No Quit in Lesnar After Shaky Opening Round, Velasquez Next

Brock Lesnar file photo: Sherdog.com

As Shane Carwin hovered over Brock Lesnar battering him with repeated shots from both his hands, the UFC heavyweight champion had one thought: “This is not how it’s going to end.”

The 32-year-old Lesnar -- absent from the Octagon for nearly a year after battling a near-death experience with a serious intestinal disorder last November -- seemed paralyzed as interim champion Carwin quickly backed him up with punches and folded him on the fence. Lesnar narrowly escaped a one-sided first round.

But true to his word, Lesnar came out a renewed fighter in the second round, took a fatigued Carwin down, and applied a head-arm choke for his first submission victory ever at UFC 116 “Lesnar vs. Carwin” on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

It was a telling title defense, demonstrating that what the 6-foot-3, 265-pound wrestler currently lacks in striking ability, he can make up for with resilience.

“He hit me pretty good and then I didn’t know for a second, you know? I ended up on the ground and I just had to go into survival mode and try and stay busy,” said Lesnar, who improved to 5-1 in his MMA career.

Lesnar thanked referee Josh Rosenthal for allowing him the opportunity to fight out of deficit.

“I wasn’t hurt,” said Lesnar. “I thought if I just kept moving…I could feel Shane’s punches slowly becoming less and less and I thought, ‘Well, if I get out of here, then I’m going to exert a bunch of energy.’”

Lesnar gambled a stoppage, waited out the clock, and re-grouped in his corner before coming out a new man at the bell. The 2000 Div. I wrestling champion credited his second-round rebound with his past life as a pro wrestling superstar.

“I just don’t get too emotionally attached to a certain round,” said Lesnar. “I trained for that in the gym. There’s just certain things that are going to happen. You’ve got no control over them and it’s whether or not you can just get out of there and do the right things to move on. I knew that I’d lost the first round, but there were still four more rounds left.”

Lesnar’s submission finish might have been the most surprising element of his performance on Saturday, which earned the hulking champion an extra $75,000 in bonus pay from the promotion. Lesnar said his camp discussed the possibility that Carwin would be well prepared for the champion’s ground-and-pound attack, so the arm-triangle choke was drilled repeatedly.

UFC President Dana White said Lesnar passed a stiff test in Carwin, who’d gone undefeated in 12 fights before Saturday and had never ventured into the second round.

“You find out how tough a fighter really is when they face adversity,” said White, “when somebody’s on top of you dropping punches on you that have knocked a lot of other people out.”

Lesnar, who spent two weeks in the hospital and was fed intravenously, mentioned how his return to fighting was nothing short of a miracle throughout the week and said he approached the fight with a greater sense of appreciation.

“We are entertaining people, but this is truly a sport,” he said. “This is as real as it gets. But we can have a little fun out there, too. What the hell?

“From what I’ve been through, through Nov. 6 of 2009 up until this point, it’s been ten years,” continued Lesnar. “It’s been a grueling, grueling road…To come back from all that and to be here and win, words just cannot describe it. I feel like I’m in a dream.”

White said Lesnar’s relative inexperience as a fighter probably worked to his favor when it came to his yearlong layoff.

“With a guy like Brock Lesnar, who only has five fights, he’s still learning and every time he goes into a camp he’s learning something new,” said White. “I don’t know if you can apply ring rust to a guy like Lesnar.”

Lesnar also showed a refreshing humility discussing the UFC’s decision to back him with so little cage time on his resume.

“I’m a wrestler. I’m trying to evolve, you know?” said Lesnar. “Is it pretty remarkable that I’ve only got six fights and I’m the UFC heavyweight champion? Absolutely it is. I’ve got a lot of room to grow. I’ll be the first one to tell you.”

Lesnar, who expects his second child in a couple of weeks, gave no timetable for his next bout, though there is no doubt who he will meet.

“Cain Velasquez is definitely the next fight for Brock Lesnar,” said White.