Lesnar confident of return, even as future grows uncertain
On Thursday, he announced that he would not be able to fight Junior dos Santos next month due to another…
On Thursday, he announced that he would not be able to fight Junior dos Santos next month due to another diverticulitis flare-up, but at least he managed to put a confident bend on an otherwise disappointing scenario.
“I tell you one thing: I’m not retiring,” he said. “This isn’t the end of Brock Lesnar. It’s a speed bump in the road.”
He may be right. We should hope he is. When Lesnar is fighting, MMA seems to get a little more of the sports spotlight, a little more respect. But right now, his return timetable is a big question mark, largely because of the question marks facing his own care. Lesnar admitted that he is forced with the decision to either have surgery or simply deal with it the rest of his life. The former is no small procedure, involving invasive surgery and recovery time. The latter, as we have seen, can result in recurrences that take him out of action. Either way, there is no easy solution. Because of that, it is only human to wonder if Lesnar’s best athletic days are behind him.
“I told my wife and everyone else around me about a week ago, ‘I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired,'” he said. “We’ve got to find a solution to this. The person I am doesn’t want to back down from a fight, but let me tell you, my health and my family are more important than stepping in the octagon.”
On Thursday, Lesnar spoke with frustration about what he was going through. He apologized to dos Santos, to Spike TV and to the UFC. But when push came to shove, Lesnar showed the same confidence and determination that got him to this point.
“I want to state that this is not an end of my career,” he said. “Far from it.”