Dana White: UFC was ‘not very close at all’ to re-signing Brock Lesnar

[Deleted member 1]

Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar closed the book for good on his mixed martial arts career last month, announcing that an eleventh-hour offer from WWE owner Vince McMahon was enough to convince him to re-sign with the industry leader.

The news shot down any hopes the UFC had at reclaiming the pay-per-view giant, and though Lesnar appeared conflicted in the lead-up to his decision, UFC President Dana White says the UFC was never actually that close to landing Lesnar.

“Not very close at all,” White told radio host Chad Dukes on 106.7 The Fan on Thursday. “We’d known that Brock was probably going to take a pass and go back to wrestling, which was the right move. You know, Brock came in here, he did incredible things and he got a great deal from Vince (McMahon). He’s 38 years old, man. It makes all the sense in the world.”

Dana White: UFC was ‘not very close at all’ to re-signing Brock Lesnar - MMA Fighting

 

[Deleted member 1]

Covering by Dana? or it does kind of make sense on the age post surgery. I can't tell if promoter or not.

 

[Robbie Hart]

Hard to tell, don't know what to believe but it seems that he would rather you stay retired than bring you out of retirement.....at least it seems that way but then I'm naive as shi-.....

 

[IschKabibble]

He's 38 years old, man.

Don't think we'd be hearing that tone if Brock was signed for another fight in the UFC. Didn't he also say that Lorenzo doubled their initial offer after hearing from Brock just before the announcement went public? Sounds like typical Dana trying to downplay something that didn't go in his favor.

 

[La Paix]

Wow I'm surprised at some of the responses. So Dana says...

He’s 38 years old, man. It makes all the sense in the world.”

when it comes to resigning a former champ but yet he parades Phil Brooks around who is?.........37! and no combat experience! I'm thinking that Dana was as far away from signing Brock as he was close to signing Gina. Maybe I'm off but I just can't believe the majority of Dana's comments given his track record.

 

[Greek777]

Thanks for taking the time to share and post these. I never go on MMA site's news pages and just check the forums for everything in the last few years. I would miss out on a lot of stuff if it wasn't for you, Birdwatcher, Jason72 etc.. Who share these. Much appreciated!

 

[Greek777]

Wow I'm surprised at some of the responses. So Dana says...

He’s 38 years old, man. It makes all the sense in the world.”

when it comes to resigning a former champ but yet he parades Phil Brooks around who is?.........37! and no combat experience! I'm thinking that Dana was as far away from signing Brock as he was close to signing Gina. Maybe I'm off but I just can't believe the majority of Dana's comments given his track record.

I think he's trying to say that Brock being older, slower, and having a life time of injuries means it makes more sense for him to stay with WWE. I actually agree. Brock made the right choice. Easy money, few dates, very few matches, no house shows. Gets to live the food life and go to work like 30-40 days a year

 

[La Paix]

I think he's trying to say that Brock being older, slower, and having a life time of injuries means it makes more sense for him to stay with WWE. I actually agree. Brock made the right choice. Easy money, few dates, very few matches, no house shows. Gets to live the food life and go to work like 30-40 days a year

I agree Brock made the right choice but I don't believe for a second that Dana didn't fight for him. Also Brooks has had the same life style of wrestling injuries and that has been brought up many times. To say that his age and injuries detoured his signing then that totally contradicts the signing of Brooks who on top of that has zero fights.

 

[Greek777]

I agree. The thing is, since Brock was under contract, legally they were not allowed to even make him an offer

Which is why it's strange Brock publicly stated Lorzneo called him when he did the ESPN deal and doubled their offer in a desperation move.

I think part of Dana's statements are trying to save face in order to avoid charges of tampering, which is literally illegal lol. Also, what I mean by injuries, is the concussions and stomach problems Brock had that shortened his career.

CM Punk is a completely diff story.. Lol.. Just a side show to gain attention. Brock was a legit bad motherfucker. I miss the days where his fights would be on. I hated him for a while because I didn't want some WWE guy coming in and taking the #1 HW status from Fedor in the rankings solely because he was in the UFC, despite having like 3 fights when he won the title. But honestly that turned around fast, especially after the Randy fight. I was mad he beat Randy, but he was very respectful and humble leading up to the fight and after it.

Is Dana actually saying they didn't sign Brock because of his age and injuries, or is he saying that it's the right move for Brock to sign with WWE because of them? I took it as them saying Brock made the right move for himself.. Not that they rejected him cuz of his age.

IF that is what Dana is implying... Serious LOL @ him. They'd do anything to get Brock back

 

[superCalo]

sometime forked tounge speak with honest word

 

[WoodenPupa]

I think part of Dana's statements are trying to save face in order to avoid charges of tampering, which is literally illegal lol.

How would it save face, though, since he's clearly had talks with Brock? Unless numbers are in the mix, I'm not sure there is a discussion. So, since they had a discussion, they talked numbers---and Brock just didn't like the number.

Had Dana said, "We didn't even make him an offer. He's under contract with WWE"---then that would have covered his ass. "Not close at all" has to mean they talked business, i.e., tossed some figures around. That's how I see it, anyway.

 

[WoodenPupa]

Wow I'm surprised at some of the responses. So Dana says...

He’s 38 years old, man. It makes all the sense in the world.”

when it comes to resigning a former champ but yet he parades Phil Brooks around who is?.........37! and no combat experience! I'm thinking that Dana was as far away from signing Brock as he was close to signing Gina. Maybe I'm off but I just can't believe the majority of Dana's comments given his track record.

Truth. UFC has always been fine with the one-off fight or otherwise very short-term value. I mean, I think most of us agree that Brock wouldn't have done very well on a return, or at the very least, wouldn't have become champion. But UFC would love to milk 1-2 PPV's featuring Brock against no-hopers, or strikers with no TD defense.

 

[Pitbull9]

Dana is such a piece of shit it kills me.

 

[Greek777]

How would it save face, though, since he's clearly had talks with Brock? Unless numbers are in the mix, I'm not sure there is a discussion. So, since they had a discussion, they talked numbers---and Brock just didn't like the number.

Had Dana said, "We didn't even make him an offer. He's under contract with WWE"---then that would have covered his ass. "Not close at all" has to mean they talked business, i.e., tossed some figures around. That's how I see it, anyway.

Yeah I see what you mean. I also went and read the whole article. Strange statements by Dana to say the least. Sour grapes perhaps?

 

[Wild]

Are his lips moving?

 

[WoodenPupa]

Yeah I see what you mean. I also went and read the whole article. Strange statements by Dana to say the least. Sour grapes perhaps?

Id say that's almost always a good guess when it comes to Dana. If it's not sour grapes, it's concealing something else. The Zuffa world is a funhouse mirror. Everything is melted into the opposite.

 

[Greek777]

Of course. Let's not forget - "Fedor sucks. He is a complete fucking joke. He's never fought anybody"

"You'll never see women fight in the UFC. Never"

Remember When Dana's skinny, goofy ass went on the UFC broadcast for the first time.. and claimed that the UFC was going to be working with other promotions, exchanging talent back and forth, and that their goal was to globally unite with all the other brands out there to deliver super fights?

They went from that kind of thinking... to a complete strangehold on MMA across the world, rewriting history all over the place at any point it's convienent to them.. Pretending people like Don Frye, Frank, Pat until recently, Randy, Tito, Fedor, Ricco, Bustamante, etc, don't exist. Like they were not world champions or not massive parts of MMA history.. But because they had an issue with one person (Dana). They are completely absent from anything put out by the UFC.

The problem is that new fans come in and see the attitude Dana takes, the shit he talks, and the revisionist history they do.. and they believe it. They think that's true, because since this is the era they became a fan in, that's what they know> Unless they actually go back and research and watch 20 years of history, they will just take whatever is said by the boss man at face value.. and believe those guys were nobodies, and that the UFC is solely responsible for every single thing that ever happened in MMA

Obviously we all know this and hate it. But man, sometimes when you sit and think about it, it's hard not to be bummed.

 

[WoodenPupa]

I hear you. I've mellowed over the years so I'm less bummed than annoyed. Dana still riles me up.

I do care for the sport and hope better things are around the bend. Despite all the (legitimate) complaints, I can't say we haven't been treated to some fantastic matchups over the years. They're just spread too far apart and now you have to spend $150.00 to get what you got for $50 (or $40 or whatever) in the old days. More great fights than ever IMO, but clearly less bang for buck.

My big hope is that the antitrust suit does some positive things. I guess we'll find out.

 

[WoodenPupa]

Thanks for taking the time to share and post these. I never go on MMA site's news pages and just check the forums for everything in the last few years. I would miss out on a lot of stuff if it wasn't for you, Birdwatcher, Jason72 etc.. Who share these. Much appreciated!

BTW I have to second this. I'm the same way---don't feel like surfing 622 websites for today's MMA news. Mostly that is what I used the UG for---to scan the top threads for daily news. I still do that over there, but I'm starting to check here first, with the UG becoming my backup.

 

[WoodenPupa]

CM Punk is a completely diff story.. Lol.. Just a side show to gain attention. Brock was a legit bad motherfucker. I miss the days where his fights would be on. I hated him for a while because I didn't want some WWE guy coming in and taking the #1 HW status from Fedor in the rankings solely because he was in the UFC, despite having like 3 fights when he won the title. But honestly that turned around fast, especially after the Randy fight. I was mad he beat Randy, but he was very respectful and humble leading up to the fight and after it.

Good point. And they got amazingly lucky with Brock, who turned out to be much more than a piece of entertainment. He was one of the best in the division. Up until the diverculitis, anyway.