It’s almost impossible to fathom everything Brock Lesnar did in the UFC in less than four years of total time and only eight MMA fights.
A heavyweight champion in just his fourth professional fight, Lesnar quickly became one of the biggest superstars in UFC history. He’s also maintained a strong working relationship with UFC President Dana White, who gave him a chance with only one fight on his resume and brought him him back after a losing debut against Frank Mir in 2008.
” I was so mad about myself,” Lesnar said The Pat McAfee show to describe his first loss. “It just built another thing that the people ram down your throat and say you can’t do something. These people are worth loving. They are worth it. That gives me goosebumps.
“I had a one-fight deal [with the UFC], and I was like, ‘Please give me another shot at this.’ Boom, then it took off. I fought Heath Herring and then I got Randy Couture and won the belt.”
Lesnar went on to compete in some of the biggest pay-per-views in company history, a feat only rivaled by another superstar, Conor McGregor.
“Dana is all right,” Lesnar stated when discussing his relationship to the UFC president. “I’ve got a lot of money from him. I probably should have got paid more, maybe.”
Lesnar was certainly one of the most highly-paid fighters in UFC when he was there, but that distinction is questionable when you compare his salary to top boxers.oxers. He maintained a good working relationship with White. This was not always true with Vince McMahon, World Wrestling Entertainment CEO.
Lesnar was famous for his fight with McMahon in his pro-wrestling debut. This eventually resulted in his expulsion from the promotion, before he tested in the UFC.
Asked to compare White and McMahon, Lesnar admitted his tenure with the boss at WWE was much different than how he dealt with the UFC president.
” I can’t really compare the two men,” Lesnar stated. My relationship with Vince has been so much different from my relationship with Dana throughout the years. Vince and I have had a love-hate relationship for the last 20 years, but it’s been good. We have a lot of water under the bridge. Both have my respect.
“But dealing with Dana, it’s just a totally different business approach. I met Vince when I was younger. Vince is a father figure to me. He taught me a lot and helped me to manage business and carry them over. Vince and Dana are self-made. Took the company and made it public.”
When it comes to his professional career, Lesnar stated that there were nerves with real fighting as well as professional wrestling. However, there is nothing like stepping into the cage to prepare for battle with another person.
“It’s a different game entering the octagon,” Lesnar said. “I’m telling you, you’ve got to be half batsh*t crazy. You do.
“I ordered an octagon so I didn’t have the first jitters of getting in that octagon. “Dana! I need an octagon!” Boom. Send it to Brock. I can fight in it and practice in it. But then you’re in front of 20,000 people and they shut the door, and it’s like OK here we go.”
Lesnar famously stated that he doesn’t watch much TV. He prefers to be with his family, or work on his huge farm. This leaves him little time to see the UFC latest events.
But it also seems like Lesnar at least keeps MMA in his peripheral vision even after stepping away from the sport to focus on his current career in WWE, although he doesn’t recognize many of the names these days. He would love to see UFC do more to attract the attention of fans like when he competed.
“I don’t watch a lot of fighting anymore just cause there’s so many guys,” Lesnar said. It’s difficult to follow. Dana would be a great help. Let’s get behind these men and protect them for a bit so that they become household names. They can be cha-ching.
“But he’s in the business of putting on super fights every week, and it’s tough to do and it’s tough to stay on top.”
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