Carwin Reacts to Lesnar Victory

There’s been no shortage of reactions to Brock Lesnar’s decisive, debilitating victory over Frank Mir on Saturday -- my own father, who considers MMA a crooked melting pot of drug addicts and fixed fights, even brought it up -- but some opinions matter more than others.

Prime example: Shane Carwin, a concrete slab of a wrestler in his own right, who will fight Cain Velasquez on October 24 for the privilege to face Lesnar at a later date for the heavyweight title.

A clearly agitated Carwin posted a blog entry on his site Sunday taking Lesnar to task for his frothing behavior following the win, which included getting in Mir’s face, flipping off the crowd and generally acting like a 280-pound man who can do whatever he likes. (Because he sort of is.)

“The flipping off of the fans that just lined your pocket with millions of dollars is just LAME,” Carwin wrote. (Emphasis his.) “He may be a Champion but he has a long ways to go before he earns the respect of a Champion. The fans are why we do this Brock, this sport is not about fat paychecks and drama it is about hard work and sacrifice for a shot to do what you did last night.”

Carwin will eventually face a rather sad irony: If he goes on to face Lesnar for the belt, he will benefit considerably from Lesnar’s ability -- which is unmatched in the sport at this point -- to sell a fight. And I suspect that he won’t turn down a percentage of pay-per-view purchases or a bonus on principle.

There’s someone for everyone in this sport. If you like athletes with the disposition of a rabies victim, there’s Lesnar; if you prefer someone who conducts himself as though he were in a library, there are plenty of options. Carwin, Dana White and others can scold Lesnar all they like: He’s making them all money. And I don’t hear anyone complaining about that.