Brock Lesnar returns to UFC to fight at UFC 200; opponent TBD

Steven Muehlhausen

Brock Lesnar returns to UFC to fight at UFC 200; opponent TBD image

In sports you can never say never to anything. This definitely falls into that category.

At the end of a commerical for UFC 200 during Saturday's broadcast, it was revealed that former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will make his return at the event. He will be in the co-main event but an opponent hasn't been announced.

Following an initial report from MMAFighting.com, Sporting News reported the UFC and Lesnar were very close to a deal and it was imminent. The question on many people's mind is how could Lesnar fight in the UFC while he's under a mulit-year contract to WWE.

Sources close to the matter have told SN that Lesnar negotiated a clause into his WWE contract to allow him to take a fight before Wrestlemania next April. 

MORE: Wrestling rewind: Lesnar-Undertaker 2002

Lesnar hasn't fought since his first-round knockout loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 in December 2011. Four months later, Lesnar returned to pro wrestling after an eight year absence. 

The 38-year-old flirted with a UFC return in 2015 but ultimately decided to remain in pro wrestling

"It wasn't a bluff," Lesnar told Steve Austin on his podcast in October. "I felt robbed by diverticulitis. I felt robbed by being sick. I was feeling good and it took me a couple years to start feeling good. I'm at home, I'm working out, my life is great, everything's in tune, my contract's coming to an end with WWE. Hey, it's been a great time but something's missing."

Rumors are running rampant on who the opponent for Lesnar would be. Names like UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt and former PRIDE heavyweight champ and MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko have emerged but SN couldn't confirm those names.

Steven Muehlhausen is an MMA and boxing writer and contributor for Sporting News. You can find his podcast, The Fight Club Chicago, and subscribe on iTunes. You can email him at [email protected] and can find him on Twitter @SMuehlhausenMMA.

Steven Muehlhausen

Steven Muehlhausen Photo

Steven Muehlhausen is a contributing writer for DAZN News. He writes features and news stories, and provides analysis relating to the world of boxing. Over the past five years, he has interviewed some of the biggest names in combat sports, including Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Terence Crawford, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Bill Goldberg.