If you'd like to watch the entire episode of Spike TV's 'Countdown to UFC 131', now you can. This is similar to every previous countdown, so in that regard there's nothing particularly noteworthy. It's customarily well done, but unspectacular.
What's more intriguing is Shane Carwin's attempt to sell the fight with recently cultivated histrionics.
It's well documented Carwin has been preparing for media for this UFC 131 bout by working with professional wrestling promoter Paul Heyman. The early report card on the effort is Carwin clearly is acting and can't quite pull it off, but that's still leagues of improvement above what used to be his indefatigable ability to remain uninspiring through promotional opportunities.
The takeaway here is that for visible fighters in important bouts, learning how to do media is an important skill. From the vantage points of modern mixed martial arts fighters, the additional task of mastering fight promotion often seems perfunctory at best, counterproductive at best given that's time which could be spent preparing for battle. That's unfortunately myopia that ultimately affects income, popularity and other essentials for long, healthy careers.
Kudos to Carwin for recognizing the unique opportunity afforded to him as a main event fighter and for reaching out to proven help in polishing critical career-building skills.
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