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By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor
The big news this week is Brock Lesnar having to pull out of his UFC 131 fight with Junior Dos Santos because of his diverticulitis flaring up again. This is obviously very bad news for Brock and for Brock's fans. This could very easily derail Lesnar's career and put an end to the biggest draw in all of MMA. Brock's drawing power may have already taken a hit after losing his UFC Heavyweight title to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121, but we all love a redemption story. Brock fighting his way back to a title shot would still make for compelling viewing.
This kind of reminds me of Ken Griffey Jr. At one point, Griffey was considered the best baseball player in the world, and a sure bet to beat Hank Aaron's all-time home run record. Injuries derailed Griffey's career, and although he was still able to play at a good level, he was never again at the level he had been at earlier in his career.
Taking another example from a different sport, this is like Terrell Davis in the NFL. For the first four years of his career, Davis was on a level not often seen. He was a great running back and a two-time Super Bowl champion. Then injuries ruined him, and he was forced to retire after a handful of ineffective seasons.
It's not for certain that Brock Lesnar will be forced to retire from fighting, but it sure doesn't look good. Brock says he plans on continuing, but the ultimate decision isn't in his hands. A lot of athletes are forced from the game early, betrayed by their bodies. I'm an optimistic person, but it's not looking too good for Brock right now. MMA fighters only fight a couple times a year generally. With such a heightened importance placed on being healthy, brought on by only being able to compete a couple times a year, there's no place for a condition like Brock's. There's no guarantee that Brock's diverticulitis will allow him to be healthy enough to fight when he needs to.
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Shane Carwin has been tapped to step in for Brock and fight Junior Dos Santos at UFC 131. I'm pretty excited about this because both guys are good strikers. Dos Santos has already predicted a knockout, and I'm inclined to agree with that. Dos Santos has had four of his six wins in the UFC come in the first round by TKO. All four of Carwin's UFC wins have come by a form of knockout in the first round. That spells out a knockout coming in this fight. Carwin has the edge in power, but Dos Santos has more cardio. I would also give Dos Santos the edge in technical ability. I think Dos Santos comes out on top in this fight and goes on to face Cain Velasquez for the UFC Heavyweight Title. Carwin is a good knockout artist, I just don't think he's as ready for this as Dos Santos is.
Comments and suggestions can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com
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