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Brock Lesnar would still be UFC champion today at 49 if it wasn’t for illness says long-time manager
Photo by Bennett Raglin/WireImage
Photo by Bennett Raglin/WireImage

Paul Heyman believes no one would be able to touch a healthy Brock Lesnar to this day.

Lesnar wrestled his final WWE match in August to bring an end to one of the most successful careers in the history of the promotion.

While he was also able to reach the top of the sport in MMA, the majority of his run as one of the biggest stars on the UFC roster was short-lived.

Joe Rogan believes Lesnar could have been the greatest of all time if he’d dedicated himself to the sport at an earlier age, though this isn’t what cut his MMA career short.

How would a prime Brock Lesnar fare in the UFC heavyweight division today?

Would a prime Brock Lesnar be the UFC champion today?
Would a prime Brock Lesnar be the UFC champion today? Credit: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Paul Heyman believes no one would have beaten Brock Lesnar in the UFC if it wasn’t for his health issues

Brock Lesnar initially had to convince Dana White to sign him to the UFC, though this wasn’t an issue for the promotion’s president when he saw the pay-per-view numbers.

Following a setback in his Octagon debut, the WWE star went on to win the heavyweight title just two fights later by stopping Randy Couture in the second round in 2008.

‘The Beast Incarnate’ was in the midst of an iconic run when health issues completely derailed his career.

Lesnar’s multiple battles with diverticulitis were followed by some devastating losses and led to him leaving the sport in 2011.

His brief return to face Mark Hunt in 2016 in a fight that was overturned to a no contest aside, this is where his MMA career came to an end.

Paul Heyman, who has had a huge impact on Lesnar’s career as his long-time WWE manager, recently spoke about how the former champion’s illnesses robbed him of so many accomplishments.

He believes that it cut the former fighter’s career so short that he’d still be at the top of the heavyweight division today if they were not a factor.

“If he didn’t have diverticulitis, he would have never been defeated in the UFC,” Heyman told Graham Bensinger. “Never. Never. He’d still be champion today at 49. There’s nobody on this planet that could hang with him, no one. No one. No one. No one would get out of the first round with him. There’s no way.”

Brock Lesnar sat next to the UFC Heavyweight belt after UFC 91
Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

Brock Lesnar avenged the UFC loss that signalled a turning point in his career in a WWE ring

Brock Lesnar only had one rematch in his MMA career, which saw him avenge his prior loss to Frank Mir by stopping the heavyweight legend at UFC 100.

He did, however, get some form of revenge over the man that ended his heavyweight title reign in 2010.

Cain Velasquez finishing Lesnar in the first round following the defending champion’s health issues was a huge turning point in the heavyweight division.

In 2019, the two men faced off again at WWE’s Crown Jewel event, where ‘The Beast Incarnate’ completely dominated the match and won in just over two minutes.

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