For the third time in TUF history, the original scheduled coach vs coach bout will not occur following the ending of this season of TUF13: Team Lesnar vs Team Dos Santos. One of the most anticipated Heavyweight match-ups this year has shifted with a sudden news break that MMA fans were not expecting. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar (5-2-0) has been plagued again with the life threatening sickness that is Diverticulitis. Lesnar was scheduled to take on dangerous Brazilian striker Junior dos Santos (12-1-0) at UFC 131: Lesnar vs Dos Santos to determine the #1 contender to take on current champ Cain Velasquez (9-0-0) in his first title defense. With a #1 contendership on the line, the UFC was quick to replace the former champion in this bout with former Interim Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin (12-1-0), who will be fighting for the first time since losing to Lesnar in a title unification bout at UFC 116: Lesnar vs Carwin almost a year ago. The event has now been renamed UFC 131: Dos Santos vs Carwin, with the main event between the two still being contested for a shot at Velasquez later this year.
This sudden break of Diverticulitis is the second occurrence Lesnar has been stricken with the life threatening illness. While training for his original scheduled title defense bout against then #1 contender Shane Carwin, Lesnar realized that he could not train properly for some reason and was soon diagnosed with “Mono.” With the bout rescheduled to allow proper recovery time, Lesnar went on a hunting trip in Canada to relax. Shortly into his trip, Lesnar awoke in pain and was rushed to a hospital where it was discovered that his intestines had developed a hole that was leaking into his body. Being hospitalized, Lesnar was at the mercy of whatever treatment was administered and the few choices he had to choose from to properly treat this sickness. Intent on avoiding surgery and the possibility of having to walk around carrying a bag attached to his body the rest of his life, Lesnar chose to remain hospitalized and be properly treated any other way. Miraculously, the sickness settled and the struggling champion was eventually given the OK to return home. After getting the OK to get back into training, UFC President Dana White announced that Lesnar would still retain his title after it was announced that Mir vs Carwin would be contested for the Interim Heavyweight Championship in case he would not return. Coming into his title unification bout against Carwin, all were questioning if Lesnar had fully recovered or would ever be able to fight at 100%. After taking a tremendous beating from the heavy handed Carwin for most of the 1st round and coming close to requiring the referee to stop the barrage, Lesnar returned strong and determined as he quickly took down Carwin and soon locked on an Arm-Triangle that nobody ever expected to win the fight by 2nd round Submission. Having faced a life threatening illness that threatened to end his career and possibly take him from his family, the undisputed champion came out on top earning great respect and became a more humble human being. Staying active, Lesnar took the fight with then #1 contender Cain Velasquez just three months after his unification bout, but was not so successful this time around. Rushing almost immediately to start off the 1st round, Lesnar showed an urgency to take the fight to the smaller challenger. The strategy backfired as Velasquez stayed in range and landing precise powerful strikes to strip the title from the favorite to win. After taking some personal time away and nonstop speculation from the media that he was retiring or leaving to return to professional wrestling, Lesnar proved them all wrong when he accepted the lucrative offer of coaching on the 13th installment of TUF opposite of #1 contender Junior dos Santos to earn a second match against the man who stripped him of his title.
Shocking all who criticized whether he was even qualified to coach fighters who would probably have more fights on their record than him, Lesnar has shown an interest in helping those in his team to possibly become the next big stars. With this reemergence of Diverticulitis in his system, Lesnar has made the responsible decision to pull out of this bout plenty of time before the event for the UFC to find a suitable replacement. Reviewing his options for treating this illness, Lesnar stated in a conference call on Thursday 5/12 that he intends on combating this not so common sickness and returning to the octagon as soon as he can in perfect health. We all wish the best for a safe and speedy recovery for Lesnar and look forward to seeing the return of the phenom that took the MMA world by storm.
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