Brock Lesnar Says He ‘Doesn’t Give A S**t’ If A Loss At UFC 200 Hurts His WWE Drawing Power
Former UFC and WWE world heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is taking a big risk on July 9 by stepping inside the Octagon with MMA knockout artist Mark Hunt, who was the number one contender for the heavyweight championship just a little over a year ago. And with a win over Lesnar, he could move back into that spot once again.
Hunt possesses the one thing that has given Lesnar trouble in the past, and that’s elite-level striking, with a ton of power behind it. The “Super Samoan” is the kind of the walk-off knockout, as we’ve seen in his previous two fights against Frank Mir and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.
Brock Lesnar is one of the few guys in WWE who can crossover to mixed martial arts, but the question is, after being away for five years, and with him turning 39 years old just three days after UFC 200, can he still compete with the elite-level guys in the UFC’s heavyweight division?
When Lesnar last fought back in December of 2011, he didn’t look like his old self. He looked hesitant, and a bit slow. Of course, he was coming off of a battle with diverticulitis, which forced him to have several inches of his colon removed.
Since leaving the UFC, Lesnar has pointed to his battle with diverticulitis as the reason why he struggled in his fights with Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem. But now, he feels like he’s finally 100 percent healthy, and because of that, he wants to step inside the Octagon at least one more time.
A win for Lesnar at UFC 200 will turn him into an even bigger star for WWE, and it may even make the UFC give him a shot at the heavyweight championship, which, pending the results of UFC 203’s main event, could mean a rematch with Alistair Overeem.
But a loss for Lesnar could really hurt his drawing power in both WWE, and the UFC, should he continue to keep fighting. However, during the UFC 200 media conference call, Lesnar made it clear that he doesn’t really care about his drawing power, saying that his return to the Octagon is about him, and not about the fans.
“I really don’t give a s**t. This isn’t about my fans. This is about me living my life, being the person I want to be. Granted, without the fans and everything, none of us would be able to do this. I get that. But I don’t sit up at night wondering, `Is my drawing power gonna be hurt’ or ‘Are my WWE fans gonna tune in and watch me do this.’ I don’t give two s**ts about that. This is about me. I want to get in there and be an athlete again. That’s what this is about.”
Lesnar said the exact same thing a couple of weeks ago when he sat down with his on-screen advocate and his real-life friend Paul Heyman. So, at least he’s being consistent here.
It’ll be interesting to see how WWE handles Lesnar if he wins, because if he does, he will probably want to fight again, and even though Stephanie McMahon came out and said that WWE isn’t supporting the fight, it doesn’t seem WWE has any issue with Lesnar fighting at UFC 200.
If Lesnar does defeat Mark Hunt, there’s a chance that, by the end of this year, he could be the first man in history to hold both the UFC and WWE world heavyweight championship simultaneously. Who would’ve been able to predict that at the beginning of this year?
[Image via Eric Jamison / AP Images]
