Brock Lesnar's Ilness Finally Revealed, Carwin's Injury Not That Bad After All

It was revealed today that Brock Lesnar (4-1) is suffering from a serious bacterial infection of his intestinal tract. He's also suffering from mononucleosis, as was announced earlier. There's no word on whether the two conditions are connected or if it's just a terrible coincidence.

This revelation ends weeks of speculation in the MMA community, but questions still linger. It's not known how serious Lesnar's condition is or what the prognosis is for recovery. It's similarly unclear when, if ever, Lesnar can be expected to defend his heavyweight title.

The future of Lesnar's intended next opponent, Shane Carwin (11-0) is also up in the air. It was announced today that Carwin's leg injury is not as serious as once thought and won't require surgery. He'll be ready to compete in early 2010.

My best guess is that, with "Minotauro" Nogueira (32-5-1) sidelined by his own serious illness, Shane Carwin will probably face Cain Velasquez (7-0) early next year to determine a new interim champion. The winner could face whichever of Nogueira or Lesnar is healthy first.