By Brad Lewis
So Dana White has pretty much pulled the wool over everyone's eyes and shocked the world with the announcement that Brock Lesnar will be returning at UFC 200 on July 10.
Wow!
That's the only reaction one can have when Lesnar's hulking frame came up at the end of the UFC 200 promo that screened during Sunday's coverage of UFC 199.
We as fans had heard rumours. But rumours are just that, right? Boy, was I wrong.
Dana White (Gettys)
For those who don't know, Lesnar is currently employed by the WWE -- the worldwide leader in Sports Entertainment.
Lesnar is the biggest star in the company. He works a part time schedule, 'wrestling' three to four times a year. It's reported he will make close to $20 million over the next three years.
Clearly money is not an issue for the former national wrestling champion.
His stock blew through the roof after a three-year stint in the UFC from 2008 – 2011.
Having competed in the WWE fresh out of college, Lesnar quickly became the company's top superstar, but he burned out very quickly and quit the company in 2004 after only two years.
He briefly tried to crack the NFL but was cut by the Minnesota Vikings at training camp and many people thought he would just fade away from memory.
Brock Lesnar training with the Minnesota Vikings (Gettys)
Lesnar had other ideas
Clearly a competitor at heart, Lesnar turned down big money offers from multiple professional wrestling organisations and decided to take a shot at Mixed Martial Arts.
MMA at the time (2007) was still very much 'underground' in New Zealand and only hardcore fans like myself followed it.
In the US it was slightly more acceptable to the sporting public and media but was still thought of as a poor man's boxing that would eventually disappear once it lost its 'unique' factor.
Lesnar made a few phone calls, harassed UFC boss Dana White on a weekly basis -- who thought he was joking – then won his professional debut against a Judo Olympian in the 'lower leagues' and turned up at a few UFC events.
White being the astute businessman that he is, did some research on Lesnar, realised he wasn't a joke with his athletic pedigree in collegiate sports, and signed the 6'3" (1.9m) beast to a three fight deal.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Despite losing his UFC debut to Frank Mir (he would avenge the loss at UFC 100), Lesnar won the UFC's Heavyweight strap in just his fourth professional fight against the legend Randy Couture.
Two title defences later and Lesnar had the world of combat sports in his hands. He was the biggest pay-per-view draw in the history of the company, he brought new fans to the sport, and he was different.
Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir at UFC 100 (Gettys)
He spoke some trash, lacked a bit of respect for his opponents and was probably the most hated man in the sport.
Then Lesnar got sick. He had an illness called diverticulitis -- basically his intestines were buggered and his career was now in jeopardy.
Somehow Lesnar fought through the illness twice, against doctors' orders, and would lose decisively to Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem.
The athlete was gone. The man who withstood the onslaught of a Shane Carwin barrage and survived was gone; he was a mere shadow of his former self.
The loss to Overeem was an eye-opener for Lesnar; he decided if he couldn't be competitive he was done.
Lesnar walked away from the sport in 2011.
Five years late he is back.
Between 2011 and 2016 Lesnar has made a bucket load of cash thanks to Vince McMahon and the WWE.
His profile has shot through the roof -- he is often featured on ESPN and Fox Sport and has appeared on numerous talk shows, but even bigger that that he was the first ever person to beat The Undertaker at Wrestlemania! (Ok I know it's fake but that’s a big deal to a 25-year wrestling fan.)
Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker (Gettys)
But the question always remained: could he make a return to combat sport?
It seemed that answer was no when he signed a long-term contract with the WWE in 2014.
However his competitive streak is clearly still there and at the biggest event in the history of MMA, Lesnar will make his return.
Against who? Well that will be answered in the next few days. Names like Shane Carwin, Fedor Emelianenko and New Zealand's own Mark Hunt (who deserves the payday in my opinion) are the names most are talking.
To be honest I don't really care. As a fan of MMA, UFC and Brock Lesnar, I'm just stoked that I get to see him fight again.
The word is that Dana White put the call out to Lesnar after the UFC boss had to make a stand against Connor McGregor and welterweight legend George St Pierre decided it wasn't the right time for him to return to the octagon.
Dana White and Brock Lesnar (Gettys)
White is no dummy. When UFC cash cow McGregor's name disappeared from the card he knew he needed to make the needle move.
Yes Jon Jones returning is cool, yes Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar is cool, yes a stacked card with literally 10 main event fights is cool.
But Brock Lesnar returning is fricking insane.
I believe that thanks to Lesnar’s name being on the marquee, UFC 200 could potentially double the current pay-per-view record for MMA which is already held by Lesnar at UFC 100.
Despite McGregor's success and profile, the fact is that Lesnar is bigger, not just in size, but in profile as well.
Lesnar's pay-per-view numbers are ridiculous when you consider he was pulling in over a million viewers a fight five years before the sport became mainstream.
This by all accounts is a one fight deal. The WWE released a statement yesterday confirming they were "allowing" Brock to do this and that he will be competing at the company's second-biggest event of the year, Summerslam, six weeks after UFC 200.
But who cares, one fight is better than none for me.
Lesnar is the real needle-mover of combat sport and I for one cannot wait for July 10.
By the numbers
UFC’s biggest pay-per-view events (does not include international buy rates):
1. UFC 100: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir -- 1,600,000
2. UFC 196: Connor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz -- 1,500,000
3. UFC 194: Jose Aldo vs. Connor McGregor -- 1,200,000
4. UFC 116: Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin -- 1,160,000
5. UFC 193: Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm -- 1,100,000
Click above for the UFC 200 promo video
Newshub.
