Brock Lesnar making a UFC return? ‘Definitely a possibility,’ White says
DULUTH, Ga. – It’s probably a long shot regardless of what the involved parties say, and he’s now been out of the cage for more than two years. However, UFC President Dana White isn’t completely ruling out a return for former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.
The 36-year-old, whose four-year run in the organization produced some of the biggest pay-per-view events in UFC history, ultimately left the promotion in late 2011 following back-to-back losses and a years-long battle with diverticulitis.
Lesnar (5-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) then returned to WWE’s pro-wrestling circuit, but the former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion’s MMA regrets could conceivably prompt a return. At least according to White (skip to 7:45 in the above video).
And though the UFC boss has butted heads with Lesnar in the past, he said the door is always open for the fighter, who won the UFC title in just his fourth pro MMA bout.
“Do we talk? Yeah, me and Brock talk,†White said after Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 35 event. “I said recently [that Brock] said had has some regrets with MMA because he wasn’t healthy, because he was going through those stomach problems the whole time he was here. So he has regrets.â€
The bouts with diverticulitis, which doctors categorized as life-threatening at one point, ultimately spoiled the tail end of Lesnar’s UFC career, when he dropped his title to Cain Velasquez and suffered a subsequent loss to Alistair Overeem. After the defeats, Lesnar announced his retirement and then returned to WWE, where he remains one of the company’s bigger stars.
“He told me he thinks a Brock Lesnar who was 100 percent could have done much better,†White said. “I told him, ‘You’re out of your f—ing mind. You came in here with one fight, and you became the heavyweight champion.’
“It was fun having Brock here. He has some regrets, and would he like to fight again? I’m sure he would. So we’ll see how this whole thing plays out. It’s definitely a possibility.â€
