Shane Carwin to Undergo Back Surgery, Vows to Keep Fighting

2011 has been a rough year for Shane Carwin.

He spent the first half of the year inactive because of an injury, then he returned at UFC 131 in a losing effort against Junior dos Santos, and now it looks like Carwin is back on the injured list.

Carwin posted a blog today, informing his fans that he had recently suffered an injury during training.

After having the injury checked out by a doctor, Carwin received unfortunate news. "I scheduled an MRI and the results showed that my disc in my lower back is into the nerves," Carwin wrote.

The doctor informed Carwin that he had two options. One was that he could wait a couple years before the surgery became absolutely necessary, but that would mean retirement. The other was to have the surgery as soon as possible, which would enable Carwin to continue fighting.

"The decision was easy. I have unfinished business. The UFC had me lined up to face one of the best in the world and I am confident I have everything I need to be a champion. I am scheduling surgery and I hope to return to the Octagon by spring or summer 2012."

Carwin's outlook is optimistic and it seems as if he plans to continue fighting for some time still.

At 36 years old, Carwin has Father Time working against him, so hopefully he has a speedy recovery and is able to return to action soon.

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what's happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/AndrewBarr8.