I was as surprised as anyone when I saw Brock Lesnar would not only be appearing, but fighting at UFC 200 on July 9. I understand this is a one-off fight, and he’s still under contract with WWE and this is some kind of promotional tactic by the company, but it still makes WWE look desperate for attention.
I laughed off the rumor when I first heard it two days ago, not acknowledging even in my mind what a Brock Lesnar UFC fight would look like in 2016. But then, there it was. It’s official. He’s fighting. Perhaps even more shocking than the fact that he’s fighting is how quickly it was confirmed, and the little amount of time it was announced before the show next month. There hasn’t been much news surrounding Lesnar since he was last seen at WrestleMania 32 on April 3, so it’s possible he was preparing for a fight the entire time, and maybe the deal between WWE and UFC was being finalized quietly.
Let’s first understand that Lesnar announced his retirement from MMA in 2015, years after he last fought, to put to bed rumors that he would ever return to fighting. I get that athletes take that kind of stuff back all the time, and, yes, Michael Jordan un-retired a few times, but even he’s no exception to how annoying it is to take someone at their word, then look like an idiot for believing them. How am I supposed to believe Lesnar the next time he says he’s never fighting again?
As for who he’ll be fighting, we don’t know yet. It could be some bum, or *puts on tinfoil hat* it could be a work. It can’t be stressed enough how bad both Lesnar and WWE would look if he loses at UFC 200, especially to a no-name. Keep in mind the force Lesnar has been in WWE, defeating The Undertaker at WrestleMania and then going on an unstoppable warpath for two years, in which the entire WWE roster has looked exceptionally inferior. Then, he jumps back into the octagon and gets beat by Joe Blow. That just about nullifies everything WWE has built in storyline around Lesnar. I just can’t buy that WWE would allow him to have a fight where there’s a possibility he could get embarrassed. Dana White would probably call me a dumbass for it, but, as of right now, I simply believe this fight will be a work.
Given that when WWE made the announcement that an agreement has been made with UFC about this, they also made it clear Lesnar would perform at SummerSlam, I assume some tie-in will be made in the form of Hey, UFC fans! Don’t forget about us! Brock will wrestle at SummerSlam in August! Order on pay-per-view! Subscribe to the WWE Network for free! This is a legitimate business decision on WWE’s part, and, as a fan of both UFC and WWE, part of me is definitely excited about it. But who looks more desperate here? UFC, who couldn’t finalize a Conor McGregor fight for their biggest show of the year, so they had to “settle” on Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier, or WWE, whose depleted product is completely built around a champion everyone hates?
Now, here’s the part where WWE really looks stupid: They’ve been gunning for Ronda Rousey to have a match at WrestleMania for some time, to which Dana White’s answer has been, “It’s not happening.” So, WWE is willing to give them Lesnar in return for some promotion, but when it comes to getting Rousey… “It’s not happening.” Yes, she appeared alongside The Rock at WrestleMania last year, key word being “appeared.” She did not wrestle. Well, did you see the part where she grabbed Stephanie McMahon’s arm? Yes, I did. And what happened next? Nothing.
Dana White has said in the past, actually when it concerned Brock Lesnar returning to WWE for a match back in his fighting days, that he was against it because he didn’t want to blur the lines between what’s real and what’s not. The only way that reasoning makes sense is if anyone believed pro wrestling is real, which nobody does. He’s given the approval for Ronda Rousey to appear in action movies, but WWE, which at the end of the day is a live-action entertainment company? Better not blur those lines, man.
What this whole deal says to me is WWE needs the promotion and attention more than UFC does. They’ll give UFC its biggest contracted star for a fight where he could possibly lose and look terrible, even though UFC refused to give them one of their biggest stars for a scripted wrestling match that she would win and look great in. Who knows? Maybe part of this agreement is that WWE gives them Lesnar for this one-off fight, and WWE will eventually get Rousey for that one-off WrestleMania match, and that bit of the deal just hasn’t been announced yet. If there’s anything less than that for WWE here, they look like the kid in the cafeteria who just got ripped off on a lunch trade.
UPDATE: I feel the need to address the reception I have gotten for this post. I am surprised how many of you did not understand my point that, in order for WWE to risk Brock Lesnar losing his fight at UFC 200, there has to be something more to their agreement with UFC other than just some promotion for SummerSlam. In reference to the fight being a work, I know I cannot prove or disprove that UFC has ever or would ever fix fights. I will take them at their word that they have not and would not. The reason why I mentioned the possibility of Lesnar’s fight being a work is that I initially could not see WWE agreeing to take the risk of him losing. I also understand it is entirely possible that I did not explain my opinion very well, but, at the end of the day, it is exactly that… an opinion. Regardless, I am excited for Lesnar’s fight at UFC 200 against who we now know will be Mark Hunt, a fighter I have tremendous respect for, and hopefully WWE and UFC will reach a deal for Ronda Rousey to have a WrestleMania match in the future.
