UFC 200: Brock Lesnar explains return to face Mark Hunt in co-main event
Brock Lesnar now has an opponent for UFC 200, and it's the No. 8-ranked heavyweight in UFC
UFC shocked us all on Saturday with the announcement of Brock Lesnar returning to the company to fight at the biggest pay-per-view in the promotion's history. Now, Lesnar has an opponent for the bout in two weeks. And it's a familiar one for the former heavyweight champion.
Mark Hunt will take on Lesnar, who has not fought in UFC since 2011, as a part of the co-main event at UFC 200 on July 9. Hunt most recently beat Frank Mir, an opponent with whom Lesnar is very familiar, in March via KO.
Hunt (12-10) is 3-2 in his last five fights with two consecutive first-round knockouts. Lesnar is 5-3 in his mixed martial arts career with his most notable win coming when he captured the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 100. Lesnar, who said previously he was completely done with MMA, explained on Monday that he immediately regretted the decision.
"I couldn't live with that decision. Going back to that interview [last year], it was a hard decision for me to make. That decision has haunted me for the last 15 months," Lesnar said on SportsCenter. "I figured I couldn't live like that for the rest of my life. I'm a big believer in living out your dreams and facing your fears. Just facing the reality of I don't want to be sitting 20 years form now saying, 'You know what, son? You should've gone and did that.' I was on the biggest stage of all at UFC 100, so I might as well be on UFC 200."
Lesnar lost his last two fights in the Octagon, but a battle with diverticulitis throughout the final two training sessions put him in rough shape for each fight, he claims.
"At the top of my career, I wasn't at the top of my game. So I felt I was cheated out of my career at UFC. In my mind, I never lost to a foe, never lost to an opponent. It was the diverticulitis that beat me. ... My performance was due to the illness -- absolutely, yes. Sitting here today, I feel 1,000 percent."
Lesnar has no fear of taking on Hunt as his opponent, either.
"Why not? It could be anybody. I had no say. I've never turned down a fight in the UFC. Even when I was the champion, I never turned down the fight. I'm a grappler at heart, he's a heavy hitter; that's what people want to see."
Many thought the UFC reached out to Lesnar to fill a void left for the card without a Ronda Rousey or Conor McGregor. Lesnar said that couldn't be further from the truth.
"It didn't happen [because of the absences of McGregor and Rousey]. I picked up the phone. It was me. It was three months ago. It's taken some time for things to play out," Lesnar said. "Obviously, I'm still under contract with WWE. You just go in, sit down and have a big-boy conversation with the boss, Vince McMahon. It's simple: It's billionaire business."
Lesnar is still under contract with the WWE, but left the door open to having more fights in the UFC outside of UFC 200.
"It may just be a tease. I don't know the answer to that question right now. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. I got a big event after this event, SummerSlam for the WWE. I'm a busy beaver. I have no idea [what I'll be doing]. I know I'm on the card. I'm not sure who I'll be facing yet. One thing at a time," Lesnar said.















