UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier explained why a fight against Brock Lesnar inside the Octagon never happened.
Cormier and Lesnar came close to fighting back in 2019. After Cormier knocked out Stipe Miocic to win the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 226 in July 2018, Lesnar entered the Octagon and challenged Cormier for the heavyweight championship in what would have been one of the biggest fights in UFC history.
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The fight between Cormier and Lesnar was rumored to take place at UFC 241 in August 2019, but it never happened, as Lesnar decided to remain in the WWE. Cormier, meanwhile, fought Miocic again and lost his title.
Seven years later, Cormier is still wondering about what could have been.
Daniel Cormier Explains Why the Brock Lesnar Fight Didn’t Happen
Speaking in a recent Q&A session, Cormier explained why the Lesnar fight never happened from his perspective.
“Man, I wanted that so bad. I was about to get paid. You know Brock Lesnar, I know him because we both wrestled in junior college in the same year, and he wrestled at Minnesota the same year I was at Oklahoma State. I was at my daughter’s gymnastics, and I got a random number on my phone. And I go, ‘Hello, who is this?’ ‘It’s Brock.’ I say, ‘What’s up, Brock? What the (expletive) are you calling me for?’ He goes: ‘I hear you’re fighting that big white boy.’ I said, ‘Stipe?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ He goes, ‘You knock him out, it’s going to be Christmas early for your family because we’re going to fight.’ And ‘I was like, ‘(Expletive), OK, Brock,’” Cormier said (via LowKickMMA).
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According to Cormier, Lesnar had been talking to him about a fight dating back to July 2016, when the two both fought on UFC 200. Ultimately, it never happened because Lesnar stayed in the WWE instead, and Cormier doesn’t blame him for it.
”And then, even at UFC 200, he called me and goes, he literally sent me a message and said, ‘Merry Christmas, DC. I’m on UFC 200.’ I was like, ‘Yes.’ Every time Brock fought, it was over a million pay-per-views. It didn’t happen because the WWE gave him too much money, and he made the right choice. You talk about a man that money follows; it’s Brock Lesnar. He’s done really well for himself. I’m proud of him,” Cormier said.
Will Brock Lesnar Ever Fight in the UFC Again?
At age 49, it’s unlikely that Lesnar will ever step foot in the UFC Octagon again.
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Although he is still an elite athlete, there is certainly a difference between the WWE and the UFC. At this point in his life, Lesnar has absolutely nothing left to prove, as he’s already won the UFC heavyweight title and he’s quite wealthy.
The fight with Cormier would have made sense when Lesnar was in his early 40s, but now, in his late 40s, it’s a fight that has passed the sport by. But MMA fans will always remember the memorable in-cage encounter between Cormier and Lesnar that night at UFC 226.
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