In a recent interview given to Jim Rome, Dana White was a little more candid than we have seen when discussing Brock Lesnar’s recent retirement, specifically what was going through the former UFC Heavyweight Champion’s mind moments after becoming permanently incontinent compliments of an Alistair Overeem body kick. “It felt like I got kicked by a horse,” said Lesnar. Ok, so maybe that’s an exaggeration, but White states that Lesnar didn’t see himself taking down “The Reem” anytime soon, figuratively or literally:
The conversations I’ve had with Brock Lesnar since that fight, all indications point to it’s over. … Here’s what Brock said to me, he said ‘I’ll tell you what after my surgery from diverticulitis, this last surgery I had, I have never felt so good in my life.’ He said ‘I’ve had the best camp I’ve ever had, no injuries, I was in great shape, all the things that could go right, went right, that guy is just that much better than me and it’s time for me to retire.
Well, this pretty much seals the deal on that issue. If there were any doubts as to Mr. Lesnar’s heart and true investment in MMA, here you go.
And before you uproar with cries of “The man went through multiple surgeries!” and “You try and fight Overeem!”, please take note that we are not knocking the man for his toughness; anyone who could take the beating that Shane Carwin dealt him in the first round of their title fight back at UFC 116 and come out smiling in the second is surely more badass than anyone who wrote about it. But it seems so disappointing that Lesnar chose to retire when, in his own words, he was the best he ever felt. Whether or not he is truly as healthy as he claims is something we may never know, but considering what a groundbreaking achievement it was for a professional wrestler to be both signed by and be successful in the UFC, it’s a shame that ultimately Lesnar couldn’t break the stereotype that has existed for every professional wrestler who has tried to compete in MMA since; that they’re all just jumping ship, in it for the money. Brock Lesnar didn’t exactly convince us that the theory was ungrounded, especially with this line of reasoning.
Look at it this way, if every fighter retired because they had been beaten by a truly better opponent, what would have become of Rampage Jackson after Wanderlei Silva obliterated him back at PRIDE FC – Final Conflict 23? Surely not the man who, after suffering yet another KO via knees just one year later, would eventually knockout Wandy at UFC 92. THAT’S what separates true fighters from the rest. Desire. Come to think of it, Wanderlei would have ended the career of Kasushi Sakuraba as well, which might have been a good thing. At least he’d be able to remember who his kids are nowadays.
But it’s an issue of the past now, and we’ve already dwelled upon it too much. So we guess we should just be grateful for what Lesnar managed to accomplish, as brief as it may have seemed.
-Danga