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Daniel Cormier's win at UFC 226 against Stipe Miocic was one that was not expected by quite a few people. With Cormier's cardio not up to par prior to the fight, Miocic was the favourite going in. Add to that the fact that Miocic had a better reach than Cormier, and looked to make sure to keep him at arm's length, and there did not seem any way for Miocic to not retain the title.
Four minutes, and thirty-three seconds into the first round, critics were silenced, Miocic was down on the ground, and Cormier was being handed his new belt. After being given the belt, it was expected that Cormier would challenge or call out another fighter, and that was exactly what he did.
Cormier called out Brock Lesnar. Lesnar was present in the crowd and did not waste any time before jumping into the ring and pushing Cormier around to answer the challenge. While officially no statement was made, unofficially it was decided. Cormier would be facing 'The Beast' Brock Lesnar in a fight for the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
To add credence to the rumours, Lesnar even joined the USADA Testing Pool, which declared that he would be free to compete in UFC in six months time.
But how would this happen? Not only was Brock Lesnar a huge part of WWE, but he was also their Universal Champion! Surely he could not leave them? But no, he could.
At SummerSlam, it appeared as if Lesnar had made all the possible preparations to leave WWE, as he dropped the Universal Title to Roman Reigns. It was done. The next night, Paul Heyman was denied the contractual rematch by Kurt Angle.
With fans looking forward to the clash between the two behemoths at sometime in February, there did not appear to be anything more to stop them.
Enter, Hell in a Cell, 2018. The Annual WWE pay-per-view event, had a huge main event for their card, with the 'Monster Among Men' Braun Strowman facing 'The Big Dog' Roman Reigns. The event was truly spectacular, and the main match was underway, when the sound of million dreams of UFC fans from around the globe shattering sounded, in the form of Lesnar's entrance music. He was back in WWE. He hit the F5 and took out both Strowman and Reigns, leaving their prone carcasses in the ring, signalling that he was not giving up the Universal Title just like that.
His return to WWE signified the ending of a chance of his return to UFC for many fans, but there is no reason to fear this possibility. Brock Lesnar will still be returning to the UFC to face Daniel Cormier, and here are 3 reasons why.
#3 Already Enrolled in Drug Testing
Brock Lesnar immediately enrolled in the USADA programme following the challenge by Daniel Cormier. Instead of wasting time, he did what was productive.
Lesnar rarely ever does something, if it is not going to benefit him in some way or the other. There is no reason for him to leave WWE to make sure that he can appear in UFC so many months down the line. If he has enrolled in the USADA programme, then he did so with the intention of going to UFC sometime soon.
#2 The Timing
The six-month length of the USADA programme will see Lesnar ruled out of competition with the UFC until the ninth of January. If his tests are cleared, then he will finally be able to enter the Octagon again. With a UFC event set for February, Lesnar being at the top of the card alongside Daniel Cormier does not seem like an unlikely prospect.
Till then, Lesnar can participate in other WWE events. He is not a man who wastes an opportunity to make more money, and his appearances with WWE are surely helping him to make bucketloads. Why sit around and wait for the Drug Testing to get over, when he can spend that same time appearing in WWE?
#1 The Lesnar-Cormier Rivalry
Once a challenge comes, Brock Lesnar is not one to back away. There are a number of reasons that he wants to fight Cormier. The money will definitely be good, with the main-stream attention that he brings along with him. The fight will see him return to dispel the memories of his less than well-received last fight, where his win was overturned after they found drugs in his system.
The Lesnar Cormier story started when he was challenged to the fight in the cage after the title win. The last thing that Lesnar will do is back away from a challenge after having made the sort of statement that he did by pushing Cormier back.
With a title shot, and a return to the front and center position of UFC hanging in the balance, Lesnar's return to WWE does not matter, as he will surely be returning to the UFC as well.
