While most fighting fans are aware of the battles former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar had with diverticulitis while competing in the octagon, the virus had a greater impact on his performance than most believe.
Lesnar's condition was explained by Paul Heyman, a close friend of Lesnar who is also an entertainment producer, promoter, performer, and marketer for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), according to KDramaStars.
"Brock wasn't healthy," Heyman said in an interview with Dave Meltzer.
"I don't think Brock has truly understood nor accepted the severity of the illness that took him down. They did blood work on Brock and they found out he wasn't healthy for many, many years. His body was fighting this affliction off and using so much of his energy."
Lesnar's accolades include being an NCAA I Wrestling Champion, a three-time WWE Champion, and a UFC Heavyweight Champion, KDramaStars reported. He is the only athlete in history to hold all three of these titles.
Heyman went on to explain that the illness handicapped Lesnar throughout his career, and that he was able to fight it off while doing other things because of his freakish body, Yahoo! Sports reported.
"The Brock Lesnar who stepped into the cage against Alistair Overeem, he was at 50, 75 percent," he said. "You're going to fight Alistair Overeem at 75 percent, Cain Velasquez at 75 percent. He fought Shane Carwin at 75, or 60, or 80 percent, but even at 95 percent against Shane Carwin, you're at a disadvantage."
While Lesnar will return to the WWE after retiring from MMA, Heyman didn't rule out that he was done fighting, adding that he is currently happy with what he is doing in the squared circle.
Heyman added that a return to MMA is not a decision Lesnar has to think about, Yahoo! Sports reported.
"If the deal ends up over in WWE, if a change of circumstances happens, and if it's a no-brainer, to get him back into the cage, I'm sure it's something he'd consider," Heyman said. "Right now, it's not a topic of conversation. Why would you mess up the WWE deal?"
