10:02 pm | July 7, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:
LAS VEGAS — Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar returned to the company on Saturday, at least as a spectator, before challenging new UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, who defeated Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 226.
Lesnar took a front row seat at T-Mobile Arena next to UFC president Dana White prior to the championship fight between Miocic and Cormier. White had previously said Lesnar would be returning to the company later this year. Lesnar is currently in the WWE where he is the WWE Universal Champion.
After Cormier, who is also the UFC light heavyweight champion and became only the second two-division champion in company history, defeated Miocic, he grabbed the microphone as if he was on an episode of WWE Raw and looked at Lesnar, who was standing up outside of the Octagon.
“There’s a guy that I’ve known for a long time, he’s a wrestler, he’s an All-American, he’s a former UFC champion, I never thought I would fight him, but Brock Lesnar, get your ass in here,” Cormier said as the crowd erupted.
Lesnar then stepped into the Octagon and had to be restrained from attacking Cormier. Lesnar became the UFC heavyweight champion in 2008 by defeating Randy Couture in just his third fight in the UFC. He lost the title in 2010 to Cormier’s friend and training partner, Cain Velasquez.
“Yeah, you’re strong,” Cormier said. “But everybody’s strong. Push me now, you go to sleep later. Your day is in the past; 2010 is like the stone age.”
White had to get between Lesnar and Cormier before Lesnar got on the microphone himself.
“Let me tell you something, I walked into this building and watched a heavyweight disaster from the beginning,” Lesnar said. “[Francis] Ngannou is a piece of s—. Miocic is a piece of s—. D.C., I’m coming for you.”
Lesnar then pushed the microphone into the camera as if he was still in the WWE before he was led out of the Octagon.
“Hey Brock, get out of my Octagon,” Cormier said. “I got some pictures to take.”
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) suspended Lesnar for one year in January 2017 because of multiple failed drug tests around UFC 200 on July 9, 2016. Lesnar came out of a nearly five-year retirement to face Mark Hunt at UFC 200 in Las Vegas. Lesnar won the fight via unanimous decision, but it was later changed to a no-contest after the positive tests were revealed.
Lesnar, who turns 41 next week, retired from mixed martial arts February 2017, which meant he was no longer included in USADA’s testing pool under the UFC’s anti-doping program. Lesnar would be required to fulfill the remaining five months of his suspension, which means he could return as early as November or December depending on when he re-entered or re-enters the USASA testing pool.
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