After nearly a year of speculation on Brock Lesnar returning to face Daniel Cormier for the UFC Heavyweight title, Dana White shocked many when he revealed that ‘The Beast Incarnate’ has decided to retire from MMA. The reasoning simply stems from money and the promotion not being able to match what Lesnar wanted, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer (transcript courtesy of wrestletalk.com):
“Lesnar had a certain price he wanted guaranteed to do the Cormier fight. UFC, which, with its ESPN deal where the PPV money is guaranteed, didn’t meet the offer. Lesnar had a certain price he wanted that was worth it to him to go through a hard training camp at 42 and then get into the cage with an all-time great fighter and athlete in Cormier. Plus, WWE has continued to offer Lesnar strong deals for limited dates, and on a Lesnar schedule, pro wrestling is far safer and offers considerably more longevity.”
It's no secret that the WWE is paying the former Universal champion a boatload of money for his limited schedule, and with the rigorous training that goes into preparing for an MMA fight, Lesnar believes that the monetary value needs to be worth it. UFC has moved on as Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier is in the works for the summer.
As for Lesnar, he’s being advertised for the next show in Saudi Arabia this June, with reports stating that the former Universal champion could end up challenging Seth Rollins to reclaim the title he lost at WrestleMania.