If you listened to Brock Lesnar on ESPN this morning talk about his recovery from a severe case of diverticulitis, you heard him give the Canadian health care system a jab or three. Lesnar said during the appearance that lack of sufficient care by a physician in Canada nearly killed him. The MMA fighter added that only when he was treated by doctors at the Mayo clinic did his condition improve and later disappear.

(Might wanna hold off on eating out in Moose Jaw next time)

If Lesnar’s comment on the Canadian health care system Wednesday morning was a jab, his portrayal of it in a teleconference later in the day was more like a rear naked submission hold. He said of his experience, “They couldn’t do nothing for me. It was like I was in a Third World country.”

Keep in mind that Lesnar condemned the entire health care system of Canada because of treatment he received reportedly in the tiny rural town of Gimli, Manitoba (population 5797).

It should also be noted that Lesnar said he sought sophisticated treatment in the tiny Canadian outpost only after embarking on a hunting trip despite knowing he was unwell before the excursion. Lesnar said he wasn’t aware of just how sick he was before the trip because he was misdiagnosed by an American doctor.

And why was he misdiagnosed? “It was my fault because they did want to do a CT scan on me and I didn’t want to do it. It’s my fault for being misdiagnosed,” Lesnar said.

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Brock Lesnar appeared on ESPN this morning to discuss what he characterized as an astonishing recovery from a condition known as diverticulitis.

(Dana White, Brock Lesnar this morning on ESPN)

Diverticulitis, which usually afflicts the elderly, involves the weakening of the colon walls and, in extreme cases, can lead to the actual perforation of the colon. Lesnar confirmed during his interview that doctors in South Dakota and at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota told him he had “a hole in my colon” and that he was on the brink of having his colon removed.

But after a recovery that caused him to lose 40 pounds in 11 days, Lesnar claims that his diverticulitis completely disappeared. Lesnar said, “it was a miracle.”

Lesnar said he then subsequently gained 30 pounds and that he’s completely healthy now.

So how did Lesnar get to the point of suffering such an extreme case of Diverticulitis at such a young age?

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WCCO-AM in Minneapolis sources that Brock Lesnar has a case of diverticulitis, which is “a disease where small pouches form in the digestive system.”

I’m by no means accusing Brock Lesnar of doing steroids, but a quick check on the diagnosis of diverticulitis reveals that steroid use can sometimes play a significant role in masking early symptoms. Read more…

That’s a quote from Dana White today, as he expounded on Brock Lesnar’s mysterious illness. An ailment that was revealed by White Monday as being intestinal based and that will require surgery.

(White’s p.r. treatment of Lesnar illness reminds WWE)

Sunday White made some alarmingly vague comments about Lesnar’s condition, saying that although Lesnar didn’t have Cancer or AIDs, his situation was extremely serious. And that he first experienced the illness while in Canada.

White’s comments obviously caused everyone’s mind to run wild, so he clarified today. A little. Read more…

Big news out of UFC yesterday was that Brock Lesnar has dropped out of UFC 106 on Nov. 21 because of a serious illness.

(Might want to go with the fist bump)

Dana White told Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports: “He said it’s been going on for a long time and he just hasn’t been able to shake it.”

Lesnar’s training partner Chris Tuchscherer told the LAS VEGAS SUN that Lesnar’s serious illness has been present for 25 days.

(Las Vegas Sun reported Lesnar had “upper respiratory” illness)

If that’s the case, why was Lesnar down on the field making a public appearance at a Vikings games nine days ago? Video after the jump. Read more…

Despite the occasional craziness from chief Dana White, WWE-style bluster from Brock Lesnar, or morning TV sexytime from Tito Ortiz, UFC is still the serious big kid on the block when it comes to mixed martial arts. Fedor Emelianenko might be heading to Strikeforce, but in general when the best fighters on Earth get down to business, they do it in the Octagon.

Last night’s UFC 101 event was no exception, as the two main co-event victors Anderson Silva and B.J. Penn cemented themselves as two of MMA’s best fighters, both in surprisingly efficient - but quite different - fashion.

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After Affliction’s sudden, immediate, largely hilarious demise in the world of fight promotion (no worries, meatheads, you can still wear those silly shirts with the skulls and stuff on them), all eyes were immediately trained on human/wolverine hybrid Fedor Emelianenko.

(FEDOR FACT: punching people in the face is awesome.)

With his stature and the seeming dearth of serious UFC competition for fellow destruction machine Brock Lesnar, it seemed like Emelianenko was a natural fit for moving to the UFC. As a matter of fact, the LOS ANGELES TIMES cited sources close to the situation in a report that Fedor would be signing with UFC by Friday.

Um, about that. Whoops.

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After months of teetering on the verge of disaster, Affliction was pushed over the edge this week when Josh Barnett dropped out of his heavyweight title match against Fedor Emelianenko scheduled to headline its August 1 PPV after failing a drug test. Yesterday the company announced that it was canceling the “Trilogy” PPV and has decided to cease operations.

And now comes word that Affliction has rejoined UFC as an official clothing supplier, which was the whole reason Affliction formed its own MMA organization in the first place. Effectively, Affliction waived the white flag, becoming the latest challenger to Dana White’s UFC empire to crack under the enormous pressure the MMA giant places on competition.

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• During a recent visit to Houston’s Minute Maid Park, a married MLB player supposedly tried to ask out a media intern for some post-game fun.

Say it ain’t so, Junction Jack!

• The NFL is trying to spread its pigskin platitudes throughout China with - what else? - a reality TV show.

• Dana White lectures big UFC bruiser Brock Lesnar on how to behave properly with the press. Huh, how about that.

• But the UFC prez shouldn’t have such worries if Shaq joins his ranks. Unless Kobe is also on the card.

• The Chicago Cubs are considering filing for bankruptcy. Wouldn’t it be great to see Mark Cuban snag the Cubs from bankruptcy court?

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Like Snuggies® at small college football games in the fall, UFC has now officially taken over the world. The L.A. sports bar I shoehorned into Saturday was overwhelmed with TapOuted cranks trying to crash UFC 100. The only time I can remember SoCal *sports* fan reax even approaching that was Lakers NBA Finals-time.

(Opposite day! White counsels Lesnar on couth)

UFC’s PPV buys, attendance figures, gate receipts, merch sales and coverage from MSM outlets has passed critical mass. UFC now IS MMA. They might as well rename the sport.

And with that suffocating coverage comes increased scrutiny. Scrutiny that led to the extensive public comment on Brock Lesnar’s regrettable post-fight behavior at UFC 100. And the deliciously ironic response from pro sports’ biggest a-hole, Dana White.

Following Lesnar’s post fight slights of fallen opposite Frank Mir and UFC title sponsor Bud Light, White reportedly lectured the fighter on the fine art of how to act in public.

In other words, it was opposite day! Read more…