Remember Shane Carwin? Well, how could fans forget ‘The Engineer?’ The heavyweight wrecking ball came into the UFC with a reputation for finishing all his fights in the first round – a streak he kept alive under Dana White’s banner. The Colorado native also held the interim heavyweight title for a while, making him a pivotal presence in the early days of the UFC heavyweight division. That is why it is heartwrenching to see the iconic fighter struggling to pay his bills and hold down a day job, eleven years after his retirement!

Former UFC fighter Brendan Schuab is distraught at his former training partner’s plight and has called for Dana White and the UFC to step in and help. While having a conversation on his podcast, Brendan Schaub nearly cried as he read out the letter of his friend and sparring partner. “You know, Shane Carwin recently came out — you know, he was like a brother to me. And Shane’s struggling, man. That’s my main training partner. Bring up what Shane said: ‘Despite having a degree in engineering from Colorado School of Mines, I have been unable to maintain adequate focus to hold down my engineering job. I face serious challenges,’ meaning, a former world champ, ‘I face serious challenges in meeting basic everyday expenses for food and shelter,'” said Schaub.

The former fighter further called out Dana White as well as the top brass of the promotion to be humane and help Shane Carwin considering all that he did for the promotion – “How do you not go ‘I get it, dude. Boom — 10 to 15 million (dollars) for your troubles?’ Can we be human for a f—ing second? This guy put his life on the line. I’ve seen it, dude. I was with him every step of the way from day f—ng one. He is such a good person. How can you not just f—ng go, ‘Here you go, don’t worry about it?’ That’s pennies to these guys.”

For those who don’t know Shane Carwin was one of the best heavyweight fighters of his time. Carwin fought six times under the promotion, amassing a 4-2 record (12-2 in MMA overall). Carwin’s start to his UFC stint was so strong that he was offered to fight for the interim belt after just three fights, all first-round finishes. But he failed to unify the belts, losing to Brock Lesnar at UFC 116 in 2011. This was his maiden MMA loss. The following year UFC 131 Carwin lost a decision to Junior Dos Santos.

He entered the UFC at 33 and retired in 2013, at 38. “Officially retired,” the 38-year-old Carwin said on X (formerly Twitter). “Thank you to my family, friends and fans! God bless!” He was injury-prone and had to pull out of several fights owing to needing surgeries on his neck and his back. But not many could have predicted he would be in the situation he is in right now.

Regardless, problems are mounting for Dana White as more high-profile fighters are coming out in support of the anti-trust lawsuit. More than 50 former UFC fighters have written letters of support for the proposed $375 million settlement and one of them is Shane Carwin, who desperately asked the promotion for a final paycheck as his life has completely turned upside down.

Shane Carwin “desperately” pleads for funds from Dana White and the UFC

Who are the new faces who wrote letters supporting the cause you ask? Well, the list includes names such as Wanderlei Silva, Shane Carwin, Matt Brown, Patrick Cote, Jon Fitch, Cung Le, Sage Northcutt, and many more. “I face serious challenges… in basic life skills necessary to function… I desperately need these funds now,” Carwin wrote in a declaration to the court.

Everything’s not well for the promotion as well as Dana White as according to the recent filings, the total sum allotted to the plaintiffs would be somewhere around $375 million dollars and this amount is to be paid in installments. In addition to that, each fighter’s payout will specifically depend upon two factors: The number of times they have fought under the promotion and the amount of money they have earned through their fights.

“The proposed Plan of Allocation can be summarized as follows.“Each Claimant will be allocated his or her share of the Net Le v. Zuffa Settlement Fund based upon two pro rata factors: (i) the total compensation each received from the UFC for participating in UFC bouts (i.e., the fighter’s Event Compensation) during the Class Period; and (ii) the total number of UFC bouts each fought during the Class Period. All Claimants will receive a minimum recovery amount of $15,000,” as highlighted by the notice.

This $375 million dollar payment clause is yet to be signed off by Judge Richard Boulware who previously denied the other clause citing it was unfair to the fighters. Should the judge agree to the demands, the Le vs. Zuffa lawsuit will be closed but Dana White and the promotion will still have to deal with the Johnson vs. Zuffa case which will continue separately.