Cain Velasquez, Alistair Overeem Emerge As Possible Opponents For Brock Lesnar If The WWE Star Ever Returns To The UFC
Former UFC and WWE Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar made his return to the Octagon at this past Saturday night’s UFC 200 against heavyweight contender Mark Hunt. Prior to the fight, many experts believed that Lesnar would have trouble against the “Super Samoan,” but the current WWE star easily won Rounds 1 and 3, as he earned a unanimous decision victory over a top ten heavyweight.
Lesnar’s was moved into the top ten of the UFC’s heavyweight rankings after his victory over Hunt, but the question is, will the ex-UFC Champ ever return to the Octagon?
In the post fight press conference, Lesnar was asked about his UFC future, and he didn’t mince words, saying that “Brock Lesnar does what Brock Lesnar wants.” But, prior to the bout, he said that it would be up to Vince McMahon to decide if he’ll ever fight again. So, he definitely sent mixed messages when answering the “will you continue on in the UFC if you win?” question.
Following his win, Lesnar was asked about a rematch with Cain Velasquez, who also looked good at UFC 200, as he knocked out Travis Browne in the show’s opening bout. Lesnar said that he would be interested in facing Cain if he made the decision to come back to the UFC after his WWE commitments end this summer.
“[Cain Velasquez] looked good tonight. Sure, I’d want to fight him. Obviously I trained specifically for Mark Hunt, and I trained for six-weeks, and if I decided to do this a little further, would I have to sharpen some skills? Absolutely. But yeah, Cain looked really good tonight. He always looks good.”
Of course, Brock Lesnar lost the UFC Heavyweight Championship to Cain Velasquez back in October of 2010, but he’s pointed to his bout with diverticulitis as the reason for the loss. After the fight, Lesnar was supposed to fight Junior Dos Santos to determine the number one contender for the Heavyweight Championship, but his battle with diverticulitis became more serious, and he was forced to have 12-inches of his colon removed.
Lesnar was also asked at the press conference if he would consider making another run at the UFC Heavyweight Title, and he believed that he could if he made the decision to keep fighting. Prior to UFC 200, there was some speculation that, if Lesnar beat Mark Hunt, then the UFC would give him a title shot.
In September, there will be a Heavyweight Title fight between Alistair Overeem and Stipe Miocic, and if Overeem wins the Title, the UFC could very well try to set up a Lesnar vs. Overeem rematch.
Overeem was the one who initially retired Brock Lesnar, as he soundly defeated the former Heavyweight Champ in the very first round via TKO in their December 2011 bout. But that was a fight where Lesnar was coming off of the aforementioned colon surgery, and after the fight, Overeem tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and received a suspension.
Since then, Overeem has been pretty vocal about wanting another fight with Lesnar, and if he wins the UFC Heavyweight Championship in September, it could end up happening. Of course, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon will likely have the final say in the matter, but if the UFC agrees to promote a WWE event like they did at this past Saturday’s UFC 200, then McMahon could very well allow Lesnar to fight again.
No man has ever held the UFC and WWE World Heavyweight Championships simultaneously, and Brock Lesnar could end up being the first man to do so if all goes well. Lesnar wasn’t the favorite in his fight with Mark Hunt, and he probably won’t be the favorite if he faces Alistair Overeem or Cain Velasquez, but he proved this past Saturday night that the odds don’t matter, and with his superior wrestling ability, he can beat anyone in the heavyweight division.
[Image via John Locher / AP Images]
