Lesnar’s UFC future in medical limbo

The timetable for Brock Lesnar’s return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship grows more uncertain by the day.

In fact, Dana White indicated to the Associated Press on Monday that he is unsure if the heavyweight champion will ever fight again.

“It depends on how serious this is,” the UFC president said.

Lesnar, 32, is recovering from a bacterial infection in his intestinal tract. He “is in stable condition and should be released soon” from a Bismarck, N.D. hospital, according to White, who said he is encouraging Lesnar to check into the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., for further treatment.

Lesnar originally was scheduled to defend his title against Shane Carwin at UFC 106 on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay, but that bout was postponed last month because Lesnar had been unable to train.

The UFC had yet to announce a makeup date, largely because of uncertainty how long Lesnar would be out.

The latest developments surrounding Lesnar’s health are just a part of a difficult stretch in the UFC’s heavyweight division.

The organization announced that a Jan. 2 bout between Cain Velasquez and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will be postponed because Nogueira has a staph infection.

That would leave a matchup of unbeaten heavyweights Velasquez and Carwin as a logical replacement. Carwin, however, had knee surgery last week when it became apparent Lesnar would not be ready to fight him anytime soon.

• WEC 44 — Featherweight Mike Brown hopes to receive a more gracious welcome Wednesday at the Palms than he got the last time he was in action in June.

The World Extreme Cagefighting champion will be facing Jose Aldo in the main event of WEC 44.

In June, Brown was booed relentlessly when he fought Urijah Faber at Sacramento, Calif., the hometown of Faber, from whom he had previously won the belt.

“I hope they don’t boo me. We’ll see, you never know. Sacramento was like a bucket of water in my face,” Brown said. “I expected them to boo me, but not like that.”

• MORE WEC — None of Aldo’s WEC opponents has been able to hurt the 23-year-old Brazilian, who has won all five of his fights in the organization by knockout, the last three in the first round.

Maybe they should ask his sisters for advice.

Aldo sports a long scar across the left side of his face, a consequence of his sisters accidentally rolling him into a barbecue fire when he was very young.

He also said one of his two older sisters “broke his head” once when they were children.

“I have so many stories,” he said with a laugh Monday, through a translator.

Aldo has been known for his explosive standup in the WEC, especially after finishing Cub Swanson in only eight seconds in June, but he said his ground skills are just as good.

“I know you guys (have never seen) me on the ground, but I’m a jiu-jitsu black belt. If Mike Brown takes me down, I’ll be OK on the ground,” he said, adding a confident smile. “I’ll survive.”

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.