Brock Lesnar on UFC return: ‘I’m 100% ready’

MANILA, Philippines – Brock Lesnar could not live with the disappointing feeling that he made a mistake when he decided to hang up his 4-ounce gloves nearly 5 years ago.

The 38-year-old native of Webster, South Dakota saw his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career interrupted by diverticulitis, a common digestive disease which involves the formation of pouches within the bowel wall. 

Following his departure from MMA that led to his return to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), it seemed that Lesnar had nothing more to prove, becoming one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s highest-paid fighters and winning the organization’s world heavyweight title in his second year as an Octagon competitor.

After relinquishing the gold-plated strap to Cain Velasquez in October 2010 and then suffering a first-round stoppage loss to Alistair Overeem 14 months later, Lesnar opted to walk away. 

While sitting on the sidelines, Lesnar somehow realized that he had closed the door too soon and asked the UFC for a second chance to prove his worth as a prizefighter. 

The world’s premier MMA promotion acceded to Lesnar’s request and booked him in the co-headliner of the UFC 200 pay-per-view event on July 9 against Mark Hunt.

“When I left the UFC, I didn’t get to leave on my terms. I am not saying I am coming back to end something I didn’t get to finish on my terms. I want to be inside the Octagon again healthy. I want to be inside the Octagon under my terms,” Lesnar said in an interview with Paul Heyman, who is his on-screen manager in WWE.

Lesnar stressed that his poor condition led to lackluster performances inside the UFC cage. 

“In my last few fights, I believe I wasn’t the man I needed to be. I was faking it,” he bared. “The disease is more powerful than me. I was faking that I was more powerful than it.” 

The former UFC heavyweight champion revealed that he will be working again with wrestling coach Marty Morgan to prepare for his comeback bout. 

“We’re going to do it the old-fashioned way just like what we did before. I am hiring training partners. We’re getting geared up already. I have a lot of help,” Lesnar said.

Lesnar, who has been strutting his wares for WWE since 2012, downplayed his age and inactivity from legitimate athletic competition.

“I don’t feel any older. I don’t sit here and take myself back and wonder how I felt back then. I go whatever I feel right now. I feel really good,” he said.

The 6-foot-3 behemoth admitted that he took the initiative to approach UFC president Dana White for an Octagon return after turning down an offer in 2015. 

“Dana White didn’t call me up for this. I made the phone call. You can’t get into the Octagon half-heartedly. I won’t make the call if I am half-hearted,” Lesnar told Heyman. 

Although Hunt has been pegged by betting odds as the early favorite to win in the heavyweight showdown, Lesnar seeks to defy his critics, guaranteeing that he will be fully prepared when he locks horns with his Kiwi opponent. 

“I have a statement to make. I am approaching this 100%. I am all in.” – Rappler.com