Lesnar re signs with WWE, has option for UFC fight
The deal, according to sources, does allow him to do at least one UFC fight. It is unclear if the deal allows for multiple UFC fights.
When various reports indicated that former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was interested in a return to the Octagon, there were suggestions that it was just a ploy to leverage more money from the WWE. Lesnar’s longtime manager Paul Heyman insisted the interest in fighting again was real. Now it appears both sides may be right – Lesnar has resigned with the WWE, but he has an option to fight in the UFC, at least once.
The re-signing was announced by the WWE, and comes shortly after Lesnar retained his universal championship in a contest with Roman Reigns.
WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon announced today that Universal Champion Brock Lesnar has re-signed with WWE. Lesnar’s next appearance is scheduled for the Greatest Royal Rumble event, where he will compete against Roman Reigns in a Steel Cage Match for the Universal Title at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, April 27, at 7 p.m. AST.
The Greatest Royal Rumble will stream live on the award-winning WWE Network with a tune-in time of 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT, with a special, one-hour Greatest Royal Rumble Kickoff starting at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT. It will be available on pay-per-view outside of the Middle East with regional broadcast information forthcoming.
The event will also feature the first-ever 50-man Greatest Royal Rumble Match, John Cena vs. Triple H and six other championship matches.
Dave Meltzer, who knows more about the combined worlds of MMA and professional wrestling than anyone on Earth, reported for MMA Fighting that Lesnar’s contract allows him at least one fight, too.
The length of Lesnar’s new deal was not announced, although sources close to the situation described it as a short-term deal. The deal, according to sources, does allow him to do at least one UFC fight. It is unclear if the deal allows for multiple UFC fights.
It then becomes a risk for the UFC to put Lesnar in a championship match if his existing contract would not allow him to defend the title. While he would not be favored against either Miocic or Cormier, stranger things have happened. A Lesnar win could put the UFC in a unique position that their champion was under contract to another organization and they may have to negotiate through WWE owner Vince McMahon to get a title defense.
Two final hurdles to Lesnar fighting again stem from his failed anti-doping test. UFC fighters must remain in the testing pool while suspended, or the suspension tolls. Lesnar has six more months in the pool before he becomes eligible to be licensed. He also faces a $250,000 fine that may not have been paid as yet.
If the UFC does get Lesnar to fight, they might institute a universal belt, too. With all the confusion this weekend around interim and undisputed belts, what’s one more?