UFC 116 Return Represents Lesnar’s ‘Second Wind’

As UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar lay in a hospital room for two weeks -- his superhuman strength drained from his stricken body by a life-threatening intestinal disorder -- he wondered if he would survive.

“I felt like I was on my death bed. I really did,” Lesnar said during a Tuesday teleconference. “I lost 42 pounds. The doctors didn’t want my stomach to do any work, so they fed me intravenously. I had two pick lines, one in my right arm and one in my left arm. At the time, I wasn’t sure I wanted to fight again.”

Healed and renewed, Lesnar will meet interim titleholder Shane Carwin in a blockbuster unification match at UFC 116 “Lesnar vs. Carwin” on July 3 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It will mark the former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar’s first appearance inside the Octagon in nearly a year.

“This is kind of my second wind,” Lesnar said. “It has brought a lot of life to my training. I’m excited to be a part of this again. From October to January, everything was kind of up in the air. It was just a weird time. [Since] I got the green light Jan. 5, I’ve pretty much been training. I’m still the same ornery SOB I’ve always been. Nothing’s changed for me there.”

Lesnar’s illness forced his hand in certain areas of his career, most notably his diet. He still consumes 3,200 calories and 300 grams of protein per day but has streamlined the menu from which he partakes. The 32-year-old claims he will not have to cut a single pound to meet the 265-pound weight limit for his showdown with Carwin.

“I’m eating a lot cleaner,” Lesnar said. “You have to make it part of your life. I don’t get to eat what I used to, but I feel better and I recover faster. If I wasn’t seeing the results, it would be hard.”

Lesnar has not competed since he bludgeoned Frank Mir en route to a second-round technical knockout at UFC 100 in July. He was a four-time collegiate All-American wrestler and won a national championship as a heavyweight at the University of Minnesota in 2000. Since entering mixed martial arts in 2007, the 6-foot-3, 265-pound behemoth has rapidly become the sport’s biggest box office draw and already owns wins against UFC hall of famer Randy Couture and Pride Fighting Championships veteran Heath Herring.

In an effort “just to evolve,” Lesnar hired former Golden Gloves champion Peter Welch as his boxing coach and brought in Luke Richardson for strength and conditioning. Welch has worked extensively with two-time lightweight title contender Kenny Florian. Richardson served under the Jacksonville Jaguars umbrella in the NFL.

“Things were getting a little stagnant,” Lesnar said. “You’ve got to go back to the drawing board.”

In Carwin, he faces a man who has never before tasted defeat. The intimidating Coloradan has stopped all 12 of his opponents inside one round and captured the interim heavyweight championship with his thorough beating of Mir at UFC 111 in March.

“I think every fight is a tough fight,” Lesnar said. “There have been no easy fights for me since I set foot in the Octagon. Shane poses different threats. He’s a credible guy. Shane’s heavy handed. He’s got knockout power. Obviously, there are things I want to do to him and things I want to avoid.”

Based at the Grudge Training Center, the 35-year-old Carwin sports 22-, 29-, 31-, 44- and 49-second wins on his pristine resume. A decorated amateur wrestler, he was a national champion at the Div. II level. Lesnar won his title at the Div. I level.

“Shane’s got a lot of good things going for him, and so do I,” Lesnar said. “I know my credentials and he knows his, and I think mine outweigh his. I think my hand will be raised on July 3, and he probably thinks the same thing.”