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Dana White: Brock Lesnar ‘made the right decision’ to not return to the UFC

Brock Lesnar
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

Brock Lesnar has apparently closed the door on his fighting career for good and UFC president Dana White believes he made the right call.

Since last July when he stepped into the Octagon to confront new heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier following Cormier’s knockout win over Stipe Miocic, Lesnar was rumored for a return to fighting after his last performance in 2016.

Lesnar not only began negotiations to return but he re-entered the United States Anti-Doping Agency drug testing pool, which was required before he would be allowed to fight again.

After months of waiting and anticipating his return, Lesnar told White that he wasn’t going to fight in the UFC and instead would go back to his ongoing career with the WWE where he remains one of the company’s biggest stars.

As much as Cormier probably would have enjoyed the massive windfall of cash he would have received for fighting Lesnar, not to mention the pay-per-view profits generated for the UFC from one of the most prolific draws in mixed martial arts history, White says he really wasn’t all that upset with the way things played out.

In his mind fighters need to be completely committed to the sport to find success and White doesn’t feel like Lesnar had that level of dedication any longer so walking away was smart.

“I wasn’t pissed at all,” White said about Lesnar’s decision during an Instagram live session on Tuesday. “Brock had a good run here. It’s been fun.

“Listen to fight in this business you have to be 100 percent invested. You’ve got to be in. It’s not where his head was. He made the right decision.”

Lesnar will turn 42 in July so it’s getting harder and harder to imagine another comeback to mixed martial arts for the former heavyweight champion.

The last couple of times when Lesnar has flirted with another fight, he’s also used that interest from the UFC to leverage bigger and better contracts to remain with WWE.

With Lesnar now expected to be a centerpiece of WWE programming for the rest of the year as well as a major part of an upcoming move for the show Smackdown Live to FOX in October, it’s tough to see WWE CEO Vince McMahon allowing him to go anywhere except back to the squared circle.

As for the UFC, Cormier has already moved on to a heavyweight championship rematch against Miocic scheduled as the main event for UFC 241 in August from Anaheim.

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