Brock Lesnar Returns to UFC 200; Has His Time Away Helped or Hindered His Career?
Brock Lesnar to Return to MMA at UFC 200
After a shocking announcement by the UFC, former Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar has confirmed that he will return to action at UFC 200 against Mark Hunt. The fight will mark the first time in almost five years Lesnar will step in the Octagon.
But which Brock Lesnar will fans see when he returns at UFC 200? Will it be the dominant Lesnar which took the UFC by storm on route to winning the UFC Heavyweight Title? Or will it be the fighter who suffered from diverticulitis in the later stages of his career?
Long Time-Off
Get Our Latest News for FREE
It has been over four years since fans last saw Lesnar in the octagon, which was a TKO lost to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141. During his time away from the UFC, he has since been working part-time for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
While in great shape for an older fighter (Lesnar is 38 at the time of this article), it is still not really known if Lesnar has fully recovered from his bout with diverticulitis. It was very obvious that in the later stages of his brief MMA career, his disease sapped much of his strength that led to many of his losses.
It is also unknown how much UFC training Lesnar has done since he left the company. Although he looks physically able to get into the octagon, his travel schedule with the WWE may not have allowed for a lot of MMA training.
The Short Time to Train
The WWE does have its travel schedule with many of the wrestlers being on the road weeks and even months at time, having to find ways to keep in shape and avoid injuries. Lesnar has not been seen on WWE programming since April of this year during WrestleMania 32. He could have used this time to begin his training camp for the fight.
However, it was still unknown that he would be able to take this fight for the UFC as he is still under contract with the WWE. Lesnar himself has said that the WWE has graciously allowed him take a one fight match before returning to the WWE for their yearly "Summer Slam" pay-per-view.
Reason to Fight
Lesnar has stated that he has done everything that he wants to do in the world of MMA. His reason for taking this fight is to prove that he can still fight with the best the UFC has to offer.
Many believe that this is simply a stunt to allow more people to purchase WWE programming and pay-per-view events. UFC 200: Cormier vs. Jones 2 is set to air on July 9, 2016.
