LAS VEGAS — Brock Lesnar probably won't be breaking out into "Oh, Canada" this weekend, but he will be representing his adopted country at UFC 200.
On Wednesday at the pre-fight press conference, Lesnar explained succinctly why he was choosing to wear the gear of the country in which he lives now rather than the one in which he was born, the United States.
"Quite simple: I live there," Lesnar said with a laugh. "That's how simple it is."
Lesnar, 38, will meet Mark Hunt in the co-main event of UFC 200 on Saturday here at T-Mobile Arena. He has not fought in the UFC since a 2011 loss to Alistair Overeem.
"The Beast" is now a resident of Saskatchewan, which he said previously he chose because of his ability to hunt and fish there. Lesnar is a country boy to the core and he's raising his three children on a farm. The crossover WWE star is all about teaching his kids about an honest day of work.
A few years ago, Lesnar blasted Canada for its healthcare system when he fell ill with diverticulitis in the country.
"They couldn't do nothing for me," Lesnar said in 2010. "It was like I was in a third-world country. ... I'm just stating the facts here, and that's the facts. If I had to choose between getting care in Canada or in the United States, I definitely want to be in the United States."
Lesnar (5-3), who was born in South Dakota and spent many years in Minnesota, has obviously changed his tune. Back in the UFC for the first time in nearly five years, he was holding up the Canadian flag during photo shoots this week in Vegas.
Of course, he didn't want to get into the politics of his decision to rep Canada.
"I won't get into that," Lesnar said. "Keep it simple."
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