Shane Carwin (Pictured) will step into the cage for the first time in nearly a year when he squares off with Junior dos Santos in the UFC 131 main event on Saturday at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. During a pre-fight teleconference, the 36-year-old Coloradan discussed moving out of his original fight with Jon Olav Einemo and facing Dos Santos as Brock Lesnar’s replacement:

“I don’t know if there are any warm-up fights in the UFC. You’re fighting a top group of guys in the world that have competed to get to that level. Jon was no exception. He was a gold medalist in jiu-jitsu and trains with one of the top striking teams in the world. He was a tough opponent. He just hasn’t run the same course that Junior dos Santos has run. Either way, I had to make sure I was prepared to come in there and fight at my best.”