There’s been a ton of smoke. Now, get ready for some fire.
Jon Jones called out Brock Lesnar after regaining the UFC light heavyweight championship Saturday night with a knockout win over Daniel Cormier at UFC 214. Lesnar responded by telling Jones to “be careful what you wish for,” and it now sounds like the superfight might soon become a reality.
SI.com has learned that Lesnar’s return to UFC is imminent, according to a story published Wednesday. Lesnar, a former UFC heavyweight champion, currently is under contract with WWE, but according to SI.com, The Beast Incarnate will fight Jones in addition to fulfilling his WWE obligations at the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 34 pay-per-view events.
It’s important to note, of course, that Lesnar and Jones probably won’t fight until sometime next year if they agree to square off. Lesnar, whose win over Mark Hunt at UFC 200 in July 2016 subsequently was changed to a no contest, retired after being suspended for one year following two failed drug tests. That put his suspension on hold, as he was out of the USADA testing pool, and he’ll need more than six months of clean drug testing upon re-entering the pool before he’s allowed to fight.
Lesnar’s contract with WWE expires in April, according to MMAFighting.com. The Royal Rumble pay-per-view event is scheduled for Jan. 28, while WrestleMania 34 is set to take place April 8.
Lesnar currently holds the WWE universal championship, so we’ll see if his possible return to UFC impacts how he’s booked for WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event later this month.
Thumbnail photo via Joshua Dahl/USA TODAY Sports Images