All the whinging about the lack of star power atop the heavyweight division could be about to stop dead in its tracks.
For years fight fans have bemoaned the lack of a dominant force at heavyweight in the UFC, a title that has never been defended more than twice by any man.
Brock Lesnar was supposed to play that role – an athletic freak capable of feats never before seen by a human being that size.
He exploded on to the circuit, defeating an Octagon legend and avenging his early loss to a former champion, and it looked like MMA had finally received its Mike Tyson.
But a battle with diverticulitis forced Brock Lesnar to hang up his preposterously large gloves in 2011, after being finished by both Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem.
He’s back now, having accepted a one-off fight with Mark Hunt on the flagship UFC 200 card… But this may not be the last we see of the beast.
“It’s maybe a teaser,” Lesnar said at a press conference on Wednesday. “We’ll see what happens. I have no idea. I’ll never say never. We’ll see.”
The UFC sprung the shock announcement of Lesnar’s involvement on the July 9 card last month, after the WWE acquiesced, but the former heavyweight champion’s second stint with the UFC may be hindered by his presumably watertight contract under Vince McMahon.
“We’ll get through Saturday and we’ll see what happens,” Lesnar said. “I have no idea… After Saturday, I think I’m booked for August (at Summerslam). I don’t know.”
Many believe that Lesnar’s expected reign of dominance on the heavyweight throne was cut short by the illness which forced lengthy periods on the sideline in between fights.
But the 38-year-old insists that he has overcome diverticulitis and is refusing to take this second chance for granted.
“My health is behind me,” he said. “I’m sitting here at UFC 200 soaking it all in. I feel great. It’s good to be here. It’s good to be back. There’s nothing else to say.”
