Gilbert Burns will be back at UFC 287 after his big win over Neal Magny at UFC 283. He is set to fight the former two-time title contender Jorge Masvidal in the co-main event of the much-awaited PPV. While there are title implications and the winner of the bout may very well receive a title shot, Burns has his eyes on something bigger, literally.
During the UFC 287 media day, Gilbert was asked about the new UFC-WWE merger. For those who are unaware, UFC’s parent company, Endeavor, recently bought World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for a sum of $9.3 billion. But that is not the only development on that front as the pro-wrestling company is set to merge with UFC and create a separate company that will be worth $21 billion.
While Dana White will remain in charge of the UFC, Vince McMahon will be the Executive Chairman of the Board. Endeavor’s head honcho will lead the new company as the CEO. It means the WWE wrestlers and the UFC fighters are going to be co-workers. And, it looks like Gilbert is in favor of the merger and sounded optimistic about the partnership. He also stated his interest in potentially facing a WWE superstar.
Gilbert Burns wants to slap Brock Lesnar after the UFC-WWE merger
Gilbert Burns seemed to issue a call out to “The Beast Incarnate” Brock Lesnar. Burns is a welterweight fighter, while Brock was the heavyweight champion during his run in the UFC. So the question is, why is Durinho picking a fight with the former heavyweight champ?
Gilbert Burns vs… Brock Lesnar? 😅 #UFC287
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) April 5, 2023
“I want to slap him, because he cannot push [Daniel Cormier] like that… I want to slap him in the face.” pic.twitter.com/owE0PnO3a3
The 36-year-old added, “I think UFC can learn so much from the WWE and vice versa. And, it is a good opportunity to slap Brock Lesnar on the face too right? That is a good opportunity.” He further elaborated, “No I never met (Lesnar), he (is) lucky I never met him… I want to slap him because he can not push DC like that when he came all the way there in the Octagon. I want to slap him in the face.”
Burns is referring to the incident that occurred at UFC 226. On that day in July 2018, DC became champ-champ as he knocked out the heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic. DC won the fight via first-round KO and called out Brock Lesnar. Lesnar, who happened to be in attendance, jumped into the Octagon and pushed Daniel Cormier. He then accepted DC’s call out and wanted the fight. But the bout did not happen and Lesnar remained in the WWE.
Is Brock Lesnar planning to return to the UFC?
Brock Lesnar was a WWE employee at the time he made his return to the UFC in 2016. He was returning to the Octagon after a gap of 5 years. Prior to UFC 200, his last UFC bout came against Alistair Overeem at UFC 141. However, Lesnar was struggling with a severe case of diverticulitis at the time and decided to retire from MMA after the loss to Overeem.
However, by the time 2016 rolled around, Brock had recovered from his illness and wanted to return to the marquee UFC event. Lesnar even got an exemption from the rule of a new fighter spending 6-months in the USADA testing pool, to fight Mark Hunt at the UFC 200 co-main event. It was a successful venture as Lesnar beat Hunt via decision. However, it turned into a nightmare for UFC as Lesnar failed both of his drug tests for the fight.
Lesnar was handed a one-year ban and a $250,000 fine by NAC (Nevada Athletic Commission). But Lensar never paid the fine as he returned to the WWE immediately after. Hence, there was optimism from fans that Lesnar would return to UFC after the altercation with Daniel Cormier. It even seemed at one point that he started to cut some weight to make the heavyweight limit of 265 lbs.
However, the contest never happened and fans always wondered why. In an interview with New York Post in 2022, Lesnar revealed that he was done with MMA for good and added, “I’m too old. That’s a young man’s sport, and that door is closed. I’m Brock Lesnar, the WWE Superstar.”
Lesnar, at the age of 45, is currently a prominent feature of the WWE. After his WrestleMania 39 match against Omos, Brock is involved in an exciting angle with Cody Rhodes. Lesnar seemingly turned heel on Monday Night Raw after Mania 39 and is seemingly set to face Cody in a future premium live event (PLE).