UFC President Dana White Believes CM Punk and Brock Lesnar Will Fight in UFC Again
Dana White, the President of UFC, recently spoke to the Associated Press ahead of tonight’s UFC 220 show in Boston, Massachusetts. During the interview, White gave a number of updates including the UFC statuses of CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor. We’re a wrestling site obviously, but some of this involves big names. Highlights come to us courtesy of the New York Post.
On CM Punk’s future in the UFC:
“I like that guy. He’s a good dude. He wants one more. He wants to get another shot. I’m going to give it to him.”
It was noted that while no timeline or opponent has been lined up, White is “working on it.” Punk was last seen in the Octagon in September 2016 when he debuted in a tap out loss to Mickey Gall.
On the chances of Brock Lesnar returning to UFC once his Nevada Athletic Commission suspension concludes:
“I think he’ll give it one more run. I just think Brock loves to fight.”
It was also noted by White that Ronda Rousey is not currently pursuing another UFC fight, as rumors continue to swirl about an imminent WWE debut (John’s got you covered if you missed it) and there were no current plans featuring Conor McGregor.
On the announcement that the UFC lightweight title will highlight April’s UFC 223 event in Brooklyn without the Irishman’s involvement, stripping McGregor of the title:
“I don’t wait for anybody. I run my business, I keep rolling and that’s it. The kid’s got $100 million. Who knows, he might never fight again.”
Tommy’s Thoughts:A lot to take in here, even if none of the news is a surprise. Can’t wait for my next trip to Dave & Buster’s for whenever CM Punk’s next fight (whenever the hell that ends up being) even if it very well could be his last.
The Brock Lesnar situation is a little more difficult to navigate, depending on how bad of a taste his failed drug test left in the WWE’s eyes when it came to getting the backlash from that unheard of cross-exposure from the summer of 2016. Especially now that the opportunity to get the long-debated McGregor has long since sailed after years of his penchant for riling up WWE superstars on Twitter.
The Ronda Rousey non-news just seems to be a recurring dig, as it’s a variation of his typical sound bite for those interviewers who didn’t get the message after her losses. At least Dana White isn’t harping on Rousey for her loss of passion for UFC and seems to have Floyd Mayweather as his new target for put-downs thanks to costing him his biggest draw in McGregor: maybe he’s playing nice for WWE if he’s trying to get his hands on Brock Lesnar by not tarnishing Vince’s newest Former UFC Aquisition… ?
Then again, with this year’s semi-annual “Will Brock Lesnar Renew? 2018 Edition” heading our way after WrestleMania this spring, it’ll be interesting to keep an eye on how many times we hear Lesnar’s name being brought up by Dana White in the coming months.