Brock Lesnar’s one-year ban by USADA will lift in just a few weeks provided nothing funky shows up in his final urine samples. However, Lesnar still has one more hurdle to jump before he can land in UFC‘s Octagon.
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According to MMAWeekly, Lesnar still owes the Nevada State Athletic Commission $250,000 for his failed 2016 drug test ahead of UFC 200.
“(Lesnar) is still suspended based on his fine,” NSAC executive director Bob Bennett told MMAWeekly. “He is required to pay the fine or set up a payment plan with the Attorney General’s Office [to get cleared from the suspension].”
We can’t say for certain if Lesnar’s return would only be banned in Nevada, or nationwide if he doesn’t pay his fine. However as we learned with Jon Jones a few weeks ago, UFC can find loopholes in athletic commission’s rulebook and take their business elsewhere.
Lesnar finds himself on a very short list of potential opponents for UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier. After their melodrama at UFC 226, it may be safe to assume Lesnar will indeed meet Cormier in 2019, but it’s a complicated conversation to have.
Right now, Lesnar is WWE’s Universal Champion. After the shocking news of Roman Reigns’ leukemia, WWE installed Lesnar as an emergency champion of sorts, reportedly inking him to a new contract as well. Lesnar will put his strap on the line against Braun Strowman at the Royal Rumble later this month, but if he wins, which he is expected to, then a fight with Cormier may not be so likely.
If Lesnar does beat Strowman at the Rumble, he’s essentially guaranteed to carry the title to WrestleMania in April. While it’s not impossible, it’s highly unlikely Lesnar could fight Cormier between the Rumble and WrestleMania which means that Cormier may have to find himself a new candidate.
“As of right now with the Lesnar thing, that’s kinda still up in the air,” Cormier told MMAFighting.com “I’ve gotten a lot of, ‘You’re not willing to fight Jones, you talk trash about Jones [and he his drug testing issues], but you’re willing to fight Lesnar?’ Nobody knows what’s in place in terms of drug testing between Brock Lesnar and I. These are just general assumptions as to what is Brock Lesnar truly going through right now to try to be eligible to compete. We could be doing so many different things that people are unaware of, and if Brock Lesnar’s clean on the day that we fight, because of these things, then why can’t I fight him? Or, if he doesn’t fight, then I’ll fight Stipe Miocic,”
“I talked to the boss (Dana White) the other day and he’s talking to me about fights and Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones and everybody, and I said, ‘If Lesnar doesn’t go, Stipe has to be first. He deserves it, and I’ve said it from the beginning. If it ain’t Brock, I want to fight Stipe Miocic and give him what’s rightfully his, a rematch for this title.’ He’s going to get beat again, but at least he’ll get a chance to fight for that belt again,” said Cormier.
