When Brock Lesnar’s WWE contract came to an end at the start of 2015, all signs pointed toward the wrestling superstar’s return to the Octagon. But behind the numerous rumors that “Brock wants to prove himself in the cage!” there was also a vocal contingent that noted Lesnar is a shrewd negotiator who has used the UFC in the past to put extra zeros and special treatment into his contracts with Vince McMahon.
When all that UFC smoke cleared away, Brock had a new contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, shiny and chrome. It seemed like Lesnar had done it again — played two organizations against each other to extract way more money from the one he was really interested in joining all along. Shortly after signing, Brock revealed that the UFC had offered ‘double’ what the WWE had, but he didn’t “have to beat myself up for” the WWE. “To prepare for another MMA fight, we’re talking 16, 18 weeks of pure hell, and then the cage door shuts and it’s on.”
Now Brock has elaborated on that period of negotiation between the two companies, insisting in a conversation on the Stone Cold Steve Austin podcast that his talks with the UFC were “not a bluff.” Via FOX Sports:
“I felt robbed by diverticulitis. I felt robbed by being sick. I was feeling good and it took me a couple years to start feeling good. I’m at home, I’m working out, my life is great, everything’s in tune, my contract’s coming to an end with WWE, hey it’s been a great time but something’s missing. I was up front and totally honest with the company and told them I’m really thinking of pursuing getting back in the Octagon.”
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“I started training camp. I wanted to test myself and see where I was — not more physical, but mentally,” Lesnar said. “I wanted to see the mental challenges that it was going to take. If your head’s not in the game, the last place you want to get into is in the Octagon.”
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“It was really unfair for me,” Lesnar said. “To this day, I don’t know if I’d be a pro wrestler if I hadn’t gotten sick. I may not be here. I’d still be banging heads.”
Diverticulitis is no joke. When the diagnosis was announced in 2009, it seemed ridiculously optimistic of the UFC to announce an interim belt until Lesnar returned, since most people familiar with the illness felt he’d never make it back to the sport. But Lesnar did stage a comeback in 2010 — a mere 12 months since his previous fight — taking the interim belt off Shane Carwin in a hard fought battle before dropping his last two fights to legit heavyweight monsters Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem.
Overeem wasn’t shy about his gameplan for Lesnar: Kick him right in the guts with all the power and fury he developed over an 11-year kickboxing career. And with one perfectly placed shot, Brock Lesnar was truly done with the UFC. Many felt like Lesnar had rushed his recovery, which was a big part of why a potential return to the cage was so interesting. But in the end, the diverticulitis and doubts that came along with it were too much, and now Lesnar is wrestling with the WWE instead of fighting in the UFC heavyweight division.
(Via FOX Sports)