Shane del Rosario chronicles return from serious car accident

Undefeated Heavyweight prospect Shane del Rosario sits at 11-0 with a ton of potential. While this is a spot that most MMA fighters would love to find themselves in, del Rosario is in fact coming off the roughest stretch of his young career. After defeating Lavar Johnson in Strikeforce in early 2011, del Rosario was in a debilitating car accident, suffering serious back injuries that took longer to heal than expected. This Saturday, he will make his way back to fighting on one of the biggest cards ever staged when he fights Stipe Miocic at UFC 146 in Las Vegas. Del Rosario recently appeared on “The MMA Hour” to detail his recent struggles:

"It was last year of April 2011. I was driving home and I was in a car accident. I suffered several herniated disks and bulging disks. It just took me out for a long time. I had never really been injured before and it was the first time that I really couldn't do anything for a long time. The first six months I didn't train at all and it was very tough and anybody that is going through a back injury knows. It's taken a while but it seems like it's come full circle and I'm ready to fight May 26 and it's my biggest fight of my career and it's the UFC so I'm nothing but excited and thrilled to be there." - via MMAFighting.com

Del Rosario, as a top athlete, expected to heal fast and get back to training as soon as possible, but found some roadblocks along the way:

"I always thought I was going to keep going but I didn't really realize how long it was going to take. Once it hit three months, I didn't get better at all. So yeah, I started to wonder and get some anxiety over the issue. Then six months hit, it got even worse. But I just kept going and kept working and just doing all of my physical therapy and it was definitely some dark times. I'm lucky, it help me put things into perspective. I feel a lot better. It really sucked that I was in a car accident I didn't want and it was an injury that was pretty serious. But I worked through it and it's made me a stronger fighter because it's made me a stronger person."

Del Rosario has made it through a tough time for a fighter, and he will face a formidable opponent in the form of Stipe Miocic, who is undefeated himself. Will del Rosario rebound fully to take the UFC Heavyweight division by storm, or will he be derailed by another up-and-coming prospect in Miocic? Having had to miss a fight versus Daniel Cormier due to his injuries, del Rosario is anxious to shake off the ring rust and win a war at UFC 146 on Saturday. This battle of talented young strikers should show a glimpse of the UFC's future at Heavyweight.

Further Reading: Shane del Rosario leaves Strikeforce, signs with the UFC