Even as he was dominating Frank Mir in July to solidify
himself as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the Ultimate Fighting
Championship, Brock Lesnar was not at full strength.
"I didn't know what was going on," he said. "I was
suffering for almost a year. I had stomach pains here and there, and flulike
symptoms. It left me 60 to 80 percent all last year."
Lesnar's health further declined as he prepared for a
November title defense against Shane Carwin. The pain got worse, and he was
forced to drop out of the fight.
Lesnar was diagnosed with diverticulitis, an intestinal
disease that threatened his career.
But on Wednesday, the former professional wrestler
announced that because of a "miracle," he is fully healthy and will return
to action in the summer.
"I know the whole heavyweight division is back on their toes again," he said on a conference
call.
No date for his comeback bout
has been announced, but Lesnar is expected to fight the winner of a March 27
bout between Mir and Carwin.
Lesnar's illness reached a
critical level while he was on a hunting trip in Canada after he had withdrawn
from the Carwin fight. The 32-year-old said he woke up in shock and delirious,
sweating with a 104-degree temperature.
He was taken to a medical
facility three hours away but quickly determined the care at that facility was
lacking. So Lesnar, in ''excruciating pain,'' had his wife drive him to
Bismarck, N.D.
Lesnar spent 11 days in a
hospital there, unable to eat. He lost 40 pounds through the
ordeal.
He was sent home and told he
would need to return for colon surgery, a diagnosis supported by a second
opinion from doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
Lesnar took antibiotics and
changed his lifestyle to help the healing process.
"What got me (sick) was a
total protein diet. Not enough fiber. I totally changed my diet, got on some
natural medicine and did a lot of praying," he said.
The changes
worked.
Lesnar said he was given a
clean bill of health by a panel of doctors during his last visit to the Mayo
Clinic on Jan. 5.
He said his recovery stunned
doctors.
"You've got a winning lottery
ticket," he said he was told.
Lesnar said if he would have
had the surgery, he would have been out at least a year and probably would have
retired.
Instead, he said he has found
a new outlook on life.
"Everybody has got
life-changing experiences, and this is one of them for me," Lesnar said. "I
believe things happen for a reason. It gave me a different perspective on life
and my family. I have to make some changes."
Those changes obviously don't
include scaling back on the trash talk.
Lesnar said he doesn't think
he beat Mir "as bad as (he) could have," and called the Las Vegan a
"stalker."
The two have split their two
fights and might get a chance to meet for a third time.
Lesnar said he has no
concerns that continuing his fighting career could trigger more health
problems.
"I don't dwell on the past. I
never have. I'm the kind of guy that puts my head down and I just go," he said.
"There's no looking back."
MMA News 
