Who could be MMA’s biggest draw if Brock Lesnar retires?

Regular Lowkickers remember the question I asked last week. Can MMA’s elite be as popular as Manny Pacquiao? Now is the perfect time for someone to step to the plate with the biggest draw in our sport’s history now out indefinitely. As announced in an emergency UFC conference call, Brock Lesnar for a second time has been diagnosed with diverticulosis. For the main event at UFC 131, Lesnar has been switched with Shane Carwin to face Junior dos Santos.

Now I’m no medical expert by any means and all my info comes from Wikipedia and various medical sites. But what I got from my research is that diverticulosis is disease in the colon. Sharp and unbearable pain in the abdomen due to leaking fecal matter, severe diarrhea, constipation, and in some extreme cases even death can come from this disease.

During Lesnar’s first diagnosis, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion refused to go through surgery. He managed to recover and defend his title at UFC 116 against Shane Carwin. Lesnar barely managed to win his belt back against Carwin. Then at UFC 121 his flaws were truly exposed against Cain Velasquez to whom he lost is championship. Most recently we’ve been following him closely on the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter with opposing coach and title contender Junior dos Santos.

Since making his MMA debut at K-1 Dynamite USA against Min-Soo Kim from a successful WWE career, Brock Lesnar has been surrounded by controversy. Many fans and experts feel like the former WWE Superstar and NCAA wrestler doesn’t deserve the opportunities given to him. We are all very familiar with his success and antics in his short time in the sport. Love him or hate him we cannot deny the fact that he is Mixed Martial Arts’ biggest draw to date and also the highest paid fighter in its short history.

Due to Brock’s age (34) and this life altering surgery, the chances of him making a return to the Octagon are looking bleak. If this is the end of Lesnar’s MMA story, the sport will need a new attraction. Who will be the next one? The one that will keep the fans and mainstream media talking? Who will be the one to put big bucks in the pockets of the organization? Names like Jon Jones, Cain Velasquez, Alistair Overeem will need to step up their game in order to fill the big shoes that Brock Lesnar could be leaving behind.

Disagree with what I think? Leave your thoughts in the comment box below and let’s discuss this matter further.

Photo: UFC fighter Brock Lesnar during a training session before UFC 116 on June 30, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Francis Specker