With him winning at UFC 200, it’s likely Brock Lesnar’s going to fight again. Who should that come against, and why?
RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
How could he not? Ultimately, it’s not up to Lesnar, it’s not up to Uncle Daddy Warbucks, it’s up to Vince McMahon. And did you know, huddle in closely kids, Mr. McMahon likes money. Specifically, he likes the collecting of money. And he can do that by letting Brock fight again in the UFC. More specifically, if McMahon thinks that he can make a boatload of money by marketing, say, the UFC Heavyweight Champion, then he might just allow Brock to fight again in the UFC. If it’s for the title. Now, would new UFC ownership allow that? Sure. Because, see, Dana White and those billionaire owners, they like money too. And Alistair Overeem vs. Brock Lesnar 2 over Super Bowl weekend for the UFC title, two months before Wrestlemania would be an absolute license to print money by the millions. And yes, Stipe Miocic as Lesnar’s dance partner would make some serious coin as well.
Remember children, this stopped being a sport right about the time Brock Lesnar got a title shot with a 1-1 UFC record, so if you think that Dana’s above making that happen, think about it. Dana was the boss then, and he’s the boss now. Dana liked money then, and he just loves it now.
Like it or not, there’s a 50/50 chance that this happens.
FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I still think it’s questionable as to whether Lesnar fights again or not. He knows that he’s not going to beat the top guys. Maybe if he devoted himself full-time to MMA, but that’s still a huge risk and the odds are stacked highly against him. So maybe he fights once or twice more before retiring for good? Does that sound appealing to him? He’s proven he can do it, he can return and beat a top 10 guy. I think he fights maybe one more time, in like a year or so. The problem is he also needs the right matchup. His wrestling schedule also has to allow him time to train. A lot of things have to come together for him to fight again. Of course, never say never when it comes to Brock Lesnar. He’s mercurial for sure. If he does fight, though, I have no idea who it would be against. The heavyweight division is so up and down that it’s hard to get a good read on things. Maybe Travis Browne? Maybe Derrick Lewis? Maybe someone else who’s bubbled up in the division but is still not a top 5 guy. It could be anybody.
JAMIE PENICK, MMATORCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
As I wrote on Wednesday, let’s just go for it. Book Lesnar in the next UFC Heavyweight Title fight after September. Why not at this point? Dan Henderson’s getting a title shot this fall, and the UFC cares more about bringing in money on fights that will sell if there’s not clear competitive alternative, or if that alternative doesn’t seem as intriguing. The heavyweight division’s such a revolving door as well that giving Lesnar a shot wouldn’t be the most ridiculous thing to happen. Barring that, any number of options are acceptable for Lesnar’s next fight, because it’s more about Lesnar fighting again than exactly whom he faces.
[Photo (c) Joshua Dahl via USA Today Sports]
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