Before the UFC's heavyweight division became relevant again, a name every MMA pundit was throwing around as the "future" of the division was Shane Carwin. Carwin 2-0 in the UFC and 10-0 overall in his professional career certainly seems to live up to the billing.

In his UFC fights Carwin needed a mere 44 seconds to put away Christian Wellisch at UFC 84 and only 1:31 seconds to dispatch Neil Wain at UFC 89.

His fights, in and out of the UFC, have all been one-sided victories that have ended in the first round by either KO, TKO, or submission. To say Carwin is an explosive and aggressive fighter is an understatement.

Carwin is often compared to Brock Lesnar, not only because of his size, 6'4", 264lbs, and size 5XL gloves, but also because of his wrestling pedigree. Carwin was a two-time runner up and one time national champion as a NCAA Division II heavyweight wrestler.

At UFC 96, Carwin will face his toughest challenge yet when he faces Gabriel Gonzaga, the one time heavyweight division dark horse who is best known for his head kick KO of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

Gonzaga not only has the size and jiu-jitsu pedigree to deal with Carwin on the ground, but he is also an excellent muay thai striker and can take punches in bunches.

As an MMA enthusiast, I'm excited the UFC has finally decided to give Carwin a true challenge and a fight that will most likely put the winner in the title shot discussion.