Vince McMahon and Dana White aren’t exactly the best of buds.
Negotiations between the WWE and the UFC, as seldom as they may be, presumably descend into ego-driven shouting matches, which is why it came as such a surprise when Brock Lesnar, a WWE employee, was allowed to make a return to the Octagon.
The final slot on the UFC 200 fight card has been confirmed as a heavyweight match-up between the returning Lesnar and heavy-handed Mark Hunt.
But why did Vince McMahon acquiesce to letting one of his biggest stars fight on the UFC stage again?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4ec-j7Kyis
Well, apparently, it all came down to an arm-wrestling match.
“I said, ‘Listen, old man, we can do this the hard way or the easy way,’” Lesnar joked on ESPN SportsCenter. “I said, ‘Do you wanna arm-wrestle for it?’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah, what the hell.’ So, I ended up beating him, and here we are.”
Lesnar became UFC heavyweight champion in just his fourth professional fight in 2008, finishing UFC hall-of-famer Randy Couture in the second round at UFC 91.
He decided to return to the world of professional wrestling after dropping successive defeats to Cain Velasquez and Alistair Overeem, and citing his ongoing struggles with diverticulitis as a significant obstacle in his training.
But he’s getting back into the Octagon next month and he’s explained that the decision benefits all parties.
“In the WWE brand, I’m a legit athlete in that brand, and I bring lots to the company,” he added.
“For me to get back in the Octagon legitimises why the WWE has me in their company. It’s a win for all of us.”
Vince loves a win-win…
