Dana White has been blowing hot air into the “Brock Lesnar returning to MMA” balloon for a long time now. At the UFC 169 press conference, as posted by Brian Tucker on MMAFighting.com, though, he let all the air right out.
When asked about a return, and whether or not something was already in the works, White flatly said “Brock Lesnar is not coming back…we don’t have a deal. He’s not coming back anytime soon.”
Ouch.
Talk of the former UFC heavyweight champion was once again reignited when former Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem called out Lesnar, following a strong win over Frank Mir. While Lesnar has been out of the cage for a long while, he remains one of the biggest names in the UFC Rolodex, and a return fight would be a guaranteed draw in a time where Zuffa is desperately seeking stars to replace Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva.
While White referenced an earlier discussion he had with TMZ, where he said Lesnar was pondering a second go in the UFC, following a first run mired by the debilitating intestinal disease, diverticulitis, it seems the door has been officially slammed shut on the notion of a Lesnar return.
Talk of Lesnar coming back to the UFC started up in December 2013, as reported by Chuck Mindenhall of MMAFighting.com. When he instead reemerged with the WWE, it seemed like the entire story was simply a ploy to hype his return to professional wrestling. White, however, kept the hints coming, teasing fans mercilessly with the possibility of a return.
Alas, the UFC will apparently remain Lesnar-less for the foreseeable future. The heavyweight division, though, is quite strong at the moment, so fans can at least look forward to some exciting matchups in the near future.
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