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Shane Carwin: Brock Lesnar won’t be fighting me any time soon
By Zach Arnold | November 4, 2009
His manager says that UFC is claiming Lesnar has mono, which is why the fight won’t happen in January.
Brock Lesnar is a very tough man and obviously given his wrestling background I have a lot of respect for his raw talent and skills. However, I’ve also publicly made the argument before that when he made his UFC debut that short-term, it would be blockbuster business and that long-term he would flake out one way or another and burn the bridge just like he has burned bridges everywhere else. If the man is legitimately sick, then he’s legitimately sick and deserves the benefit of the doubt. If he’s not and he doesn’t want to face Carwin, then shame on him.
It has been confirmed that Brock Lesnar is suffering from mononucleosis. He informed Dana White earlier today of the diagnosis that he received this week. He was ordered not to do any training for at least one month and the Jan. 2 date is out of the question.
The history of Lesnar is a pretty clear one. He left the WWE on bad terms, then he tried to become a football player and he gave up on that when it was clear he wouldn’t make the Minnesota Vikings right away, and then he got a mega-push by Antonio Inoki in Japan — to the point that he was IWGP champion and when it was time for him to lose to Hiroshi Tanahashi in Sapporo a few years ago, he simply didn’t show up in Japan and forced the promotion to strip him of the belt. Lesnar’s Japanese performances were also disappointing because he’d show up the day before a show, work the same formulaic 8-minute wrestling match, and then go home. So, the idea that Lesnar wouldn’t flake out because he’s UFC champion doesn’t hold water. That possibility has always existed with Brock Lesnar. He’s a promoter’s dream and their worst nightmare as well.
Dave Meltzer is reporting that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez for the #1 contendership will happen on the January show. Cain’s manager, “Crazy” Bob Cook, says the fight has not been officially signed yet.
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 23 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
While it is well documented that Brock has ducked out in the past I think he will return. We don’t know the reasons, I’m sure it will come out later.
Maybe he just wants to eat lots of turkey and celebrate the holidays without having to worry about cutting weight?
One way to stay the champ is to not fight. Is it just a coincidence that so many UFC fighters are on the bench?
Or maybe he just has mono and can’t train.
Yea I wouldn’t think he’d be ducking Shane Carwin of all people.
Agreed with the citizen, I bet it is actually holiday related you know
Nogueira vs Velasquez is a really interesting fight. It’s like when Couture fights: I have total faith in Nog’s ability to dismantle young bucks like Velasquez, but at the same time I have a pit in my stomach about the possibility that a respected veteran will be overpowered and hurt.
I prefer to see a contender string together at least 2 wins over Top 10 (preferably Top 5 where possible) competitors before getting a shot at the title. Or in Nog’s case, a second title shot, depending on whether you count the “Interim” belt. Beating Couture gets you halfway there. Overcoming Velasquez definitely earns you a shot.
From Cain’s angle, this fight also makes a lot of sense. The guy’s undefeated but until recently hasn’t faced any serious competition. His best wins, over Rothwell and Kongo, are against fighters still outside the HW Top 10. Beating an undisputed Top 5er in Nogueira, definitely earns Velasquez a shot at the title.
I almost feel like Nog has more to prove in this fight (shut up, I’m not talking legacy). Beating Couture is nice and all, but all the questions I had about Nog I also had about Couture, so I’m not sure what it proved, if anything (I’ll have a better idea in 1.5 weeks).
Cain is young and has tons of potential, so even with a loss here he may be back better than ever and still be a future champ. Nog’s on his last hurrah. A loss here and he’s pretty much done, especially because Cain is going to move like greased lightning compared to Nog, and if he wins it’ll instantly invoke the impression that Nog is too old and too slow to be fighting.
I believe the Lesnar story about illness, for whatever that’s worth. However;
-Poor Shane Carwin. Goes from title fight and big pay day to now having to “earn it” like Karo did. Someone will see what I did there. He turns 35 next year and his athletic peak is probably not long for this world.
-Cain/Noguiera is an interesting fight in so much as in theory, Cain can lose. I don’t know that the version of Noguiera that’s out there now and went to war with AARP Couture can beat him, but I’m not entirely sure Cain can stop him over the course of 15 (or even 25) minutes, which always gives him a shot. It might also give Cain the unfortunate opportunity of laying in a lot of brain damage with his active GnP.
-We just unified the belts and guess what? We may have interims yet again. Its the worst aspect of boxing and the UFC seems all too happy to do it here too.
Mono is no joke. You feel like you can’t get out of bed. When you finally do, you have to sit down at the top of the stairs for 20 minutes to feel like you have enough strength to get to the bottom of the stairs. Then at the bottom, you have to sit down again so you can make it to the kitchen. Like that.
In that quote, it said it was “confirmed” that Brock has mono? What’s the source of that quote, Zach? Just asking.
Ed. — It was a link to a Dave Meltzer update.
The Lesnar story and the Nog/Vasquez not being official were both broken on heavy.com.
Ed. — Get me an RSS feed so we can push the site big.
And confirmed by Meltzer.
I don’t get why people would be upset that the public would be cynical about Brock Lesnar really being sick. It’s his reputation for flaking out that causes speculation. This has nothing to do with anti-UFC bias.
I believe he has some kind of illness. I know people have floated around the idea that he’s afraid he can’t pass a steroid test or he’s afraid of getting his chin tested for the first time, but he’s not going to turn down the 2nd best payday of his short MMA career. And it makes total sense that he’d want to be 110% for the fight since he’s never faced such a dangerous striker and has coasted by on being a bigger grappler than the grapplers he’s faced. He may start playing the diva in the near future, but I think he’ll get through this fight first.
Never had mono myself. A kid I wrestled with did. I saw his skills diminish from a real solid wrestler to a guy who could barely last the 7 minutes on the mat and looked completely vulnerable after 2 minutes.
I called Nogueira vs. Velasquez right after Cain’s beating of Rothwell. I think Velasquez wins this fight. Nogueira has diminished so much that I can’t see him pulling off a submission.
And an interim title would be garbage here. Lesnar last fought in July ’09. It is safe to assume he will be ready to fight before July ’10. Just because a fight is delayed, doesn’t mean a new belt needs to be created. Crap indeed.
#1 contender fights should be 5 rounds. If they need a belt to justify a 5 round fight, I’m with it.
Brock was the one who wanted his next fight pushed up as it was originally tentively scheduled for the Jan PPV til Brock called Dana and said “I WANNA FIGHT!” So I buy the mono story
And confirmed by Meltzer.
I admit, this is funny. What does this even mean? Its not fit to be believed until Meltzer fact checks?
“I admit, this is funny. What does this even mean? Its not fit to be believed until Meltzer fact checks?”
Have you not paid attention to how the rest of the MMA media conducts themselves? Including that Ariel Helwani douchebag who has two videos on this site right now.
If Brock was going to flake on the UFC, he would have done it after his quick loss to Mir, or after he was unable to put away the (recently) mediocre Heath Herring.
He’s riding the wave right now and the UFC are paying him top dollar…what is there to make him want to quit?
People certainly seem to be buying into the hype train with Carwin. In truth he’s a largly untested HW who’s biggest win was an ‘out of nowhere’ KO of Gonzaga.
Does that make him a more dangerous fighter than Lesnar (who only has a handfull of fights himself, mind)? Maybe, maybe not, but he certainly isn’t this ‘super-threat’ that would give Brock cause to run for the hills.
Poor Carwin. Its funny how clearly he was intended just to make Brock look good, if not he’d be facing Nog instead. Sucks to be him, I guess.
Nothing I love more than conspiracy theories about guys faking injuries, honestly mma fans are truly becoming more and more like WWE marks. Brock is sick he’s been sick for weeks now and has tried to fight through it but couldn’t sucks for us but there is nothing flaky about his actions people really need to stop reaching.
I agree with EJ.
Fighters are screwed no matter what. If they pull out of a fight, they are bashed. If they make excuses after a fight, they are bashed. They can’t win.
Personally, I hate it when a fighter makes an excuse after a fight. If you go into a fight injured or sick… You must have felt you could still win the fight if you went out to the cage/ring to compete. If there is an issue, it is BEFORE the fight to say something about it. That is exactly what Lesnar has done, which is the proper thing…
I give Lesnar benefit of the doubt here, along with my own experience. As someone noted before, mono will take you out. I spent three weeks at home, barely able to get around my house, with the fevers, the weakness, all of it. I then spent several more weeks as my immune system fought to get itself back together.
Doesn’t matter how big or strong you are, when mono gets you, that’s it.
Lesnar’s past affiliations and how they ended are a reason for Dana White to get ulcers (if he doesn’t have them already), but I believe Brock will be back. For him, this is the real deal; he was determined from the start to shed the pro wrestler image, and prove that he can fight.
The fight with Carwin will happen, when is the question.
No. I just put that because Heavy.com is not a MMA site (didn’t they used to do those “Behind The Music That Sucks” cartoons?) and since Zach linked the Meltzer confirmation I thought that carried more credibility than the non-MMA site to the guy who didn’t believe the story.
You know what I respect Brock he has proved himself he is the champ but i think its bullshit to dodge a fight like this one maybe post pone it but too dodge it all together come on if you are the champ you have to accept fights thats what makes you the champ people are going to want to be all over you and thats what comes with being the best people want to test you more than ever before and you have to step up to the challenge thats your job as the champ so i feel kinda pissed if he “REALLY” did turn anyone down cause you have to respect anyone who wants to fight you brock will make alot of money if thats what he is worried about weather he wins or loses trust me UFC wouldnt make a deal with 2 guys if they didnt think it would draw revenuie lol all and all Brock fight who wants a chance you wont lose to many fights!!!