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Former UFC No. 1 heavyweight contender Shane Carwin will be forced to undergo a second round of surgical procedures to address issues related to neck and back problems. Carwin had surgery last November, and returned to fight against Junior dos Santos before being sidelined by these more recent issues.

Carwin confirmed on his personal blog that he would undergo surgery, saying he has "unfinished business" in the UFC.

The Colorado native suffered a loss at UFC 131 in June, taking a pounding in a physical bout against dos Santos after stepping in for the injured Brock Lesnar. Carwin suffered a broken nose and various injuries in the bout, and afterward took time to heal before getting cleared to resume training in September.

He had only been back in the gym for about one month when his back locked up in training, and a subsequent MRI showed a disc problem in his lower back.

The heavy-handed striker burst upon the scene in the UFC in 2008, and finished each of his first four opponents inside the first round. His streak of 12 first-round finishes in a row to start his career quickly moved him into a UFC title fight against Lesnar.

In that bout, it appeared Carwin was on his way to a 13th straight 1st-round win and the UFC title after dropping Lesnar and pounding on him for most of the round, but Lesnar weathered the storm and rebounded in the second round with an arm triangle submission. Not long afterward, Carwin had his first back/neck surgery, repairing nerve damage and problems with his C5, C6 and C7 discs.

By the time of his return -- likely in the summer of 2012 -- Carwin will be 37 years old.

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