UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar has fallen on rough times as of late. The UFC president, Dana White, recently confirmed to the Associated Press that Lesnar has contracted a digestive disease known as diverticulitis, along with his previous diagnosis of mononucleosis, commonly referred to as "mono." The question on every MMA fan’s mind is, "What does this mean about Brock’s immediate and long term future?" We will attempt to describe both of these illnesses and the potential damages they may have on Lesnar’s mixed martial arts career. According to MedicineNet, diverticulitis is a digestive disorder found commonly in the large intestine that stems from diverticula in the colon rupturing and becoming infected. Diverticula form when the lining of the colon thickens and pressure within the colon pushes the lining through cracks in the muscle wall creating sacks along the muscle wall of the colon. When someone has diverticula along their intestinal muscle wall it is called diverticulosis which usually has no symptoms. Diverticulitis then occurs when one (or several) of these diverticuli become infected and rupture causing bacteria to be released. Common symptoms of severe diverticulitis include: abdominal pain, feeling feverish, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, and collection of puss in the pelvis. If not treated, severe diverticulitis can lead to a potentially fatal condition known as peritonitis which is inflammation of the entire abdominal lining. Antibiotics, along with surgery to remove the part of the colon that has been infected, are the treatments used to derail severe cases of diverticulitis like Lesnar’s.

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