Brock Lesnar: 'Dana White Didn't Call Me, I Made the Call'
Brock Lesnar: 'Dana White Didn't Call Me, I Made the Call'
Brock Lesnar will officially return to the Octagon at UFC 200 and he explains his motivations to do so to Paul Heyman.
Brock Lesnar will officially return to the Octagon at UFC 200. The WWE superstar and former UFC heavyweight champion has decided to step back into action and let the leather fly once more.
Lesnar went on ESPN to announce he would be fighting Mark Hunt at the historic event. It's a tall order for someone who has not competed in five years, but Lesnar has never taken the easy road in life.
The motivations behind Lesnar's return were murky, but that's where Paul Heyman comes in. Lesnar and Heyman have worked together for years in the world of professional wrestling, but Lesnar also considers Heyman an adviser and friend. Last night, Heyman sat down with Lesnar for a revealing interview to discuss his foray back into the fighting world.
"I have a statement to make and I’m approaching this 100 percent. I’m all in," Lesnar said. "Dana White didn’t call me for this. I made the phone call. You can’t get into the Octagon half-assedly. Nor would I make the call if I wanted to half-assedly get in there. I know how dangerous it is and I wouldn’t put my health at risk by no means. My head is in the game on this. There are no doubts in my mind."
Lesnar's rise to the top of the UFC was meteoric. But the way his time inside the Octagon came to a close was on the opposite end of the spectrum. He lost the heavyweight title to Cain Velasquez, then suffered a life-threatening illness in the aftermath. Lesnar would eventually overcome diverticulitis and step in against Alistair Overeem at UFC 141, but he was hardly the same athlete fight fans had grown accustomed to seeing.
Nearly five years have passed since Lesnar walked away from the Octagon, and he made it clear the return has nothing to do with vengeance. It's all about a chance to make right what went so wrong all those years ago.
“I’m sure I’m going to get asked a lot of questions but ‘Why?’ is the going to be the main one," Lesnar said. "The answer is because I want to. When I left the UFC I didn’t get to leave on my terms. I’m not saying I’m coming back to end something I didn’t get to finish on my terms. I want to be inside the Octagon again and I want to be in there healthy.
“The last few times I was inside the Octagon I don’t believe I was the man I needed to be. I was faking it. I was faking it just to be in there and faking that a disease was more powerful than me. I want to go back in there and have fun. The lasting memories of me as an Ultimate Fighter aren’t good ones because of the discomfort and the pain.
“I felt I needed to be in the Octagon to beat this disease and ended up getting beat by foes in my mindset I should have never lost to," he added. "I lost to diverticulitis. I’m also man enough to say I lost to Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem. I’m not trying to avenge them. I’m trying to avenge the loss I took against diverticulitis. I just want it. It just feels right. I feel great and I’m just ready to do this. I’ve been ready for awhile and I’m excited for the opportunity. “
Lesnar went on ESPN to announce he would be fighting Mark Hunt at the historic event. It's a tall order for someone who has not competed in five years, but Lesnar has never taken the easy road in life.
The motivations behind Lesnar's return were murky, but that's where Paul Heyman comes in. Lesnar and Heyman have worked together for years in the world of professional wrestling, but Lesnar also considers Heyman an adviser and friend. Last night, Heyman sat down with Lesnar for a revealing interview to discuss his foray back into the fighting world.
"I have a statement to make and I’m approaching this 100 percent. I’m all in," Lesnar said. "Dana White didn’t call me for this. I made the phone call. You can’t get into the Octagon half-assedly. Nor would I make the call if I wanted to half-assedly get in there. I know how dangerous it is and I wouldn’t put my health at risk by no means. My head is in the game on this. There are no doubts in my mind."
Lesnar's rise to the top of the UFC was meteoric. But the way his time inside the Octagon came to a close was on the opposite end of the spectrum. He lost the heavyweight title to Cain Velasquez, then suffered a life-threatening illness in the aftermath. Lesnar would eventually overcome diverticulitis and step in against Alistair Overeem at UFC 141, but he was hardly the same athlete fight fans had grown accustomed to seeing.
Nearly five years have passed since Lesnar walked away from the Octagon, and he made it clear the return has nothing to do with vengeance. It's all about a chance to make right what went so wrong all those years ago.
“I’m sure I’m going to get asked a lot of questions but ‘Why?’ is the going to be the main one," Lesnar said. "The answer is because I want to. When I left the UFC I didn’t get to leave on my terms. I’m not saying I’m coming back to end something I didn’t get to finish on my terms. I want to be inside the Octagon again and I want to be in there healthy.
“The last few times I was inside the Octagon I don’t believe I was the man I needed to be. I was faking it. I was faking it just to be in there and faking that a disease was more powerful than me. I want to go back in there and have fun. The lasting memories of me as an Ultimate Fighter aren’t good ones because of the discomfort and the pain.
“I felt I needed to be in the Octagon to beat this disease and ended up getting beat by foes in my mindset I should have never lost to," he added. "I lost to diverticulitis. I’m also man enough to say I lost to Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem. I’m not trying to avenge them. I’m trying to avenge the loss I took against diverticulitis. I just want it. It just feels right. I feel great and I’m just ready to do this. I’ve been ready for awhile and I’m excited for the opportunity. “