Brock Lesnar, yes that Brock Lesnar, is reportedly going to be making a return to the UFC next month.
According to a report from Ariel Helwani at MMAFighting.com, Lesnar is very close to finalizing a deal to fight on the UFC 200 card in what would be his first MMA fight since UFC 141 in December of 2011.
The former UFC Heavyweight Champion had his MMA run cut short due to several issues with diverticulitis, a digestive condition that had him near death in late 2008 after an attack. He entered the UFC in 2008 after his run in the WWE and then a failed attempt at an NFL career, and immediately became a must-see presence in the Octagon. He won the Heavyweight Title from Randy Couture in November of 2008, then became one of just four men to defend that belt twice with wins over Frank Mir and Shane Carwin a year apart.
Lesnar arguably rushed his third defense given his absence from diverticulitis, and he lost the belt to Cain Velasquez. Another lengthy layoff after yet another attack and surgery contributed to his loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141, and he returned to the WWE in April of 2012. He’s been there since, but may have a provision in his WWE deal allowing this return to MMA.
There’s no word on an opponent, but that should be coming shortly if it gets finalized with the UFC 200 event just a month away. That card is currently slated to be headlined by the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier.
Penick’s Analysis: This seems so far out of left field that if it’s actually coming together it’s a huge, huge happening for UFC 200. If they felt they needed a massive boost to kickstart sales and pay-per-view buys, this will certainly be significant, but I’m curious as to how it’s coming together given his continued WWE deal. After all, he re-signed with the WWE last year before Wrestlemania for a two year deal instead of returning to the UFC. I also just don’t know what opponent they’ve got for him. So many questions!
[Brock Lesnar art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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