Former UFC interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin announced on Tuesday night that he is retiring from mixed martial arts.
Officially retired 2day:-) thank you to my family, friends and fans! #dreambig GOD BLESS!!!
— Shane Carwin (@ShaneCarwin) May 8, 2013
Carwin (12-2) opened his professional mixed martial arts career with eight straight victories prior to being signed by the UFC in 2008. He won his first four fights in the organization and then faced Frank Mir for the interim UFC heavyweight title in 2010. He defeated Mir in the first round and the victory set up a unification bout with Brock Lesnar.
However, the win against Mir would be the last time his hand was raised in victory. He lost his next two fights to Lesnar and Junior dos Santos. Injuries slowed down his career and was scheduled to return at the end of last year to face Roy Nelson at The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale but he had to pull out of that fight with a knee injury.
He will finish his career with twelve victories and all of those victories came in the first round with seven of those wins coming by TKO/KO. All of his UFC wins came by TKO/KO which included the knockout of the night bonus for his victory over Frank Mir.