getting the better of striking. He stopped Aldo's takedown attempt and was able to land jabs. A cut underneath Aldo's eye opened as Hominick found his rhythm on his feet.

But that's when Aldo took back the momentum. He tagged Hominick, knocking him to the ground with a right hook followed by a left hook, then followed up with several punches on the ground. Aldo was unable to finish Hominick off, but the damage for the round was done.

Heading into the championship rounds, Hominick's left eye was swollen, and he had a cut under his right. Aldo returned to the leg kick and used it to set up knees and and punches to begin the fourth round. Finally, the leg kicks started to add up, as Hominick began to limp. Though Aldo's foot movement wasn't impressive, his head movement was.  Because of that, he was able to avoid Hominick's strikes.

He knocked Hominick down again, then followed up with another series of ground strikes. Hominick sustained a baseball-sized bump on his head. He struggled underneath Aldo, and was so beat up. Referee John McCarthy stopped the bout to call in a doctor to look at it, but the doctor let the fight continue.

With the short time left in the round, Aldo finished with another takedown. The doctor again checked Hominick between rounds, who gave him a more extensive exam. Again, the fight was allowed to continue.

In the fifth round, Aldo landed another leg strike before Hominick and his head hematoma got a takedown. As a cut on his cheek leaked onto Aldo's face, Hominick was able to land several short punches and elbows. Aldo looked exhausted, but held on until the bell rang.

When the bell rang, Hominick did his trademark push-ups. Aldo looked over and did the same. The two laughed and congratulated each other on the fight. Aldo was impressed by his opponent, calling him a tough fighter.

And that's exactly what Hominick proved himself to be. He didn't come away with the win, but he did earn the respect of every person who watched the bout.

UPDATE: This bout was awarded the Fight of the Night bonus, giving both Aldo and Hominick an extra $129,000.

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UFC Refuses to Pay for Extra Policing at UFC 131

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The UFC has turned down the Vancover Police Department's request to pay for extra policing around Rogers Arena on the night of UFC 131.

Tom Wright, UFC Canada's director of operations, informed MMA Fighting via e-mail that the he responded to the VPD on Thursday.

"I spoke with the VPD [Thursday] and advised them that we would not be funding any 'expanded police presence' for community areas in the general vicinity of the Rogers Arena," Wright wrote.

"I explained that while we remain supportive of law enforcement in every city we bring shows to, we weren't prepared to be 'treated differently' than other events/concerts/shows (Canucks, Rolling Stones etc). This is a particularly important consideration when 'incidents' at UFC events are typically fewer than other big events. As I explained, if I were the Chief I'd be more worried about Canuck fans (celebrating or crying in their beers) than UFC fans."

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Garza lands possible Sub of the Night; Makdessi set the mark for KO of the Night in UFC 129 openers

That's the way to start out the biggest MMA event in North American history. Pablo Garza flashed some impressive jiu-jitsu by executing a flying triangle. Garza caught Yves Jabouin in the submission and finished it on the ground to up his first UFC victory at 4:31 of the first round.

John Makdessi followed that up with an even more spectacular spinning backfist knockout of Kyle Watson. Watson caught the left hand on the chin, went down in a heap and slammed his head against the mat at 1:27 of the third round. He was actually unconscious for a few minutes following the knockout.

UFC 129 sold 55,000 tickets at Rogers Centre in Toronto. Media members on the scene report that the building is about half full with another five and half hours of fighting on the way.

Garza-Jabouin and Watson-Makdessi were the first two of five fights being streamed on the UFC Facebook page. There's a long way to go, but Garza and Makdessi certainly themselves in the mix for a postfight bonus.

The UFC hands out bonuses for Knockout of the Night, Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night. The promotion awarded record $100,000 bonuses at UFC 100. With a UFC-record gate in excess of $11 million, one can only guess how massive tonight's bonuses might be.

UPDATE: UFC analyst Joe Rogan confirmed the bonuses will be $129,000 each.

You can watch UFC 129 on PPV (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT) right here on Yahoo! Sports.

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Proposal in the cage: Baker scores KO and fiancee at Bellator 43

Now that's a night! Bryan Baker continued to climb up the middleweight ladder by destroying veteran Joe Riggs at Bellator 43 in Newkirk, Ok. The 25-year-old followed that up by winning Megan Vargas' hand in marriage.

"My heart is just doing back-flips right now," Baker told Sherdog. "I can't express how much this girl cares for me and how much I love her. I want to give world to her. That cage is hers as much as it is mine. We're going to conquer it together. There are a lot of good things in store for us."

Baker (15-2) drilled Riggs (34-13) with left hook at 3:53 of the second round to gain his way into Bellator's Season 5 middleweight tournament set to begin in the fall.

The last year has been a rollercoaster ride for Baker, who's battling chronic myelogenous leukemia.

"It's taken me into areas I could have never imagined," Baker told MMADieHards.  "From all different angles, whether it be telephone or emails or Facebook.  My doctor was talking with this patient who had testicular cancer and he heard my story, and he's a fighter as well.  We connected with him and it's been crazy how much of an inspiration shined through.  I want to continue that.  It's a blessing that I have the responsibility to show people that no matter what your body may endure or trials you go through in life, you're able to correct it to the fullest.  Its crazy that I can affect people in so many different ways"

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