Despite recent reports indicating otherwise, Brock Lesnar has not begun the process of making himself eligible for a UFC return.
Lesnar was suspended one year retroactive to July 15, 2016 after he failed multiple drug tests for his fight with Mark Hunt at UFC 200. The heavyweight told the UFC he was retiring back in February, but some rumors popped up earlier in the week about Lesnar re-entering the drug testing pool to prepare for a UFC comeback.
UFC vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky, who oversees the drug testing program, said there is no truth to that.
“(Lesnar) is not currently enrolled in the USADA testing pool, nor has there been any inquiry on his part to do so,” Novitzky said, via John Morgan of MMAFighting.com.
Lesnar’s fight against Hunt last year came after a five-year absence from MMA competition. He defeated Hunt but had the decision overturned after he tested positive for PEDs twice.
Lesnar is currently the WWE’s Universal Champion, and there were some rumors claiming he is going to lose that belt at “SummerSlam” next month to position himself for a UFC return. Lesnar would need to make himself available for drug testing for six months before being eligible to return to the UFC, so another comeback seems unlikely if he has not re-entered the program.
Brock Lesnar is an absolute physical monster. At a lean 6’3″, 286, Lesnar has competed in professional wrestling, football, and MMA. Joe Rogan has posited that Lesnar, if he had started MMA earlier in life, could have been the best heavyweight in UFC history.
After being fined and suspended from the UFC for one year, Lesnar’s return may be imminent. Though he reportedly told the UFC he was retiring earlier this year, rumor has it he may return for another fight by the end of the year.
Lesnar reportedly met with Paul Heyman, his manager, and UFC higher-ups in Las Vegas during International Fight Week.
Paul Heyman and Brock were at the UFC HQ during IFW. Had a meeting with the UFC brass. Brock's return is eminent. Most likely at MSG on Nov4
The speculation is that Lesnar would return for the UFC’s visit to Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 4. It’s a major venue, and Lesnar is a huge star; it would make sense.
Talk MMA stated multiple sources have said Lesnar is back in the USADA testing pool.
I just had a 2nd person tell me that Brock Lesnar is back in the USADA testing pool. Rumor around WWE is Brock is dropping the belt at SS.
Shane McMahon, the son of WWE founder Vince McMahon, was aboard a helicopter that made a crash landing off the coast of Long Island, New York, Wednesday morning. The helicopter landed in the Atlantic Ocean.
McMahon and the pilot, Mario Regtien, were the only men aboard the Robinson R-44 helicopter. Neither man was harmed.
The vehicle experienced engine failure, so Regtien conducted an emergency landing. Emergency responders quickly arrived on scene and pulled the men from the water.
McMahon and Regtien spoke to reporters about the incident.
“It’s very unsettling when all of a sudden you have something happen,” McMahon said, according to ABC NY 7. “You hear a bang, and then you start saying, ‘We’re going to do an emergency landing in the water.’ So yes, it was very unnerving. But…Mario was super calm, which made me super calm. And we landed perfectly.”
The WWE’s YouTube account uploaded footage of McMahon’s interview.
The helicopter was headed to Westhampton, N.Y., from New York City.
Though it was a serious incident, fans got a chuckle out of it, joking that McMahon is “invincible.”
Shane McMahon survived a crash landing of a plane,off the hell in a cell,off the titantron 2X,&going through glass.
Could The Rock actually make a presidential run in 2020? He’s said before that he “wouldn’t rule it out” and has joked that Tom Hanks would be his running mate.
Fans genuinely want him to go for it — because, come on, he’s The Rock. After this past-election cycle, would it really surprise anyone?
Dwayne Johnson’s potential candidacy took a small step forward this weekend as one fan officially set up a draft of a campaign committee for Johnson with the Federal Election Commission.
The fan was Kenton Tilford of West Virginia, who spoke with the Daily Mail.
“I’m just a private citizen unaffiliated with Mr. Johnson,” he said. “But I’ve talked with many who believe he can deliver the leadership America needs.”
Is The Rock actually qualified to make a presidential run? Who knows? He certainly has the golf thing down.
Ronda Rousey returned to her Venice Beach home one day back in January to find that thousands of dollars in possessions had been stolen, but fortunately the thieves were tracked down almost immediately.
The former UFC champion can thank her fiance for that.
In an appearance on “Live with Kelly and Ryan” Wednesday, Rousey listed some of the things that were stolen when her house was burglarized.
“Someone had been squatting in my house for like three days, sleeping in my bed,” she explained. “They stole my Olympic rings, stole my guns, all my precious jewelry, every headphone in the house, my credit cards.”
Fortunately, Rousey says the security cameras at her home allowed the perps to be quickly identified. Travis Browne, a fellow UFC fighter who is engaged to Rousey, confronted them.
“We have security cameras, so we looked back at them and saw that there were a bunch of kids with skateboards. There’s a famous skate park right across the street because we’re in Venice,” she said. “My man’s 6-foot-7, 260 and he B-lines it straight to the skateboard park and finds the guys right away. He’s smart enough to not (smacking motion) in the middle of the park. We’d get sued pretty hard. He found the police right then and they caught them. … What little punks.”
Remember what Browne wrote on Twitter several months ago when an MMA fighter mocked Rousey? This was kind of like that, only the stakes were much higher.
Rousey did not say whether all of her belongings were returned, but she probably got a lot of them back if the culprits were caught that quickly. The perks of a good relationship, right?
LaVar Ball appeared on “Monday Night Raw” this week, and it was actually his 15-year-old son who made one of the biggest headlines.
And not the good kind.
During the Ball family’s appearance at the Staples Center, LaVar entered the ring with two of his sons, Los Angeles Lakers first-round draft pick Lonzo and 15-year-old LaMelo. After some promoting of the Big Baller Brand and some back and forth with WWE heel The Miz, LaVar challenged Miz to a fight and ripped his shirt off (video here). That’s when LaMelo really appeared to get into the storyline.
LaMelo, who had a microphone in his hand, urged his dad to “beat that n—- a–” while he and Lonzo laughed hysterically.
LaMelo Ball telling LaVar to beat up The Miz + LaVar bouncing off the ropes >>>> pic.twitter.com/LRIWaemJcP
“The inappropriate language used by a guest during the ‘Miz TV’ segment was not scripted nor reflects WWE’s values,” the organization said.
LaMelo is just 15, so he obviously has a lot to learn. He is just starting to see what life is like in the public spotlight, and some recent social media activity showed how it can’t be all that easy.
LaVar Ball finally found the proper place for his talk and hype — a WWE ring.
Ball and his “Big Baller Brand” made an appearance on “WWE Monday Night RAW” at Staples Center in Los Angeles Monday. The father appeared on the program with sons LaMelo and Lonzo.
Both sons got in the ring with The Miz, and then LaVar did as well. The sons said a few things, but we all know that LaVar is the mouth behind the brand, so he did most of the talking.
Kevin Durant took home the NBA Finals MVP trophy after Monday night’s win over the Cavaliers, but he has even more hardware coming their way in the near future. And we’re not talking about a championship ring.
On Tuesday, WWE superstar and executive Triple H shared a photo on Twitter of the custom championship belt the organization will be sending to Durant and the Warriors.
The wife of WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt has filed for divorce alleging that her husband cheated on her. What’s more is that a report pegs Wyatt as having an affair with WWE ring announcer, JoJo.
The Daily Mail shares news of the divorce, and they say wife Samantha Rotunda has filed for divorce in Florida from Wyatt, whose real name is Windham Rotunda. Though JoJo is not named in the divorce documents, The Daily Mail says Samantha’s lawyer has records proving Bray has been in constant contact with JoJo. JoJo is the daughter of former MLB player, Jose Offerman.
Wyatt reportedly has filed an injunction in response to his wife’s divorce filing in which he seeks her silence about their split.
Wyatt and his wife are college sweethearts and were married in 2012. Samantha says they have been separated since March when Bray allegedly walked out on his wife and two children.
X-Pac took to Twitter on Monday to assure his fans that he has not suffered a drug relapse, but that may not help keep the WWE legend out of jail.
X-Pac, whose real name is Sean Waltman, was arrested over the weekend for trying to bring methamphetamine and marijuana through customs at Los Angeles International Airport before his flight to the United Kingdom. The 44-year-old has been open about his struggles with drug addiction in the past, so naturally people have begun wondering if he is still using. Waltman says he is not.
I've had a crazy weekend. I'll get into it on the show Wednesday. Way too much to tweet about. Still mentally strong & healthy. No relapse.
According to a police report obtained by TMZ Sports, police found three cannibis chocolate bars, two THC liquid cigarettes, 38 methamphetamine capsules and $736.10 cash in Waltman’s luggage. Authorities say the “large quantity of pills plus the large quantity of U.S. currency are associated with narcotics sales,” and Waltman was charged with possession of narcotics with intent to sell — a felony that carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
While it won’t help him in court, that could mean Waltman is dealing drugs rather than using them. That’s notable for someone who admitted a while back that he “got real bad” with a crystal meth addiction when he first moved to Los Angeles.
Life outside the ring has obviously not been easy for Waltman. If you remember the horrific injury he suffered a few years back, you know life inside of it wasn’t always pleasant for him, either. Even if he does have an explanation for the drug bust, it’s hard to imagine him avoiding serious legal trouble.
