8 Implications Of Brock Lesnar Returning To UFC
1. UFC Regain One Of Their Biggest Historical Draws
Conor McGregor has since overtaken his buyrates, but during his first run with the company, Brock Lesnar was the highest drawing UFC fighter of all time. UFC 100 and 116, which were both headlined by ‘The Beast,’ stood as the company’s two most watched pay-per-views for five years before McGregor came along, and his return at UFC 200 drew over 1 million buys - an increase of 700,000 on their previous PPV.
In re-signing Lesnar, the UFC would be acquiring one of the sport’s biggest stars at the best possible time. McGregor may never compete in MMA again, Ronda Rousey’s future is equally murky, and Georges St-Pierre’s long awaited return seems to be on ice. They, like WWE, are in dire need of a billboard star, which is exactly what Brock is.
He might not be the most refined fighter in the world, and would probably get eaten alive by the UFC’s top five heavyweights, but that doesn’t matter in the short-term. Lesnar is a proven money maker, and there’s no reason to believe this would be any different in 2017. Provided he isn’t flattened in his first few fights, Brock is going to bring boatloads of cash to the UFC, who’d love to have him back.