THE CANADIAN PRESS
Restored to health, champion Brock Lesnar says he is ready for all-comers in the UFC heavyweight division.
UFC president Dana White plans to match Lesnar this summer against the winner of the Frank Mir-Shane Carwin bout for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 111 on March 27. In case the winner emerges injured, Lesnar could face Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira or Cain Velasquez, who face off next month at UFC 110.
"I’ll just sit back, I’ll sharpen my skills. I’ll be prepared for either one of those guys," Lesnar said of Mir and Carwin. "If it’s Nogueira or if it’s Velasquez (I’ll be ready). I know one thing, all those guys are shitting their pants right now."
Lesnar spoke enthusiastically Wednesday about the chance at a third shot at Mir, who has acknowledged he has obsessed about facing Lesnar again.
"Absolutely, I don’t think I beat him as bad as I could," Lesnar said on a media conference call. "For me to get my hands on that stalker again, Frank Mir has made it (beating me) the mission of his life. Frank Mir, the stalker. It’s been a while since I’ve had a stalker but we’ll take care of that if I ever face him again."
Lesnar (4-1) defeated Mir last time out at UFC 100 in July. Mir (13-4) submitted Lesnar the first time they met at UFC 81 in February 2008.
The six-foot-four Lesnar, who lost 40 pounds because of a digestive disease, said when he first got back to the gym, it was like starting from "ground zero."
"I had a hard time getting out of bed and walking to the bathroom … I would be out of breath," he said.
"And ironically I think it’s raised my conditioning level because I really was at the bottom of the barrel and now I’m back in the gym. I was helping Cole Konrad and Chris Tuchscherer last week and I feel great. I feel like my old self again."
But when he first got back to the gym, Lesnar said he was "thrown around like sacks of potatoes."
Lesnar said he plans to hit the gym Thursday morning to start his own mini-camp.
"I’m getting ready for anybody and everybody," he said. "I know the heavyweight division are definitely back on their toes again because Brock Lesnar is back."
Lesnar normally has to cut weight to make the UFC heavyweight limit of 265 pounds. On Wednesday, he said he was 273 pounds — up from a low of 248 during his illness.
Asked when he remembered last being 248 pounds, he joked: "Like second grade."
Lesnar, who guards his privacy, was less happy about members of his camp talking about his condition without his permission.
"It pissed me off," he said. "And automatically I want to get rid of those people because they’re the people I trust and for them to go out and speak on my behalf, I was not happy.
"I am a private guy. I didn’t want to talk to anybody because there was nothing to say. We’ve got something to say today and that is Brock Lesnar’s back. He’ll be back in the Octagon and I’m feeling 100 per cent."
