A month would not be complete without discussing four-time and current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar (oh, and former UFC heavyweight champion too) possibly returning to the UFC. Luckily, UFC President Dana White did not disappoint.
Speaking with the assembled media at Monday’s The Time is Now event, White opened up on the possibility of “The Beast” returning to the Octagon. “Brock Lesnar’s under contract with the WWE. We have a great relationship with him. He’s healthy and he has said that he’s interested in fighting again,” said White, per Fox Sports’ Damon Martin. “We’ll see what happens.”
Of course, Brock Lesnar returning to the UFC has been a compelling story for years now. The Internet was set ablaze in 2012 when there was serious discussion of a Brock Lesnar vs. Fedor Emelianenko fight, and things have barely slowed down since.
Sources have told me the UFC is still interested in signing Fedor Ememlianenko. Personally I think he stays retired – @rkruck
— Inside MMA (@InsideMMAaxstv) June 26, 2012
Lesnar, of course, has become one of the top names in the WWE since returning to professional wrestling in 2012. He has been prominently featured in multiple pay-per-views and recently defeated The Undertaker at Wrestlemania XXX and retook the heavyweight championship at Summerslam by defeating John Cena.
Worth noting is that Lesnar’s contract with the WWE expires following Wrestlemania 31 in March 2015. The talk of a UFC return may just be a ploy to give him more power at the bargaining table. On the other hand, it is also possible that the WWE’s current financial troubles may give the UFC the opportunity to lure him back to the cage.
While Lesnar’s first tenure with the UFC was somewhat controversial due to his professional wrestling background, it spurred the promotion to new heights. Lesnar is quite possibly the biggest draw in MMA history, with three Lesnar-led cards topping the 1 million buyrate mark. Because of that, in spite of occasional disagreements with UFC brass, White has consistently been open to his return.
Stick with Bleacher Report for more news on Lesnar as it becomes available.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com