Shane Carwin's Next Opponent, John-Olav Einemo, Talks About His Return

Shane Carwin has been out of action since July 2010 after submitting to Brock Lesnar in a title fight at UFC 116.

Carwin was then slated to face off against Ultimate Fighter winner Roy Nelson, but had to pull out in order to have surgery to correct a nagging back injury.

Finally, Carwin had been scheduled to appear at UFC 131: Lesnar vs Dos Santos for June 11, 2011 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The only problem with the UFC 131 date is the fact that he had no opponent scheduled.

In steps John-Olav Einemo.

Einemo is a 35-year-old Norwegian fighter with team Golden Glory. He is 6-1 in mixed martial arts. Einemo recently took some time out of his busy schedule in order to talk with me about his career and his upcoming fight with Carwin.

Not wasting any time, Einemo has already started preparing both in Holland and Thailand for the heavy-handed Carwin, but keeps his Saturdays to himself.

"Yeah, I already started [training], but today is Saturday, just a relaxation day. Right now, I am in Holland. I came from Thailand, stay here [in Holland] for one month, then I go back to Thailand for one month before the fight and then I go to Canada for the fight."

Having not competed for some time and probably a new face to all but the most hardcore fans of the sport, Einemo gave us a little bit of back story on how he got into the sport.

"It was a little bit of a coincidence actually, I was wrestling when I was young, then I started training in ice hockey. I was training ice hockey for 7-8 years and then I started training weights.

"One of my friends started training grappling and wanted me to come and join them. I wanted to do something else than just training weights. A friend got me into it [MMA]."

Starting out in wrestling, one of the better bases for mixed martial arts, is of note. Despite having wrestled, it was a long time ago for the Norwegian.

"Yeah I was doing wrestling when I was a kid, Greco-Roman, but it was a long a time ago now, back when I was 12."

Having not fought in years, Einemo still has a strong background in one of the martial arts that has become synonymous with MMA, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

In fact, Einemo describes how he felt after being the only man to have ever defeated Roger Gracie at the famed Abu Dhabi grappling tournament in 2003.

"Roger Gracie is a great man and it [the tournament] was in Brazil at the same time. It is not always easy to beat the Brazilians in Brazil, you know [laughs]?

"But, no it was great you know, it was 2003 and I didn’t feel like I came into the tournament in top shape, but it was my day [Laughs]."

Einemo continued, "It was also very good because I beat Cacareco [Alexander Ferreira] in the final and I had lost to him in the last Abu Dhabi in 2001 and he choked me out and then I choked him out in the final in 2003."

Obviously, Einemo is well-versed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. With Einemo having submitted five of his six opponents and losing only by decision to fellow Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and Strikeforce heavyweight tournament competitor Fabricio Werdum, one can see that Einemo has adapted his grappling to mixed martial arts effectively.

As mentioned earlier, Einemo hasn't fought in a long time. In fact, the last time Einemo competed in mixed martial arts was back in a year when Italy had won the World Cup in soccer and MySpace was still the leader in social networking. That's right, Einemo hasn't competed since December 2006.

Here, the Norwegian gives us an explanation as to why he hasn't fought in so long.

"A lot of different things because I had an operation in my foot and then I got a bacteria that kept me out for a couple of years."

Einemo went to on to say, "because I lived in Norway, it is not really easy to be a martial artist because you cannot get sponsors, and it is far away from everything in the martial arts world."

When asked about the popularity of his sport in Norway, Einemo raised a point that has had an impact on the sport in other places other than Norway.

"No, it [MMA] is illegal in Norway, actually. No martial art that has the intention to win with a knockout is legal in Norway." Einemo voiced his frustration with the situation.

"You know in all the neighbouring countries and all the European Union countries, you can do this sport. Its politics, right?"

Carwin is a tough opponent for anyone, let alone for a man coming back from a four-year hiatus. Despite the layoff, Einemo doesn't seem phased by the high level of his opponent; in fact, he embraces the opportunity.

"I am very excited to fight him and I am very happy that he accepted to fight me, because I haven’t been active in a while and he has a lot to lose.

"Of course he is going to be big and strong and he punches hard and everything like that, but I want to fight the best and if not, it is not fun to do this [sport]."

Shane Carwin struggled in his last fight against Brock Lesnar, he dominated the then champion for all of round one, but was too fatigued to fight anymore in the second round and was forced to succumb to a Lesnar arm triangle choke.

Einemo has had the chance recently to watch Carwin's loss to Lesnar and his wins against Frank Mir and Gabriel Gonzaga. When asked whether he could exploit Carwin's cardio issues, Einemo had the following to say:

"I am a very different build than him [Carwin],  I am more long and not muscular like him. I guess my cardio should be okay."

As one can see, Einemo has no problem alluding the fact that all of Carwin's muscles may be a hindrance to cardiovascular fitness.

Cardio hopefully won't be a problem for Einemo. He did lose by decision to Fabricio Werdum, but Einemo was always pressing forward and pushing the pace through all three rounds against the Brazilian. 

Einemo never looked overly tired against Werdum; he was simply outclassed in the striking department.

While on the topic of the Werdum fight, Einemo opined on a potential rematch now that Strikeforce is under the Zuffa LLC banner along with the UFC.

"Of course [laughs]. I think no fighter who has lost to a guy before would not want to get a chance for a rematch. I would love to have a rematch with him [Fabricio Werdum]. Not because I don’t like him, we are friends and everything, we trained together after the fight, but you have a loss, you want to avenge it."

Obviously the fans have relished at the idea of seeing Strikeforce's best fight the UFC's best at some point in the not so distant future, now that the two organizations are owned by the same company.

Einemo on the other hand isn't too caught up with the purchase of Strikeforce and what it could mean for the sport.

"I don’t really know man, I don’t think so much about these things. Right now I just want to concentrate on what I am going to do and they [Zuffa] can do what they want to do. I am not really sure man, it can be good and it can be bad. Normally, it is not good when there is a monopoly."

Although Einemo was outclassed by Werdum in the stand up, his 6'6" frame and the fact that he has been training with Golden Glory now may have really improved his striking.

When asked about the fact that he gets to train with guys like Alistair Overeem and Sergei Kharitonov, Einemo had the following to say:

"Yeah, I think so, because you have to get better here [at Golden Glory]; if not, you can’t survive in training. Of course, it is very good for me to learn from the best."

Being part of Golden Glory means Einemo practices with some of the best strikers in the world and he may have to fight against them one day as well.

Having interviewed fellow Golden Glory fighters Valentijn Overeem and Sergei Kharitonov and asking them for their thoughts on fighting teammates, they have always been adamant that it is never a problem. Einemo feels the same about fighting teammates.

"That [accepting to fight each other] is for everybody at Golden Glory. We have a big team with a lot of heavyweights and the world is not that big, it is going to happen and we have to accept it."

Surely, this is music to UFC president Dana White's ears as he has often criticized camps where teammates refuse to fight each other.

White often makes reference to the fact that a fighter has only a small window of opportunity to make their mark in the sport and at 35 years old, Einemo definitely feels the pressure for his next fight.

"Of course this is my shot, I have to do it now, I can’t wait any longer. So that is why I put everything else aside now and I am just focusing everything on this."

Despite feeling the pressure to perform at 35 years of age, Einemo feels he could still compete for a while if his body permits.

"Of course it all depends on injuries and these things, and if I am lucky and don’t have any injuries, I can put out another five years."

UFC 131: Lesnar vs Dos Santos will be Einemo's first time fighting in Canada and he is interested in fighting in a country also known as "The Mecca" of mixed martial arts.

"I hear a lot of good things about Canada, so I am looking forward to it."

Einemo vs. Carwin isn't the only heavyweight bout slated for UFC 131 in Vancouver, the main event between Lesnar and Dos Santos is for No. 1 heavyweight contender status.

Fans have been skeptical of Lesnar ever since his debut in the sport of mixed martial arts and even more so after his loss to current champion Cain Velasquez.

Fans question Lesnar's professional wrestling background and whether he is more of a sideshow than an actual legitimate fighter.

Lesnar's two title defenses and the fact that he has some wins is enough to legitimize Lesnar in Einemo's eyes.

"What can I say? When he [Lesnar] wins, he is a champion like everyone else. There are different types of fighters, he is more like a stronger guy that doesn’t have so much technique like many other fighters, but everyone is different.

"I respect him as a champion just as much as another one because if you win, you win, you have been in the ring and you have done what you are supposed to do."

Is Lesnar somebody that is on Einemo's radar? Who does Einemo want next assuming he wins against Carwin?

"Nobody in particular. I would just have to see who would be a good target for the next fight. Of course I am coming to the UFC to get a title shot so I have to fight the top guys."

Einemo went on to say, "[UFC] is not an easy league and that is the name of the game, and I have to face good guys to be the best."

Anyone who will get Einemo closer to a shot at the heavyweight title will fit the bill as his next opponent.

Mixed martial arts can't be everything in Einemo's life right now, or maybe it is? He gives fans a little bit of a glimpse into his personal life here:

"I used to have a school in Norway, but I am giving that up now because I want to focus on my own training now.

"I have a son who is nine years old and he is back in Norway so I have to leave him over there to follow this path.

"Of course I have other interests, but right now it’s only one thing on my mind, training and Shane Carwin [laughs]."

As you can see, it appears as though right now MMA and beating Shane Carwin really is all Einemo is about for now. However, it has to be hard leaving his family behind for such long stretches.

"Yes it is very hard [leaving my family], but it is good to have Skype I can keep in touch with them. Like I said this is my last chance, this is something I could regret for the rest of my life if I don’t do it now."

Fans really get a sense of how strong Einemo's motivation for his upcoming fight with Shane Carwin really is.

In closing, Einemo had the following message for anybody tuning into watch the fight:

"I am very excited to fight again now, and I really hope people appreciate seeing me back again."

For the record, there is some confusion as to how Einemo's first name is spelled. Some websites have it spelled Jon and others John, and the second part as Olav or Olaf. Einemo cleared the air and the correct spelling is actually John-Olav Einemo.

Anyone who thinks this fight is a walk in the park for Carwin should be thinking twice. This isn't the first time Einemo has come off a long layoff.

Prior to his fight with Werdum he had been off from fighting for two years and despite that, he was still very competitive in the fight.

Now that he has had a chance to refine his striking with Golden Glory and the fact that he does have such high level of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the 6'6" Norwegian could prove to be a handful for Carwin.

Carwin is coming off of a layoff himself and is making a return from back surgery. Although Carwin maybe the favorite against Einemo, it is definitely a dangerous fight for the former college wrestling standout, and he certainly has a lot more to lose than gain in this fight.

Leon Horne has been contributing to Bleacher Report for three years now. He focuses mainly on mixed martial arts, but he has also written about tennis, football and hockey.

Just send him a message if you want to talk sports or discuss any opportunities. You can follow him on Twitter for updates: