Brock Lesnar is set for a return to MMA when his WWE contract expires in April 2015. WWE, UFC and Bellator MMA are likely to be interested in his commercial appeal. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer has stated "At this moment he's leaning towards the UFC." However, Bellator is aggressively playing the game to bring in recognised name fighters. Furthermore, Bellator could suit Brock's skill level more than the UFC. As for WWE, they are potentially going to be priced out of extending Lesnar's current deal. The WWE Network expense means that Brock's value is diminished in pro wrestling. As witnessed this last weekend, Bellator is more about promoting gimmick MMA than the elite level sport in the UFC. That isn't a criticism of Bellator. This past weekend's Bellator 131 show with former UFC stars Tito Ortiz vs Stephan Bonnar was the most watched MMA fight on cable tv in the whole of 2014. Bellator's strategy of using former headliners is a great way to seize casual fans. Lesnar would be the ultimate name for Bellator to achieve their goal of appealing to viewers. Like Ortiz, Lesnar probably wouldn't take many wins in the UFC. But in the Bellator group the competition is less fierce. Lesnar could be matched with 'name' fighters rather than 'skilled' fighters. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter states that two potentially huge fights Bellator could line up for Lesnar would be Kimbo Slice and Bobby Lashley. Kimbo has mainstream notoriety and is a fight that Lesnar could win. It would do massive ratings and is a win-win for both Bellator and Lesnar. Alternatively, Lesnar vs Lashley is an obvious fight to make. It could be marketed to MMA and WWE fans, although Lashley would represent more of a challenge than Slice. You'd still have to see UFC as the leaders to capture Lesnar's signature. They have more money and it sounds like UFC President Dana White wants Lesnar. "Brock wouldn't go to Bellator," White said this week, "Brock wants to fight the best guys in the world. The best guys are here." The big winner in all of this is Brock Lesnar. When he enters negotiations with any of these groups, they'll be aware that he has other options on the table. That's going to drive his price up significantly - something which WWE likely can't afford in their current Network related austerity.
