Brock Lesnar's UFC 200 Opponent Revealed; Lesnar Talks SummerSlam, UFC Return, More
Brock Lesnar's return to the UFC is set, and so is his opponent. As announced this morning on ESPN SportsCenter, Lesnar will take on Mark Hunt in his return.
Lesnar last fought in 2011, taking on Alistair Overeem. Lesnar battled diverticulitis throughout his career, missing long stretches of action. Last year, Lesnar re-signed with the WWE for three years, and said that he closed the door on a UFC return.
"I couldn't live with that decision, that decision has haunted me for the last 15 months," Lesnar said. "I'm a big believer in facing your fears and facing the reality of not sitting 20 years ago saying 'Son, you should have done that.' I was on UFC 100, so why not UFC 200?," Lesnar said.
Lesnar said that this was his idea, and he immediately regretted not making a return to the Octagon.
"I lost to diverticulitis, that's who beat me. My performance was because of the illness. I feel a thousand percent, I wouldn't step in the Octagon if I didn't. I'm not faking it, this is for real," Lesnar said.
When Lesnar announced that Mark Hunt would take him on, he noted that he's never turned down a fight in the UFC. "Why not (Mark Hunt), I don't care," Lesnar said.
"It's taken some time for things to play out, but I said 'What are the chances of having Brock Lesnar at UFC 200?," Lesnar said. "I'm a crossover athlete, I'm the modern day Bo Jackson, and I couldn't be more excited that both companies have the faith in Brock Lesnar to return to the Octagon."
Lesnar said that he spoke to Vince McMahon about the idea and hashed it out. He said that he doesn't know what the plans for SummerSlam are, but isn't sure what the plans are for him on the card.
Interviewer Hannah Storm asked about the UFC banning Ariel Helwani over breaking the story of Lesnar's return, but Lesnar said that he's not on Twitter and isn't familiar with Helwani. Lesnar was also asked about the late Muhammad Ali, and said the two shared a handshake and said he felt something powerful in Ali.
Lesnar closes the interview by saying he isn't sure what any of this means for his legacy, but has to do what's best for himself and his family.