Randy Couture had it right. Brock Lesnar is back from his intestinal disorder.
Lesnar, 32, announced today that he was able to avoid serious surgery. UFC president Dana White said Lesnar will return this summer against the winner of the March fight between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin at UFC 111.
Lesnar said he was originally diagnosed with mononucleosis then correctly with diverticulitis. It caused him to lose 40 pounds. But the UFC’s heavyweight champ held out on serious surgical options. Another doctor’s visit on Jan. 5 indicated that Lesnar’s body was responding positively to antibiotics.
"[The doctors] were dumbfounded. They couldn’t find any problem in my stomach. It’s just a miracle to me."
Lesnar visited his doctors once more on Tuesday.
"I actually had to go to the doctor yesterday before I came out here and get another CT scan on my stomach because I just still can’t believe it."
Lesnar’s problem began in October when he was struggling with stamina and feeling lousy. He was training for his UFC 106 fight against Carwin.
"My training wasn’t going well, I missed almost three weeks of my training camp. Kept going to the doctor, couldn’t figure out what the problem was. Finally, it was a Monday I said to my trainer I can’t do this fight," said Lesnar.
That’s when Lesnar visited doctors and got the original mononucleosis diagnosis.
"I decided to get away, and take a trip up to Canada and do some hunting. I could either stay at home and sit on the couch and climb the walls or go to Canada and do something I would enjoy. So I got up there and still didn’t feel right. Had a lot of severe stomach pain and one night I woke up in severe shock, had a 104 temperature, and felt like I was shot in the guts."
Lesnar decided that he needed to return to the U.S.
"I went to the hospital in Canada, realized quickly that I had to get out of Canadian healthcare, and get down to Bismark, to the United States, at Medcenter One. I take my hat off to this doctor there. They diagnosed me with diverticulitis."
Lesnar last fought at UFC 100 where he destroyed Frank Mir. His postfight antics immediately made him into a hero and a heel across the country. Many fans and media members called it an awful night for MMA. That may have been the case, but Lesnar’s drawing power is undeniable. The event set UFC pay-per-vew records with buys in excess of 1.3 million.