WWE News: Update On How Long WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar Was Negotiating With UFC For MMA Comeback

When Brock Lesnar was announced for UFC 200, the news seemed to break the internet. The Beast Incarnate was back doing what he loved… but for one night only. The announcement surprised a lot of people because most felt Lesnar left his MMA career behind him when he re-signed with the WWE last year right before WrestleMania 31. WWE has treated Brock very well since his comeback, and this has allowed Lesnar to have a very light schedule while also getting paid very well.

Despite having a great WWE career since returning, he wanted one more fight and will get it against a yet to be named opponent at UFC 200. While the rumored man is Mark Hunt, UFC could change this at any moment. However, he has been told to be ready to fight for the event. What is so interesting about the announcement was that many assumed Lesnar would only have a month’s notice to get ready.

Apparently, that is not true. According to The Wrestling Observer, Brock Lesnar and UFC were in talks dating back to April. That means he has been training for a possible MMA comeback ever since WrestleMania 32 wrapped up. Keep in mind that Lesnar works out like most performers, but there is a different style of working out that you have to do for MMA that you don’t always do for pro-wrestling. In wrestling, it is mainly maintenance while MMA is all about getting ready for an opponent and learning as much you can about certain martial arts styles.

All of this basically means that Brock Lesnar, WWE, and UFC were in talks about a Lesnar return to the octagon well before any of us even considered that he might go back. There are conflicting stories about how all of this came together, which makes it tough to determine.

Some believe that WWE and UFC had to agree to terms to allow Lesnar to fight, which allowed for the WWE to get something back in return. We don’t know exactly what they is, but Ronda Rousey possibly wrestling a match in the WWE does not seem like a bad deal to make for sure. Cageside Seats reports that UFC will likely promote WWE SummerSlam in some way as well. They most likely will talk about it at UFC 200, which would be a perfect business move by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

Another story is that Lesnar was somehow able to broker a deal to allow him one fight if he wanted it when he signed his WWE deal last year. The former is much more likely than the latter in this circumstance. The reason comes down to what is easier to believe on WWE’s part. They would have never allow such an option to be thrown in, even for Brock Lesnar. With all of this being said, the fact that UFC and WWE were able to agree on having Lesnar fight at UFC 200 is amazing to see.

WWE will promote the fight with Lesnar most likely, which will help the UFC out. On top of this, it puts more eyeballs on Brock when he returns to the fight world. A win for Brock there would only elevate his brand and bring more people to the WWE possibly for the first time. A loss wouldn’t help matters at all of course.

At the end of the day, however, all sides agreed on this blockbuster move. Sure, Brock Lesnar is only available to the UFC for one night only. However, the night is huge for them and they want to break records with it. Due to the card they have right now, they very well could do just that. WWE had to get something big in return though, and whatever that is will be interesting to see. This is especially true now that all sides agreed to their deal just recently. This means talks went on a lot longer than expected. This is either good or bad, we probably learn which one soon.

[Image via WWE]