UFC President Dana White was recently asked in an interview with Sirius XM’s Kevin Harvick of the chances of former UFC Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar (5–3 (1) MMA) making a return to the octagon in the near future in which he replied with “They’re very, very, very good.”
"They're very, very, very good." –@ufc President @danawhite to @KevinHarvick on @BrockLesnar's chances of fighting again in UFC. Listen in ?#HappyHours pic.twitter.com/p8ZCdrR9Kt
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) February 28, 2018
Brock Lesnar is currently under contract with the WWE, although that current agreement is set to expire after the upcoming Wrestlemania 34 event. The statement made by Dana White has been taken somewhat seriously by many. If, however Brock Lesnar were to make a return to the octagon he would first have to spend a six month period enrolled in the USADA testing pool.
Whether Brock Lesnar and Dana White can come to an agreement is yet to be determined, and there are many other things that would have to fall in place to make this happen. With that being said, here are some potential matchups for Lesnar upon his return.
Possible Matchups for Brock Lesnar’s Potential Return
Cain Velasquez
Velasquez (14-2 MMA) recently attended a WWE event in which he took the opportunity to take a shot at Lesnar by stating “I wouldn’t mind taking another belt from you.”
First @WWE event! I could feel at home here! @brocklesnar, I wouldn’t mind taking another belt from you. #WWE #WWEChamber #WrestleMania #LuchaLibre #Luchador #DontCallMeNachoLibre pic.twitter.com/q9cXxrEi85
— Cain Velasquez (@cainmma) February 26, 2018
There is no doubt the UFC is currently in need of stars and with the history the two fighters have after Cain Velasquez defeated Brock Lesnar for the UFC Heavyweight Championship via TKO (punches) at UFC 121 in 2010, this is a good possibility. Velasquez also earned knockout of then night, and although it has been almost eight years since then, Velasquez vs. Lesnar II would no doubt be one of the biggest fights of the year. Velasquez is currently sidelined with an injury, but with the six months Lesnar would be required to spend in the USADA testing pool, that might just work out perfectly for both for an end of the year matchup.
Alistair Overeem
Overeem (43–16 (1) MMA) is another heavyweight contender who could possibly welcome Lesnar back into the octagon with the two also having history together. Overeem holds a win over Brock Lesnar after defeating him via TKO (body kick and punches) at UFC 141 and Lesnar might want to make a UFC return as well as make a statement by redeeming himself against an opponent who holds a win over him. The two heavyweights would both benefit from a win from one another as Lesnar would not only get back one of his only three losses in the UFC but at the same time beat the #2 UFC Heavyweight contender as well. Overeem on the other hand could not only spoil Brock Lesnar’s UFC return, but also prove why he in fact is the #2 ranked heavyweight and perhaps place himself in title-fight talks once again after losing to Francis Ngannou via KO (punch) at UFC 218.
Fabricio Werdum
Werdum (23–7–1 MMA) is perhaps one of the least likely fighters who could welcome Brock Lesnar back to the UFC on this list. Although scheduled to fight Alexander Volkov March 17, 2018 in London, England, Werdum is nearing the end of his career at the age of 40. With that being said, should Werdum come out victorious in his upcoming fight he could entertain the possibility of making this fight happen as it would without a doubt be a huge money fight for both fighters nearing the end of their careers. Fabricio is currently riding a two fight win streak over Walt Harris at UFC 216 via Submission (armbar) at UFC 216 as well as a win over Marcin Tybura via Decision (unanimous) at UFC Fight Night: 121. What better way to make his way back into title contention than with a win over former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar?
Of course, whether or not Brock Lesnar makes a return to the UFC octagon will involve a lot of things to come together perfectly. Some fans want to see Brock Lesnar make a return, some don’t, one thing that is certain is that Lesnar once was one of UFC’s biggest assets, whether he regains that status, however is far from occurring at the moment.
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