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Mark Hunt Reacts To Brock Lesnar’s Drug Test Exemption

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The buzz around UFC 200 was amplified ten fold this past Saturday June 4, as the promotion teased the return of former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar for the July 9 event. The major milestone pay-per-view card was already rather stacked, with the rematch between Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones s the main event and title fights at women’s bantamweight and (interim) featherweight to boot. The addition of Lesnar with his soon revealed opponent Mark Hunt in the co-main event was truly the icing on the cake.

Lesnar would go one ESPN’s SportsCenter this week to make his opening statement about the fight, confirming he’d be going against the heavy handed ‘Super Samoan’ in a one-time deal allowed by the WWE. The return of Lesnar threw a very interesting twist on the UFC 200 card, but the news hasn’t come without it’s fair share of controversy.

lesnar

Although there is a drug testing procedure in place over in the WWE, there were obvious questions about whether or not Lesnar would be ‘clean’ coming in to his UFC return. Any athlete returning to action in the UFC is required to give four months notice to abide by the new USADA (United States Anti Doping Agency) policy, a policy that was recently waived to accommodate Lesnar’s comeback.

On June 6, 2016, UFC heavyweight Brock Lesnar was registered by USADA into the UFC Anti-Doping Policy testing pool. As part of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, UFC may grant a former athlete an exemption to the four-month written notice rules in exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to an athlete. Given Lesnar last competed in UFC on December 30, 2011, long before the UFC Anti-Doping Policy went into effect, for purposes of the Anti-Doping Policy, he is being treated similarly to a new athlete coming into the organization.”

“While conversations with the heavyweight have been ongoing for some time, Lesnar required permission from WWE to compete in UFC 200 and only agreed to terms and signed a bout agreement last Friday. He was therefore unable to officially start the Anti-Doping Policy process any earlier. UFC, however, did notify Lesnar in the early stages of discussions that if he were to sign with the UFC, he would be subject to all of the anti-doping rules. Lesnar and his management have now been formally educated by USADA on the policy, procedures and expectations.”

So Lesnar gets a pass on the four-month rule, which does not mean he’ll be able to avoid drug testing fr this point onward, but it’s not surprising that the waiver has caused a bit of a stir among other UFC fighters.

Mark Hunt has heard this news, and is seriously unhappy about it, as was former Lesnar opponent Shane Carwin.

Skip to page 2 for Mark Hunt and Shane Carwin’s reactions…

continue…

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Frank Mir: Brock Lesnar Will Lose To Mark Hunt At UFC 200

Combat sports mega-star Brock Lesnar made his UFC debut at UFC 81 back in 2008 against former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, who managed to submit Lesnar via kneebar after eating some nasty ground-and-pound from ‘The Beast’. Lesnar would go on to win his next two bouts that same year, however, capturing the UFC heavyweight

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Lesnar would go on to win his next two bouts that same year, however, capturing the UFC heavyweight title from Randy Couture at UFC 91 in the process. Mir would then challenge Lesnar for the title in the main event of the spectacle that was UFC 100, with the two men being granted the honor of main eventing the legendary card.

The night would end with a successful Lesnar title defense, after the former Division I heavyweight wrestling champion demolished Mir on the ground with his vicious ground-and-pound. With the two men now each holding a win over one another, is it possible they could meet inside the Octagon once more for a rubber match?

Mir spoke on this subject and many more in his most recent Phone Booth Fighting Podcast, beginning with a claim stating that the former champion (Lesnar) doesn’t like being hit and could be in for a rough night against a hitter the caliber of Mark Hunt:

“He doesn’t like to be hit,” Mir said. “Not that anybody likes to be hit, but Brock for whatever reason has shown much more of a dramatic response to the negativity of those shots.

To the point where he’s not asleep, it isn’t like he got knocked out, he’s not getting dropped, but he just turns his face away from adversity. That’s a bad thing when fighting Mark Hunt, who again I think is one of the hardest punchers in the division.”

Mir did say, however, that Lesnar’s path to victory could lie with his heavy ground game, tiring out the heavy hitting Australian:

“If he is able to take Hunt down and control him, Hunt has been known to get tired on the ground and get fatigued,” Mir said. … “It really comes down to who is able to get their game plan.”

The rubber match between the two rivals was then mentioned, as Mir claimed that a huge payday would be made available to both men if it was to come to fruition:

“I think that’s he’s a competitive guy,” Mir said. “If he’s going to step in the Octagon, he’s gonna want to get paid as much as he can for that appearance. I mean, he’s closing in on 40. So why not a fight with me?

A fight with me is going to be a much bigger payday, the two of us together is going to make much more of an impact than him versus anybody else. The storyline just isn’t going to be the same. The interest is not gonna be the same.”

“I think even two years from now when I come out of the suspension, a fight with Lesnar is still — if he still wants to come back again — is still a huge fight,” Mir said.

“It’s massive because of what he brings to the table, what I bring to the table and the history we have together.”

If Mir had to bet on the UFC 200 heavyweight co-main event, his money is on Hunt claiming Lesnar would have a difficult time trying to take down the vicious knockout artist:

“I’m betting on Mark,” Mir said. “He’s been in there more consistently the last couple of years against really game opponents. I think that once their strengths match up against each other, it’s a hard takedown. You’ve never really seen anybody come through and just blast Mark onto his butt in the first minute or two of a match.”

Lesnar and Hunt will throw down in the co-headliner of UFC 200, which is set to go down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday July 9, 2016.

(All transcribed quotes courtesy of MMA Fighting)

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Brock Lesnar Is Fine With Conor McGregor Claiming Bigger PPV Numbers

When UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor was embroiled in a beef with the UFC over his removal from July’s UFC 200 card, the brash Irishman went on a Twitter rant that included claims that he has the biggest pay-per-view (PPV) numbers in company history: Years before the Irishman was main eventing PPV events, however, a

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It is not safe to say. It is fact to say.
I hold PPV, Gate, TV, Fightpass and Embedded record.
Even Title fight KO. https://t.co/nqwoQSap9A

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) May 2, 2016

Years before the Irishman was main eventing PPV events, however, a man named Brock Lesnar sat atop major UFC PPV bills himself and crushed numbers in the process.

Lesnar is set to make his long-awaited UFC return against Mark Hunt at UFC 200, and in a recent interview with ESPN ‘The Beast’ was asked on his thoughts of McGregor’s recent ‘record-holder’ comments:

“I’ve got no qualms with anybody,” Lesnar said. “If somebody wants to state they are the biggest pay-per-view draw in the world, I don’t care.

I’ve never came out and said, ‘Hey, listen, I hold the most pay-per-view buys.’ All I know is what I got paid, and I’m happy to do so. I’m a prizefighter. I don’t hang my championships on the wall because they don’t pay the bills.”

Lesnar was then asked on his personal thoughts on the Irish champion and his trash-talking ways:

“I don’t know him, but I know of Conor McGregor,” Lesnar said. “This sport has evolved even from the first time that I entered into the octagon.

I think people are finding out that you have to talk the talk, and more importantly you have to walk the walk. For guys that can talk and walk the walk, I think it’s great. It’s great for the company.”

While Lesnar enjoys the hefty paycheck that comes along with stepping inside the Octagon, the former heavyweight king is adamant that he does it for the true love of the sport:

“I’m a prizefighter; I fight for money,” Lesnar said. “They’re making money, I’m making money, everyone’s making money – that’s what this is all about. More importantly, it’s not about the money to me. I’ve always said money is very important to me, but you can’t step inside the octagon just for the money. This is in my heart. It just so happens I’m making a boatload of money.”

Lesnar is set to throw down with Hunt in the co-main event of UFC 200, live on PPV from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 9, 2016.

McGregor is set to rematch Stockton native Nate Diaz, the man who handed him his first and only UFC career loss, in the main event of UFC 202 live on PPV from the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 20, 2016.

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Brock Lesnar Gets Special USADA Exemption For Mark Hunt Fight At UFC 200

There is a unique story unfolding regarding the USADA side of Brock Lesnar’s upcoming UFC return.

One of the big questions regarding the fight between Lesnar and Mark Hunt, which was announced for UFC 200 on July 9, is how Lesnar would be handled in terms of USADA testing.

When the USADA policy was first implemented, there was a policy added to avoid a fighter announcing his retirement, going on PEDs and then coming back out of retirement to fight at an advantage. The passage in the official USADA policy that deals with this issue reads as follows:

“An athlete who gives notice of retirement to UFC, or has otherwise ceased to have a contractual relationship with UFC, may not resume competing in UFC bouts until he/she has given UFC written notice of his/her intent to resume competing and has made him/herself available for testing for a period of four moths before returning to competition. UFC may grant an exemption to the four-month written notice rule in exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to an athlete.”

Apparently because Lesnar last competed back in 2011, long before the new USADA policy was in place, he is being treated as a brand new athlete who just signed with the promotion for the purpose of the USADA policy, and not as a fighter who retired, was no longer being tested, and then decided to return.

On Wednesday, UFC issued the following statement regarding Lesnar and the USADA policy:

“On June 6, 2016, UFC heavyweight Brock Lesnar was registered by USADA into the UFC Anti-Doping Policy testing pool. As part of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, UFC may grant a former athlete an exemption to the four-month written notice rules in exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to an athlete. Given Lesnar last competed in UFC on December 30, 2011, long before the UFC Anti-Doping Policy went into effect, for purposes of the Anti-Doping Policy, he is being treated similarly to a new athlete coming into the organization.

“While conversations with the heavyweight have been ongoing for some time, Lesnar required permission from WWE to compete in UFC 200 and only agreed to terms and signed a bout agreement last Friday. He was therefore unable to officially start the Anti-Doping Policy process any earlier. UFC, however, did notify Lesnar in the early stages of discussions that if he were to sign with the UFC, he would be subject to all of the anti-doping rules. Lesnar and his management have now been formally educated by USADA on the policy, procedures, and expectations.

“UFC Anti-Doping Policy testing statistics are publicly available at ufc.usada.org and are updated on a weekly basis.”

UFC 200, featuring the Lesnar vs. Hunt bout, takes place on Saturday, July 9, 2016 from the brand new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Make sure to join us here at MMANews.com on 7/9 for the best UFC 200 live results coverage on the web!

There is a unique story unfolding regarding the USADA side of Brock Lesnar’s upcoming UFC return.

One of the big questions regarding the fight between Lesnar and Mark Hunt, which was announced for UFC 200 on July 9, is how Lesnar would be handled in terms of USADA testing.

“An athlete who gives notice of retirement to UFC, or has otherwise ceased to have a contractual relationship with UFC, may not resume competing in UFC bouts until he/she has given UFC written notice of his/her intent to resume competing and has made him/herself available for testing for a period of four moths before returning to competition. UFC may grant an exemption to the four-month written notice rule in exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to an athlete.”

On Wednesday, UFC issued the following statement regarding Lesnar and the USADA policy:

“On June 6, 2016, UFC heavyweight Brock Lesnar was registered by USADA into the UFC Anti-Doping Policy testing pool. As part of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, UFC may grant a former athlete an exemption to the four-month written notice rules in exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to an athlete. Given Lesnar last competed in UFC on December 30, 2011, long before the UFC Anti-Doping Policy went into effect, for purposes of the Anti-Doping Policy, he is being treated similarly to a new athlete coming into the organization.

“While conversations with the heavyweight have been ongoing for some time, Lesnar required permission from WWE to compete in UFC 200 and only agreed to terms and signed a bout agreement last Friday. He was therefore unable to officially start the Anti-Doping Policy process any earlier. UFC, however, did notify Lesnar in the early stages of discussions that if he were to sign with the UFC, he would be subject to all of the anti-doping rules. Lesnar and his management have now been formally educated by USADA on the policy, procedures, and expectations.

“UFC Anti-Doping Policy testing statistics are publicly available at ufc.usada.org and are updated on a weekly basis.”

Report: Following Lesnar Fight At UFC 200, WWE Hoping To Get Rousey Match At WrestleMania 33

It looks like Paige VanZant isn’t the only well-known UFC female fighter that WWE has their eye on.

Anthony DiMoro posted an article at Yahoo! Sports that claims former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion and one-time WrestleMania guest Ronda Rousey is “at the top of WWE’s list” of talent they want to use from the UFC in exchange for allowing Brock Lesnar to fight Mark Hunt at the UFC’s upcoming landmark UFC 200 event in July.

DiMoro’s article stated the following about WWE hoping to secure a Rousey appearance at next year’s WrestleMania 33 pay-per-view:

According to sources, WWE is hoping that by allowing Lesnar to compete at UFC 200 (and perhaps beyond) it will open the doors for some things in return from UFC. Mainly WWE is hopeful for two things in return.

For one, they are hoping not only to get additional promotion for ‘SummerSlam’, likely at UFC 200, but are also looking to get UFC stars to appear at the event.

WWE is also hopeful that they will be allowed to use Ronda Rousey at ‘WrestleMania 33′ in Orlando, Florida. While her in-ring segment at ‘WrestleMania 31′ with ‘The Rock’, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H was a memorable moment, WWE is hoping they can secure Rousey for an actual match at their biggest event of the year.

As noted earlier this week, it’s also being reported that WWE is hoping to get Paige VanZant and/or other top UFC female fighters involved in a segment at their upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view in August, which Lesnar is also scheduled to be a part of.

It looks like Paige VanZant isn’t the only well-known UFC female fighter that WWE has their eye on.

DiMoro’s article stated the following about WWE hoping to secure a Rousey appearance at next year’s WrestleMania 33 pay-per-view:

According to sources, WWE is hoping that by allowing Lesnar to compete at UFC 200 (and perhaps beyond) it will open the doors for some things in return from UFC. Mainly WWE is hopeful for two things in return.

For one, they are hoping not only to get additional promotion for ‘SummerSlam’, likely at UFC 200, but are also looking to get UFC stars to appear at the event.

WWE is also hopeful that they will be allowed to use Ronda Rousey at ‘WrestleMania 33? in Orlando, Florida. While her in-ring segment at ‘WrestleMania 31? with ‘The Rock’, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H was a memorable moment, WWE is hoping they can secure Rousey for an actual match at their biggest event of the year.

Brock Lesnar Discusses UFC Return With Paul Heyman

Former UFC heavyweight champion and current WWE superstar Brock Lesnar will surprisingly make his Octagon return at July 9’s UFC 200 event, and it will be far from a tune-up bout when he steps into the cage against No. 8-ranked Mark Hunt after nearly five years off. Lesnar (5-3) was last seen announcing his retirement

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Lesnar (5-3) was last seen announcing his retirement from the sport after suffering a first round TKO loss at the hands of current title challenger Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 in December of 2011.

Now ‘The Beast’ is set to make his highly-anticipated return to MMA, and in a recent interview with his WWE mouthpiece Paul Heyman, Lesnar revealed the details leading up to his UFC return:

“Why? I guess because I want to, that’s why,” Lesnar said. “And that’s the only reason anybody should do anything, right? Because you want to.

“I’m a big believer in living out your dreams and facing your fears and just facing the reality of I don’t want to be sitting 20 years from now saying, ‘You know what son, you should have done that.’ On the biggest stage of all, I was on UFC 100, so why not be on UFC 200?”.

Lesnar feels like he has a statement to make and will put 1,000% into his MMA return, as well as revealing that it was not UFC President Dana White who made the call for him to return, but rather himself who initiated the negotiations for a return.

How do you feel Lesnar will do upon his Octagon return against the surging Australian knockout-artist Hunt? Will he be victorious, or will he suffer the same fate Frank Mir did in March?

You can watch Lesnar’s full interview with the always-entertaining Heyman right here:

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