Dana White Confirms Brock Lesnar Back in UFC, Responds to USADA and WWE Questions
Brock Lesnar is ready to resume his fighting career in the UFC.
After months of speculation, Lesnar officially made his return to the Octagon on Saturday night after he was called out by new heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier following his knockout win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 226.
Lesnar has been hinting at a return to mixed martial arts for quite some time but now his move is official as confirmed by UFC president Dana White at the post-fight press conference.
Not only is Lesnar back but he will get the first crack at Cormier’s newly minted title once he’s eligible to compete again.
“Yeah we’re definitely going to make that fight,” White said about Cormier vs. Lesnar. “Lesnar hit me up a couple days ago and says ‘sorry I went dark on you, I had some stuff I had to take care of but I’m going to come to the fight this weekend’. OK, see you Saturday. He came here tonight, he was all fired up if you couldn’t tell. Right when he got to my seat to the side he was acting like a lunatic. He was fired up and excited for this fight.
“His gut told him Stipe because he felt that Cormier put too much weight on for this fight, he felt it was going to affect him. It didn’t.”
Of course, Lesnar’s return to the UFC also comes along with several questions about his eligibility.
First and foremost, Lesnar has to re-enter the USADA drug testing pool for at least six months before he’s allowed to fight. Lesnar also has to serve out the remainder of a one-year suspension he received after a positive drug test surrounding his last fight at UFC 200 in 2016.
The good news for Lesnar is that he can serve out that suspension during the six-month testing period and then return as early as January 2019.
“So the process has started, they started the process last week,” White said about Lesnar being tested by USADA. “I don’t know where they are in the process but he’s going to pop up on the board here soon, Monday or Tuesday. I don’t know where they are in the process.”
The only other hurdle for Lesnar to jump before fighting again would be his contract with WWE where he remains their Universal champion.
According to White, Lesnar has been given permission to pursue this fight, although rumors have said that his contract with WWE only runs through the end of the summer anyways.
“He’s free and clear to do this fight,” White said about Lesnar’s relationship with WWE. “Him and Vince [McMahon] have a good relationship. He’s not going to do anything to piss Vince off. I don’t know the specifics but he’s good.”
