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View Full Version : Lesnar never considered WWE return..


Kris P Lettus
01-27-2011, 06:55 AM
From ESPN

Brock Lesnar never considered a return to the WWE and is 100 percent focused on winning back his UFC heavyweight title.

That's according to the former champ himself, who broke his silence Tuesday regarding rumors that he wanted out of his UFC contract and back into the WWE after suffering a first-round loss to Cain Velasquez in October.

"I would not be here if I didn't enjoy this," said Lesnar, who is currently in Las Vegas to coach in "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series. "I could definitely do something else with my life. I have a lot of other opportunities.

"For the time being, this is who I am and this is who I want to be."

Speculation about Lesnar's future with the UFC ran rampant near the end of 2010 when it was reported on various Internet sites that he hadn't returned to the gym after losing his title and was looking for a way out of his contract with the UFC.

Adding fuel to the fire was video of a postfight stare-down between Lesnar and WWE star Mark William Calaway, better known as "The Undertaker," who was in attendance that night.

Prior to the UFC 125 event on Jan. 1 in Las Vegas, UFC president Dana White told a group of reporters that Lesnar was still under contract and would not receive permission to make an appearance in WWE.

At the UFC training facility on Tuesday, Lesnar wouldn't deny he received an offer from his old employer, WWE chairman Vince McMahon, but claimed he never seriously considered it.

"That thing took on a life of its own. I'm a fighter," Lesnar said. "I never pursued it.

"When I go dark, people got to talk about something. I don't have any control over that, nor do I really care. That's the funny thing: I go up and sit in my deer house or fish shack and you guys still talk about me. And I don't have to say a word."

Whether or not Lesnar's words officially kill rumors that he was looking for a multimillion-dollar paycheck from the WWE remains to be seen, but for the time being he certainly is talking and acting like a man who wants his spot back at the top of the UFC heavyweight division.

Lesnar (5-2) has looked extremely vulnerable in his past two fights. Prior to falling to Velasquez in a fight that lasted just more than four minutes, he was knocked down and nearly finished by Shane Carwin at UFC 116 in July. Lesnar was able to recover in that fight, and he won by submission in the second round.

The former NCAA wrestling champion didn't mention his stand-up specifically, but there's little doubt that's exactly the area Lesnar is looking to improve before he meets TUF's opposite coach, Junior Dos Santos (12-1). That fight is expected to take place sometime this summer.

"For me, this is about helping these kids improve their lives -- but more importantly, it's for me to be able to get down here and train," Lesnar said. "It's an opportunity for me to get my title back sooner rather than later. When I beat Dos Santos, then I get a rematch with Velasquez and I get my belt back."

In a strange twist of irony, Lesnar is fighting the exact same opponent he likely would have faced had he defended his belt against Velasquez.

Dos Santos had already secured the No. 1 contender spot, but his title hopes were put on hold when it was announced Velasquez needed surgery on a torn rotator cuff that would possibly keep him out through September.

According to Dos Santos' manager, Ed Soares, appearing on "Ultimate Fighter" and fighting Lesnar was "the next best thing" for his fighter, behind competing for the belt. Dos Santos is arguably the best striker in the division and has to like his chances considering what has happened to Lesnar in his past two fights.

"I think he doesn't accept punches very good," Dos Santos said. "I don't know why, maybe because he's a wrestler. I am from boxing so I have no problem with punches. Guys can punch me and I feel nothing. That doesn't happen with him.

"He's got a weak chin."

Although many believe that Lesnar's appearance on the show is due only to White's insistence, the fighter said he is "grateful" for the opportunity and excited at the prospect of being only one fight away from the title.

And though the speculation is that he probably won't be in any kind of mood to take it seriously, at least one cast member on the show thinks otherwise after spending a day with him.

"One thing I can tell you is, when the cameras aren't on, he's one of those guys that if your car was broken down, he's a guy who would pull over and help you," said one welterweight who will compete on the show. "What he's accomplished in two years is amazing. I don't think you can count him out."

Brett Okamoto covers MMA for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter at bokamotoESPN.

The Naitch
01-27-2011, 02:55 PM
after all the talk of people thinking he is a quitter, I think he had to take this opportunity to keep face

at the same time, I think offering the coaching position was a way for Dana to give Brock a reason to want stay. To keep his hopes up. Boost his morale abit

Grablot
01-27-2011, 11:13 PM
I think all the "brock going to wwe" came from Brock haters.

Too bad for them because Brock is in MMA to stay. He is going to step his game up, win his next fight and win the belt again. I am 99.9% sure that Brock is winning his next fight.

Its a shame that so many people hate on Brock just cause he left the WWE and has been so dominant in MMA (before his last fight) and everyone wanted him to fail and he suceeded. Now he will suceed again where everyone wants him to fail again.

CSL
01-27-2011, 11:21 PM
I just think Brock transcends MMA. Like he said, when he goes away/quiet, people still want to talk about him, be it he's gonna be at WrestleMania or he's going to quit because he lost etc. No other fighter gets that kind of scrutiny/is under such an intense spotlight. I hope he comes back and destroys fuckers.

Krimzon7
01-29-2011, 06:36 AM
*walks in*


Damn, I didn't realize this was a Brock Circle jerk....


*unzips pants*



LOL, seriously, Brock is under such pressure because he put himself in this spotlight. Frank Mir was just as influential in making the Brock Monster, and Dana White has capitalized on getting a ready made media whore/star from the best hype machine in the history of hype machines, Vinnie Mac's WWE.

I don't feel sorry for Brock for getting KTFO. He needs to work on his boxing, let's hope he has one hell of a learning curve.

And WTF at JDS literally saying 'Brock has a weak chin'. Way to tug superman's cape there brah.

Reavant
01-30-2011, 05:18 PM
I think all the "brock going to wwe" came from Brock haters.

Too bad for them because Brock is in MMA to stay. He is going to step his game up, win his next fight and win the belt again. I am 99.9% sure that Brock is winning his next fight.

Its a shame that so many people hate on Brock just cause he left the WWE and has been so dominant in MMA (before his last fight) and everyone wanted him to fail and he suceeded. Now he will suceed again where everyone wants him to fail again.






im pretty sure that the talk of brock going to the wwe thing was due to the undertaker showing up to his fight and basically saying that was whats going on.

and if he doesnt get his act together with striking and sparring, then he wont be getting his belt back.

Reavant
01-30-2011, 05:20 PM
And WTF at JDS literally saying 'Brock has a weak chin'. Way to tug superman's cape there brah.

hes not saying anything brock doesnt already know

Stickman
01-30-2011, 05:46 PM
I guruantee brock would have considered it if the money was right.

Krimzon7
01-31-2011, 12:11 AM
seven figures for three appearances? The fucking money was right. Dana wasn't trying ot have his big star tarnished by a 'fake' appearance with a competitor.

I can't wait til Dana and Vince come off this bullshit truce and start going after each other. THAT WILL MAKE FOR SOME AWESOME ASS SOUNDBITES

Brujesino
01-31-2011, 12:24 AM
I cant wait until JDS destroys brocks face.

Kris P Lettus
01-31-2011, 08:51 AM
WWE is not UFC's competition.. Lesnar is the only dude who could make a swing back or forth and he said he is staying with UFC..

Grablot
01-31-2011, 12:02 PM
I cant wait until JDS destroys brocks face.

Too bad youre waiting for something that wont happen. Brock is gonna beat JDS.
Then he will take HIS belt back.

Mark. My. Words.

Next Big Thing
01-31-2011, 12:43 PM
seven figures for three appearances? The fucking money was right. Dana wasn't trying ot have his big star tarnished by a 'fake' appearance with a competitor.

I can't wait til Dana and Vince come off this bullshit truce and start going after each other. THAT WILL MAKE FOR SOME AWESOME ASS SOUNDBITES

Vince doesn't want it with Dana. Plus WWE is a publicly traded company and Linda might want to try politics again so Vinny Mac's nuts are still on ice right now.

Plus his own stars jock ride MMA/UFC. Rock even said if he could do it again he'd do MMA over pro wrestling (I'm calling bullshit on that though).

Kris P Lettus
01-31-2011, 12:45 PM
He is always at fights..

Next Big Thing
01-31-2011, 12:50 PM
If Brock loses to JDS what do you guys think he'd do next? I think he'd be too valuable for the UFC to cut him, but I can't imagine Brock sticking around as a gate keeper/stepping stone for the likes of Schaub or Struve.

Maybe he'll go get a hunting show or something.

Crimson
01-31-2011, 01:48 PM
So biggest fight of Brocks career basically. I think he pulls an "upset" decision.

Brujesino
01-31-2011, 04:42 PM
If Brock loses to JDS what do you guys think he'd do next? I think he'd be too valuable for the UFC to cut him, but I can't imagine Brock sticking around as a gate keeper/stepping stone for the likes of Schaub or Struve.

Maybe he'll go get a hunting show or something.

If brock loses i think its a 70% percent chance hes done, If he gets destroyed again 100% chance hes done.Why?because i think Brock only has one fight left on his contract so he can choose what he wants to do.

The Mask
01-31-2011, 05:40 PM
i'm being pedantic here but i don't think brock has a 'weak chin'. he just can't take a punch. andrei arlovski has a weak chin.

Savio
01-31-2011, 07:40 PM
WWE is not UFC's competition..
What? You are crazy, if you think WWE and UFC are not in competition at all.

Kris P Lettus
01-31-2011, 08:37 PM
Some NFL fans might have watched a bit of the XFL, but that doesn't mean they were in competition.. They are competition only in that they are both after the same demographic..

Is a feature film like the mechanic competition with the UFC?? Or a show like Robot Chicken??

Savio
02-01-2011, 12:55 AM
So when a WWE and a UFC PPV happend to fall on the same weekend you dont think people fans of both organizations (who do not steal streams) have to make a choice about which PPV to buy? Not everyone can blow 100 dollars on a weekend to watch 2 PPVs.

Reavant
02-01-2011, 02:45 PM
i'm being pedantic here but i don't think brock has a 'weak chin'. he just can't take a punch. andrei arlovski has a weak chin.

YOU SON OF A BITCH

Reavant
02-01-2011, 02:50 PM
So when a WWE and a UFC PPV happend to fall on the same weekend you dont think people fans of both organizations (who do not steal streams) have to make a choice about which PPV to buy? Not everyone can blow 100 dollars on a weekend to watch 2 PPVs.

to be fair, ufc ppvs are way more accessible because of bars and movie theaters showing them for way less than 50 bucks, so when your example comes true, its not that hard to see both

Krimzon7
02-01-2011, 08:49 PM
WWE is not UFC's competition.. Lesnar is the only dude who could make a swing back or forth and he said he is staying with UFC..

Yes, they are. WWE is sports Entertainment, and MMA is a 'real' sport. But at the end of the day, they put on shows and vie for our tickets, merch, and PPV dollars. IF you still watch wrestling, then you've had to make a decision on whether you're gonna watch Royal Rumble or UFC 126.

They compete for the same entertainment dollar. PERIOD.

Savio
02-01-2011, 08:52 PM
to be fair, ufc ppvs are way more accessible because of bars and movie theaters showing them for way less than 50 bucks, so when your example comes true, its not that hard to see both
Not here (since hooters left), probably not rural places either.

Reavant
02-02-2011, 01:49 AM
im sure you just havnt looked hard enough for a somewhat local sportsbar to be showing them

Stickman
02-02-2011, 02:08 AM
All bars here show UFC. The ones that don't are empty ppv nights

Krimzon7
02-02-2011, 06:27 AM
granted, i'm in a big city. We have sports bars who show WWE and UFC but they all have the same stipulations: pay five bucks to get in, and you must order some food...so you end up spending about twenty five dollars regardless.

In the shitty state of our economy, some people do have to make a choice IF they enjoy both brands.

Kris P Lettus
02-02-2011, 07:09 AM
But those choices are made all the time in similar situations.. We can go to that concert of we can go rock climbing this weekend.. Sure they both want our money, but they are not in direct competition..

IC Champion
02-02-2011, 12:01 PM
I really don't think WWE is competetion for the UFC. No one who is a real MMA fan is going to chose from fake ass cheorpgraphed shit, that isn't even entertaining anymore over MMA.

Reavant
02-02-2011, 12:32 PM
you might want to sit the next couple plays out... collect yourself maybe.

IC Champion
02-02-2011, 12:44 PM
Come on, you don't actually see WWE as competition to the UFC?

Reavant
02-02-2011, 12:52 PM
no the stuff after it.... go outside and walk a couple laps and calm urself a bit

IC Champion
02-02-2011, 01:05 PM
I can't i just worked out, I'm all hyped and shit. I just get worked uphen wrestling marks start discussing MMA the way they do wrestling. Like how the rumor of Lesnar going to the WWE still had life even after both Dana and Brock dismissed it.

Savio
02-02-2011, 01:38 PM
But those choices are made all the time in similar situations.. We can go to that concert of we can go rock climbing this weekend.. Sure they both want our money, but they are not in direct competition..
WOW, lol.
----------
Not to mention people with more amateur wrestling skill are more likely to get into MMA now (since it is more popular) than the WWE.

Reavant
02-02-2011, 01:53 PM
Ok the reason wwe isnt as popular as mma isnt because of the existence of mma. Its because there is no stars in the wwe that are making people tune in.


IC acts as if wrestling was just revealed to be fake. People always knew it was BS but it was entertaining BS because of who they had entertaining us.

IC Champion
02-02-2011, 02:20 PM
Ok the reason wwe isnt as popular as mma isnt because of the existence of mma. Its because there is no stars in the wwe that are making people tune in.


IC acts as if wrestling was just revealed to be fake. People always knew it was BS but it was entertaining BS because of who they had entertaining us.

I'm not acting like it just become known it was a work, I used to be a huge wrestling fan years ago, I was pretty much saying what you just said, that it isn't entertaining because the product sucks, not because it's fake.

Next Big Thing
02-03-2011, 06:35 AM
Wrestling fan bases and MMA fan bases aren't mutually exclusive in my humble opinion. Really that can be said for "combat" sports in general. There's a lot of crossover appeal, but MMA is more attractive than boxing and wrestling at the moment because the wrestling and boxing products blow mile long donkey diock as has already been mentioned. No one wants to watch the same corny shit the WWE puts out or a Bernard Hopkins past his prime muddle about for 12 rounds when they can see people trying to KO/ submit each other for 15 straight minutes.

I'm not sure MMA has completely overtaken wrestling (the WWE) in popularity yet however. Raw consistently beats the Spike fight nights when you compare ratings even on nights when Raw faces competition from MNF and the WWE consistently sells out major arenas for its major pay per views whereas the UFC still blacks out parts of arenas and also gives away a large number of tix as well. It's only a matter of time before that changes though.

Kris P Lettus
02-03-2011, 11:00 AM
Wish they'd give me some tix..

Funky Fly
02-03-2011, 03:18 PM
Most of my friends who like MMA also like or liked WWE. It's more of a natural progression as you grow up. We came up with the attitude era. Now that we're not all 13 year old boys it makes sense to move on to less cartoony violence.

Kris P Lettus
02-03-2011, 03:21 PM
How about a bit of the uberviolence??