As UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar prepared to face Shane Carwin at UFC 116 in July, questions surrounded the former University of Minnesota standout.
A lengthy illness had kept Lesnar out of the Octagon for almost a year, and how he would fare in his return to the biggest stage in mixed martial arts was largely unknown. After weathering a flurry of blows from Carwin in the opening round, Lesnar submitted the previously unbeaten Coloradan with a second-round arm-triangle choke.
Lesnar’s performance against Carwin raised another question. If he can perform at such a high level after a lengthy stint on the sidelines, how might he fare backed by a regular training camp? The answer may come in Lesnar’s next title defense, as he faces another unbeaten foe, Cain Velasquez, in the UFC 121 main event on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
“Everything is in line,” Lesnar said during a conference call to promote the event. “Right now, I’m as lean as I’ve ever been. A lot of guys always say they’ve had a good camp before a fight, but in this sport, you have to keep evolving and I’ve gotten better and better. I’m still not there yet, but on Oct. 23, I’m going to be the best I can be.”
The 33-year-old Lesnar claimed to be at the 265-pound heavyweight limit, with no need to cut 15 to 20 pounds like he has for previous bouts. He cited several reasons for his improved physical condition.
“A lot of it can be attributed to focusing in on my dieting and eating clean,” said Lesnar. “I’ve also been in the gym for a longer time and have had a quick turnaround for this fight. I was only out of the gym for a couple of weeks before I started getting ready to fight Cain. I've seen a lot of success with peaking at the right time in the last couple of camps I’ve had.”
Though he has been the distance just once in his career, Lesnar deemed himself prepared to go 25 minutes if necessary to beat Velasquez and hold onto his title.
“You have to come into any title fight ready to go five rounds,” said Lesnar. “I’m training to go 25 minutes, not seven like I did against Shane Carwin, and you have to be. The two things I can control when it comes to Oct. 23 are my conditioning and how well I show up for this fight.”
Lesnar has just six professional MMA fights on his resume and has been fighting for a little more than three years. He has packed a lot into a short amount of time. A four-time collegiate All-American wrestler and a Div. I national champion at Minnesota in 2000, the 6-foot-3, 265-pound former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar has become one of the sport’s biggest box office draws. Lesnar already holds wins against UFC hall of famer Randy Couture, former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and Pride Fighting Championships veteran Heath Herring.
“I just feel blessed and honored to be the UFC champion,” said Lesnar. “I’ve had several chances to re-invent myself, and this is one of them. However, there’s no added pressure for me because I’m the champ. I’m just doing what I like to do. The UFC gives people, including me, a chance to get off the street and have a direction in life. To be able to pay the bills and get in the Octagon and do what I like to do … God bless America.”
Lesnar knows his hands will be full when he faces Velasquez, an undefeated former junior college national champion wrestler who was a two-time All-American at Arizona State University. Velasquez has finished seven of his first eight opponents, with five not even making it out of the first round.
“The way heavyweights are now, you have to train to be the best in all phases of the game,” said Lesnar. “You have to be well-rounded to succeed, and both of us understand that. Cain’s a well-rounded guy who does a lot of things well, but I’m coming to win. He’s facing someone unlike he’s ever faced before.
“I can’t make any predictions about where the fight will take place, but that’s the beauty of the sport,” Lesnar added. “It’s not just one discipline. I will say this, though. I’m going to take it wherever I need to take it to win.”
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