Brock Lesnar UFC return rumors spark Schaub challenge

MANILA, Philippines – Heavyweight fighter Brendan Schaub threw verbal jabs at Brock Lesnar for the circulating mumblings that he will make his much-awaited return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) this year.

With his current World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) contract due to expire three months from now, there have been numerous speculations that the 37-year-old Lesnar might consider a homecoming to mixed martial arts (MMA).

Under the UFC banner, Lesnar (5-3) had seven bouts over nearly four years, but he saw his professional fighting career interrupted by diverticulitis, a common digestive disease which involves the formation of pouches within the bowel wall.

The former NCAA Division I wrestler knocked out Randy Couture to capture the heavyweight title at UFC 91 in November 2008 and successfully defended the belt twice before losing the gold-plated strap to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121 in October 2010.

Lesnar had his final promotional match in December 2011, suffering a technical knockout loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141.

After announcing his departure from the sport, Lesnar returned to professional wrestling in April 2012 and inked a lucrative limited-appearance deal with WWE, where he is now reigning as its world heavyweight champion.

The rumors about Lesnar’s comeback heightened in February 2014 when UFC president Dana White indicated that the 6-foot-3 behemoth expressed his interest in competing once again.

Meanwhile, close friend and on-screen manager Paul Heyman hopped onto the frenzy this past August when he disclosed that Lesnar monitors UFC fight cards regularly and believes that he could beat any opponent in the division.

According to numerous reports, officials within WWE are already expecting Lesnar to make his MMA comeback as the impending free agency approaches.

Although Lesnar’s return to the world’s premier MMA organization remains conjecture, Schaub stressed that he is more than ready to welcome the former champion back with open arms.

“If he comes back to the UFC, I would 100 percent send him packing back to the fake wrestling,” Schaub said in an interview on The Jason Ellis Show.

The 31-year-old native of Aurora, Colorado also asserted that Lesnar’s absence would take a toll on him since he has not strutted his wares in a high-level competition while plying his trade in WWE.

“Doing fake wrestling is not the same as being in the UFC. You’re playing grab ass, [and] you know if you’re going to win or lose. Yeah, it’s hard on your body, great. He hasn’t been competing and training like I have,” he stated.

Schaub (10-5) has dropped four of his last six outings, including the first-round stoppage setback to Travis Browne at December’s UFC 181.

Aside from Schaub, Shane Carwin voiced out his willingness to come out of retirement to square off with Lesnar in a rematch.

Overeem and Frank Mir likewise issued their respective challenges to the ex-UFC heavyweight kingpin. – Rappler.com