UFC Heavyweight Champ Brock Lesnar Facing Serious Health Crisis

Posted Nov 14, 2009 8:35PM By Michael David Smith (RSS feed)

Filed Under: UFC

Shortly after Saturday's UFC 105 card in Manchester, England, concluded, UFC President Dana White revealed that his promotion's heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar, is suffering from serious health problems and will not be able to fight any time soon.

"He's in rough shape, he's in really bad shape," White said, according to the Canadian Press. "He is not well and he is not getting any better. ... He's very, very sick and he's going to be out for a while. He's got a lot of problems. ... He's got mono and he's got something else wrong with him.
I know what's wrong with him, he just doesn't want me talking about it."

White didn't say exactly what is wrong with Lesnar, although he did specify that it is not cancer or AIDS. The UFC had previously said Lesnar was suffering from mononucleosis, but his illness is apparently more serious than that.

Lesnar had been scheduled to defend his title against Shane Carwin on Nov. 21. When he first started to feel sick, the UFC tentatively re-scheduled the Carwin bout for Jan. 2. But it will likely be long after Jan. 2 before Lesnar, who won the undisputed heavyweight title by defeating Frank Mir at UFC 100, is ready to fight again.

White made room for the possibility of putting together a fight for an interim heavyweight title while Lesnar is sidelined, although it's not clear who would participate in that fight. Carwin is reportedly sidelined with a knee injury, while another top UFC heavyweight, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, is reportedly battling a staph infection.

The Lesnar illness is the worst piece of news yet in an autumn that has been full of bad news for the UFC. Champions Lyoto Machida, Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre have all battled injuries, and one of the promotion's most marketable stars, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, says he is quitting the UFC to pursue an acting career. Even on a day when it had a successful show in England, the UFC is going through a rough patch.

Follow the UFC? Follow me on Twitter @MichaelDavSmith.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)

11-14-2009 @ 8:56PM

exp said...

$10 here says someone is going to claim he is on roids and that's why he is sick. I am no fan of his but I hope he gets better.

11-14-2009 @ 10:35PM

jdbreeze1 said...

Your $10 check is in the mail. No doubt steroids are involved.

11-14-2009 @ 10:45PM

jesushstiff said...

I think he has a serious case of CHICKEN pox.

11-15-2009 @ 12:24AM

crutch said...

yup.. you win 10 bucks. roids is the answer

11-15-2009 @ 12:53PM

defuivxx said...

he isn't veiny enough to be on roids

11-15-2009 @ 4:21PM

richardbikle said...

way to get that rolling exp, big of you. the guys really sick and thats what you got.

you are a puke, and anyone who posts that kind of crap about the guy is a puke.

11-15-2009 @ 4:23PM

you're a puke for getting that line going exp.

11-14-2009 @ 9:06PM

M13 said...

What the hell is going on?

11-14-2009 @ 9:14PM

This is pure rumor, but I hear something's wrong with his liver.

Also, I have heard of bad staph infection. There is a good chance Brock will never fight again. No matter. Just hope he survives and get healthy for his family. Shane and Cain should now fight for the title.

11-14-2009 @ 9:18PM

There just seems to be a huge dark cloud hovering above the UFC. Well, whatever is happening I hope Lesnar will pull through whatever it is and get healthy. I can't stand him that much at all, but I wish him well.

11-15-2009 @ 4:24PM

h1n1

11-15-2009 @ 5:58PM

It wouldn't be a surprise. I was kind of thinking the same thing.

11-14-2009 @ 9:22PM

Christian Devin said...

Hope he gets better for his kids sake!!!

11-14-2009 @ 10:49PM

Chris said...

You sound pretty damn certain of that, jdbreeze1. I'd love to see your proof.

11-14-2009 @ 10:52PM

daguar99 said...

They should pull his title for the simple reason he sucks. Carwin lol. He should be fighting Noguera so we can see him exposed as the marketing tool he is.

11-14-2009 @ 10:59PM

Don't worry @JBREEZE. once that new internet law passes, you'll go to jail for claiming things you don't have any proof of.

11-15-2009 @ 1:31PM

nick said...

its called an opnion EXP. NOT A FACT. JBREEZE SAID AN OPNION ABOUT STEROID USE. AND U DONT HAVE TO BE VEINY TO BE ON ROIDS, ONLY WINSTROL, ANAVAR, EQ, DNP AND A FEW OTHERS ARE FOR CUTTING AND WILL CAUSE LOTS OF VIENS TO APPEAR DO TO THE WATER IT PULLS OUT. HOWEVER TEST, TREN, D, BOL, ECT CAUSES BLOATING AND MASSIVE WEIGHT GAIN. IF ITS HIS LIVER IT COULD BE ROIDS, PAIN KILLERS, OR OTHER THINGS, WE PUT OUR BODIES THRU HELL WHEN WE TRAIN AND WE DO INJURE STUFF. SO JUST SIMMA DOWN AND LETS WAIT FOR THE REAL REPORT TO COME OUT BESIDES GOSSIP, IGHT!

11-15-2009 @ 1:40PM

11-14-2009 @ 11:00PM

Phil said...

Something tells me there's going to be a Frank Mir-type of situation happening here. If he's truly sick as they're claiming (they had to rule out cancer and AIDS - not a good sign), the UFC should set up an interim title until Lesnar can return.

The problem is so many of the heavyweights are out as well. Two out of the three top contenders (Carwin, Big Nog and Velasquez) are out with injuries/illness, which leads one to think "who could Velasquez fight?"

My money is on the winner of the Mir/Kongo fight getting a shot at Velasquez, but Mir and Kongo are both coming off losses (and Kongo got made a fool by Cain). The heavyweight division is a friggin' MESS right now, and that's putting it lightly.

11-17-2009 @ 9:54PM

betweentheeyezzz said...

kongo actually landed a solid punch that rocked velasquez and almost won him the fight....kongo will beat mir and a velasquez-kongo rematch would be great (carwin is just not up to lesnar, mir or kongo's standards)