UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar said Wednesday that he has had a miraculous recovery from a serious illness, and that he will face the winner of the upcoming Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin fight this summer.
Appearing on ESPN in his first interview since coming down with the illness more than two months ago, Lesnar detailed his bout with diverticulitis, saying he first felt the symptoms while in training camp for his own fight with Carwin that had been scheduled for November 21.
"I was just feeling sick for the longest time, throughout my training camp preparing for (Shane) Carwin," Lesnar said. "Finally I said to my trainer, 'I can't do this fight.'"
Lesnar said he was first diagnosed with mononucleosis, but that he "didn't feel right," that the pain in his stomach was like being shot, and that he visited multiple other doctors in an effort to figure out what, exactly, was wrong with him. He was finally diagnosed with diverticulitis, and he was hospitalized for 11 days and lost 40 pounds.
But Lesnar said he received excellent medical care, and that when he returned this month for a checkup, his recovery was "a miracle." Lesnar said he won't need surgery and will be ready to fight this summer.
UFC President Dana White also said he considers Lesnar's recovery miraculous, and he said he's excited about putting Lesnar in the Octagon with the Mir-Carwin winner. Although Mir vs. Carwin at UFC 111 in March has been billed as an interim title bout, both White and Lesnar made clear that Lesnar is the promotion's heavyweight champion, and White said that if for any reason the Mir-Carwin winner can't fight Lesnar this summer, Lesnar will fight the winner of February's fight between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cain Velasquez.
So we don't yet know a specific date or an opponent for Lesnar, but we do know that Lesnar is still the UFC heavyweight champion, and that he plans to defend his belt this summer.
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