Don’t expect a UFC interim heavyweight title fight any time soon

I’m going to go out on a big thick ol’ limb and say that a UFC interim heavyweight title fight isn’t going to happen for at least five months – assuming Shane Carwin is one of the two fighters vying for the belt – and by that time it’ll be so pointless as to be unnecessary.

UFC president Dana White would love to set up an interim bout at UFC 110 in Sydney, Australia, on February 21, according to MMA Junkie. The problem is that Carwin’s wife is expecting a child on February 11. There’s no way I can see Carwin being able to devote himself to training for the biggest fight of his career while also be there for his wife and child and then leave them a few days after the birth to fly halfway around the world for a fight. I just don’t see that happening. Especially given how nice, for lack of a better word, Carwin is.

So that pushes an interim fight back at least three or four weeks in my estimation, maybe more, which puts us into late March or early April. And the word out of current champ Brock Lesnar’s camp is that he’s recovering from having a hole in his intestines repaired and should be ready to fight again in six months (it’s unclear of that means he’ll be ready to step into the cage at that time or just return to training).

If he’s back to 100 percent, though, then why bother with an interim fight just a few weeks before his possible return? If it means he can begin training in six months then his actual return fight is probably eight months off. Can the heavyweight division afford to go championless for eight months? Absolutely, especially when, as I’ve said before, an interim belt is a paper title. Besides, Carwin himself has already gone on record saying he sees no need for an interim belt at this point.