In the early hours of Sunday morning GMT two giants will collide inside the Octagon.The Honda Center in Anaheim will play host to UFC 121 with the heavyweight title on the line as Brock Lesnar faces Cain Velasquez.
Almost exactly this time last year undisputed champion Lesnar was forced to pull out of his bout with number one contender at the time Shane Carwin due to illness.
Lesnar was confirmed to be suffering from mononucleosis, thus postponing his scheduled fight for UFC 108. Lesnar was diagnosed with a serious case of diverticulitis.
After further diagnosis Lesnar underwent surgery for a perforation in his intestine, which caused him to ultimately contract glandular fever (mononucleosis). It is said that Lesnar lost 100 pounds in weight and that he had been suffering with the condition for around a year.
Dana White, UFC President talking in January about the seriousness of Lesnar's illness and the kind of life the champion leads.
In a year that saw Lesnar capture the UFC heavyweight championship against Randy Couture and avenge his only MMA loss to Frank Mir it begs the question of ‘how much can this animal of a man achieve when 100%?’.
Brock Lesnar was inactive for a year, in that time Cain Velasquez has risen to the top of the division. On the UFC’s first trip to Australia Velsquez devastatingly knocked out Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera to win the knockout of the night award.
Lesnar made his return in July defeating the interim heavy weight champion Shane Carwin at UFC 116. After being dominated in the first round via the heavy hands of Carwin Lesnar’s superior wrestling pedigree came to the fore.
In the second round he gained dominant position on top of Carwin to lock in an arm triangle choke and submit the challenger. Again the man from twin cities Minneapolis-Saint Paul became the undisputed champion, also picking up the submission of the night award.
This weekend Valesquez aims to become the first ever Mexican to win a heavyweight mixed martial arts title. Coming into the fight Cain has out landed his last five opponents by a tally of 481 to 63.
It is fair to say that Valesquez is possibly the most gifted athlete in the heavyweight division today. A two time All-American Division 1 NCAA wrestler with superhuman cardio vascular fitness, along with a purple belt in Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu he goes into the fight undefeated 8-0.
Training out of the American Kickboxing Academy Valesquez has many stable mates who like him fight in the UFC. Brock Lesnar on the other hand trains away from any of his UFC compatriots. In a purpose built facility for himself with handpicked sparring partners who he claims he trusts his life with.
Valesquez has dedicated his life to MMA, starting his career after leaving college. Lesnar on the other hand has gone a very different route.
After a career in professional wrestling with the World Wrestling Federation where he was dubbed ‘the next big thing’ a failed American Football career followed. A career in the mixed martial arts appears to be his calling and he too, like Valesquez, is dedicating his life to becoming the best there has ever been.
It is Brock Lesnar’s belief that there is no one in MMA, fighting under any promotion, who can beat him. He is quoted as saying ‘fighters will come and go but there will only be one Brock Lesnar’. Valesquez on the other hand believes that on Saturday night in Anaheim he shall fulfil his destiny and make history.
The orignal photo of Lancashire County Hall, Preston.
Thumbnail of Lancashire County Council logo. Resolution: 100 x 100
Photo cropped to 400 x 300 pixels
Photo cropped to 200 x 500 pixels
