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What's the story?
According to Fightful, Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer has revealed that the reason Brock Lesnar retired from MMA was that UFC and Dana White were unable to meet his asking price.
In case you didn't know
Brock Lesnar has been rumored to face Daniel Cormier for a very long time in the UFC. Daniel Cormier has called him out several times. In fact, Brock Lesnar shoved Daniel Cormier in the middle of the octagon at UFC 226. It was supposed to be Daniel Cormier's last fight of his career and for Brock Lesnar to compete once more for the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
At the time, Brock Lesnar was still the WWE Universal Champion, who would, later on, drop the belt to Roman Reigns at SummerSlam. Astonishingly, Lesnar would regain the WWE Universal Championship at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia and eventually lose it to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 35.
Most people expected that once Brock Lesnar lost to Seth Rollins, he would go back to UFC to have his long-awaited fight with Daniel Cormier that has almost been a year in the making. But sadly, it doesn't seem like that's going to happen.
The heart of the matter
As reported by Fighful, Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer detailed the reasons why Brock Lesnar has retired from MMA.
Brock Lesnar decided to retire from MMA because Dana White and the UFC did not meet his price point for a fight with Daniel Cormier. With UFC signing a deal with ESPN, their pay-per-view money is now guaranteed, meaning they are less reliant on buyrates and top stars selling more pay-per-views in order to boost revenue.
Lesnar, being a top draw every time he steps into the Octagon, wanted a higher flat fee to make up for potentially losing out on pay-per-view buys. White did not reach Lesnar's price, leading to the fight with Cormier falling through.
What's next?
Brock Lesnar is now 41 years old. As the weeks and months pass, it becomes harder for him to return to the UFC and have a fight. But for now, he will next be seen at the upcoming Saudi Arabian event.
