‘He Can Barely Tie His Shoes’
Photo by Donald Miralle/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Life after fighting can prove difficult for many mixed martial arts (MMA) legends.
Recently, several former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters have revealed severe health problems because of the ongoing UFC antitrust lawsuit, which recently reached a second settlement to the tune of $375 million. UFC and Pride FC legend, Wanderlei Silva, is one of many to have declared he is suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) symptoms, as well as former UFC Heavyweight, Fabricio Werdum.
Dozens of other fighters have also declared.
Recently, former UFC fighter and podcast host, Brendan Schaub, revealed a very troubling update from his former training partner, UFC’s former interim Heavyweight roost-ruler, Shane Carwin.
“Shane has paid a dear price,” Schaub said on his podcast. “You’re talking about one of the smartest guys to ever fight in combat sports. Shane, you know, can’t even keep a job. He went from being an engineer to he can’t be a bouncer at an f—king bar. He can’t. So, that’s what you’re dealing with. Shane’s in the thick of it, man. There’s nothing we can do — we tried to get him help.”
Schaub revealed that UFC flew out Carwin to Las Vegas, Nevada, when they heard the news.
“You know, UFC did fly him down to the Apex thing, and they tried to do stuff,” Schaub said. “So, to Dana [White’s] credit, you know, as soon as Dana found out he — that’s who I called. I went through my contacts and tried to get Shane some help. And as soon as Dana heard that Shane was having some issues, he flew Shane down there, and they tried to help. I don’t know enough about it. I don’t know if anyone does. But, he’s the worst of the worst right now.”
Being unable to get a job after fighting in UFC is sad and shouldn’t be the case, especially for a former UFC champion. Carwin declared as much in UFC’s anti-trust lawsuit, which is very, very grim.
“You’ll hear some guys that say they have CTE, and we blow it off, right?” Schaub said. “Shane’s a former world champion. It also didn’t have that long of a career overall — Shane didn’t have a ton of fights. So, he says, ‘While fighting for [UFC], I suffered many severe injuries and concussions. I fear that during my career, I’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury, which has led to depression, mood swings, and irritability.”
“Cognitive tests conducted at the Cleveland Clinic say I’ve suffered damage to my prefrontal cortex and left hemisphere. I spend days in bed suffering from bouts of paranoia and, fear, anxiety. I’ve been hospitalized twice to treat addiction. Despite having a degree in engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, I’ve been unable to maintain adequate focus to hold down my engineering job. I face serious challenges, which mean basic everyday expenses for food and shelter,” Schaub concluded, saying he needed a break from crying.
Schaub continued, revealing that Carwin’s wife had stage four cancer, but doesn’t know if she has passed away. The former UFC fighter made it a point to say Carwin was not a big dumb fighter and that this would have happened if he had fought in any promotion.
“Here’s what’s going on — we’re talking about a former f—king world champion, one of the best knockout artists ever even though he didn’t have a crazy, long career,” Schaub said. “He can’t afford food, shelter, and transportation to function in life. So, I’m not hating on UFC. I’m not hating on Dana. This would have happened if Shane fought in Pride, if you fought in PFL, One Championship ... it’s tough, right?
“So, let’s say they win the lawsuit,” Schaub added. “Let’s say they win. They send Shane; I don’t know. Let’s play in the crazy world. Let’s say Shane gets $30 million to take care of everything, and food and transportation are not a a worry of his anymore. He still fucked, dude. He has kids.
“I’m a f—king moron, Schaub concluded. “So, if I get any dumber, it’s like whatever. Shane wasn’t dumb. Shane was a very high-functioning human being in this world. Shane is smart amongst smart people. Shane got a degree from the School of Mines. That’s the Harvard of the f—king Midwest. School of Mines is so hard to get into, and he dominated that shit. He can barely tie his f—king shoes.”
Carwin fought six times in UFC and only lost twice, which is pretty remarkable yet puzzling as to why his health is so bad. However, Schaub revealed he and Carwin went to war for years in the gym, knocking each other out.
At the end of Schaub’s episode, he pleaded for his former promotion to step in and help Carwin with financial assistance because he believes he has little time left and won’t see any of the money coming from UFC’s anti-trust lawsuit.
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