• UFC 116

Lesnar faces an even bigger test than Carwin at UFC 116

Will the gloves fit for Brock Lesnar after a year-long absence? © UFC

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On Saturday July 3, the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas will be the stage for UFC 116, where we will witness arguably the biggest fight, both figuratively and literally, in UFC heavyweight history. One blink of an eye and it could all be done and dusted, as champion Brock Lesnar makes his second title defence against fellow genetic freak Shane Carwin.

Lesnar may not be the most popular fighter in the UFC, but he is certainly the number one guy as far as PPV figures are concerned; because when he fights, the whole world knows about it. This will be no different next Saturday, and fans can expect another spectacle when Lesnar takes on the most dangerous pretender to his heavyweight throne.

There are so many factors that could come into play when these two finally clash, although ring-rust certainly stands out as being the greatest potential banana skin for Lesnar. Just the slightest hitch in his reflexes and the champion could be lying face down, should one of those Carwin sledgehammers land flush.

We have seen several cases of ring rust in the UFC, most recently former champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson looking a shadow of the old "Pride" warrior against Rashad Evans as he clearly struggled with both the 50-pound weight cut and 14-month layoff. This was the second time Jackson suffered the repercussions of extended down time, having previously lost his title to Forrest Griffin following a nine-month fight break.

Only now is Mauricio "Shogun" Rua looking back to his very best following his injury troubles in 2007, while Frank Mir looked like he would never be considered elite again as he struggled to regain form following his 2004 motorbike accident.

The list of examples is endless, meaning we can only speculate on the outcome and which factors will come into play during next weekend's enactment. Carwin demolished Mir to claim the interim title in March, having been sidelined himself for over a year; firstly with a broken nose and then being forced to wait in the wings while Lesnar's intestinal disorder unfolded. When UFC 111 came around Carwin looked anything but ring rusty as he subjected Mir to arguably the biggest beating of his career.

One thing is for sure, Carwin is no-one's tune-up fight, and if there is any, and I really do mean any slight sign of ring rust, I see Lesnar being taken out and in violent fashion.

There is, however, the potential scenario that we could see the best Brock Lesnar we have ever seen grace the Octagon. I remember in the midst of his health scare a doctor stating that with the condition Lesnar was in, he would have only been performing to 60 percent of his ability. Now that's a scary thought when you consider the way he stopped both Randy Couture and then Mir in only his fourth and fifth professional fights. During his battle with diverticulitis Lesnar lost over 40lbs, but he has now rebuilt his body with a new and improved diet which could see his re-birth on July 3.

No matter what happens next weekend, one thing is for sure - it's going to be dramatic. There is an extremely high chance of a spectacular knockout in favour of either man. There is also the real possibility of the most exciting grappling match ever seen, as there will be close to 600 lbs of pure wrestling ability battling it out to be crowned the undisputed king of the heavyweight division.

Chris Park is mmatorch.com's UK specialist. Click here to read original article.

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