The UFC has pivoted away from a Brock Lesnar-Daniel Cormier clash in favor of a rematch with Stipe Miocic.
Cormier defeated Miocic last July to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship. At the time, it made him a double champion as he held the Light Heavyweight Championship at the time. Last year, Cormier and Lesnar got into a post-fight Octagon confrontation which likely meant that the two would fight down the road. However, that did not come to pass.
According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, Lesnar wanted a flat fee from the UFC in lieu of the traditional PPV upside since its new partner for PPV is exclusively ESPN+ in the United States. One may infer that Lesnar’s ask was too high for the UFC as they passed on Lesnar and decided to go with the Cormier-Stipe matchup in August.
The last we saw Lesnar, he opened Wrestlemania with a loss and the inference that he was heading to the U FC. It appears that WWE may have him back for the company.
Payout Perspective:
This is likely the best for all parties. Lesnar is a shrewd businessperson and is not afraid to walk if he does not receive what he wants. Despite the anticipated mainstream publicity and buys due to Lesnar’s name and status, its likely that the Miocic-Cormier matchup would produce more of an uncertain income. While Lesnar was a star years ago in the UFC, his last fight at UFC 200 was marred due to a failed drug test. Prior to that, he suffered from diverticulitis which led to losses to Alistair Overeem and Cain Velasquez. In his early 40s, Lesnar would likely be taken out by the 40-year-old Cormier. Although Cormier, KO’d Miocic, he was the previous Heavyweight Champion and will finally get his return fight.
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