When Brock Lesnar steps into the Octagon for his UFC 116 fight against Shane Carwin he will face the biggest test of his career for more reasons than one. Lesnar has not fought since UFC 100 (July 11, 2009) when he brutalized Frank Mir and “cage rust” has proven to be a very real thing. To add to the difficulties, Lesnar’s absence was due to a severe case of diverticulitis. If those two factors weren’t enough to make a fan question Brock’s chances of a successful first fight back there is always the fact that Carwin is a monster of a man who cuts weight to make 265 pounds and possesses shocking power in both hands. Challenges are nothing new in Lesnar’s MMA career though. This is, after all, a man who won the UFC heavyweight title in only his fourth career bout.
Brock Lesnar Returns From Year Absence To Face Biggest Test Of His Career
Also to be taken into consideration is the fact that unlike a physical injury, many times a man coming back from an illness comes back better and stronger. The doctors said that they believed Lesnar had been dealing with the diverticulitis for over a year before being diagnosed and having the surgery to correct the issue. Understanding that means understanding that this man won a heavyweight title with his intestines leaking into his body. If it’s possible, this could be an even more athletic and strong version of Brock Lesnar than the sport has yet seen. Check out this video of Brock training with former opponent and UFC legend Randy Couture to give reference to where he seems to be at athletically right now (spoiler: it’s scary how athletic he is):
Having Randy Couture in his camp is also going to help Lesnar in learning one of the key areas for the Carwin fight; the clinch.
When Shane fought Frank Mir he pushed him up against the cage and unloaded huge punches from the clinch. This is something that Brock needs to be ready to deal with. If he and Shane get into a situation where they’re grappling and fighting over position in the clinch he needs to be able to establish the underhooks, turn away from the cage and dictate the next moment of the fight. Couture is one of the pioneers of clinch work in MMA and, while smaller than Lesnar, possesses many of the same skills as the champion. Just picking up a few skills from a veteran like Randy will allow Brock to be the decision maker in this fight. He can wrestle when he wants to wrestle, strike when he wants to strike and clinch without worry when he feels that is to his advantage.
Adding yet another layer of intrigue to Saturday’s bout is Brock Lesnar’s opportunity to become recognized as the number one heavyweight fighter on the planet. In the time since Lesnar last fought the heavyweight division has flipped drastically (July 2009 heavyweight rankings). Carwin went from No. 7 to 3, Cain Velasquez went from No. 11 to 4, No. 1 Fedor Emelianenko lost to Fabricio Werdum this past weekend. Seemingly the only stable thing during his absence was Brock at No. 2. With Fedor out of the way it opens the door for Lesnar to get a win and climb into that top spot. In fact, Sherdog.com released their rankings after the Fedor fight and Lesnar is already in their top spot.
On Saturday night fans of the UFC will see the biggest draw in the sport return to the cage to fight the biggest threat he has faced in his short career. With a year break after a serious illness and a 265 pound monster standing in front of him, does Brock think his time as the UFC champion is up? Not at all:
This is my house, this is my belt, this is my time. I don’t see anybody taking that away from me. I feel no threat from him whatsoever
