Lesnar hasn't been in the octagon since UFC 100 last July, when he beat Frank Mir in the biggest event in mixed martial arts history. He struggled through several months of pain and confusion with an illness eventually diagnosed as diverticulitis.
UFC president Dana White expects Lesnar to return this summer, likely fighting the winner of Mir's March 27 bout against Shane Carwin in Newark, N.J.
"Everybody has got life-changing experiences, and this is one of them for me," Lesnar said in a phone interview Wednesday. "I believe things happen for a reason. It gave me a different perspective on life and my family. I considered myself a healthy human being, and for something like this to happen to me, I need to re-evaluate. I have to make some changes."
After just four fights over less than two years with UFC, Lesnar is considered the league's top pay-per-view draw. The former NCAA wrestling champion and WWE professional wrestler is thrilled to resume his MMA career after thinking he might be forced to retire by major abdominal surgery.
"The heavyweight division should be back on their toes again," Lesnar said.
He spent several months struggling with diverticulitis, a swelling of pouches in the intestinal wall. Lesnar said he had abscesses in his intestines that became infected -- and he also apparently tested positive last fall for mononucleosis, which might have delayed getting the proper diagnosis of his intestinal woes.
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