3<\/p>\n The UFC kept Lesnar well away from Sylvia, according to the former heavyweight championCredit: Getty<\/p>\n He made his debut on the same card as ‘The Maine-iac’ in February 2008, and despite Sylvia offering to welcome Lesnar to the UFC, the promotion opted to square him off with Frank Mir instead.<\/p>\n Sylvia claims their decision was motivated by concerns that he would derail Lesnar’s hype before it had even got going.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was the heavyweight champ, we found out what they brought Brock Lesnar<\/a> in [for],\u201d Sylvia told the JAXXON Podcast.<\/p>\n “He was getting [$300,000 to show and $300,000 to win] and money per pay-per-view buy, so every fight he was making over a million dollars back then. <\/p>\n “My contract was 100 and 100, so $200,000 on the win, I made maybe 40 or 50 in sponsors. Brock is getting a million, and he\u2019s a nobody.<\/p>\n \u201cSo like, \u2018Hey man, we want this contract. Why is he getting it?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201c[The UFC said] \u2018Oh, he\u2019s a bigger name than you.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018How the f*** is he a bigger name?\u2019 Because of wrestling. Ok, let me fight Brock. If I win, I get his contract. <\/p>\n “If I lose, I\u2019ll go back, I won\u2019t say a word, I\u2019ll take my 100 and 100.<\/p>\n \u201c[The UFC replied] \u2018No, we\u2019re trying to build him, we can\u2019t do that, it won\u2019t be a good fight for him. We\u2019re afraid for that fight.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n 3<\/p>\n Sylvia is a two-time UFC heavyweight championCredit: Getty<\/p>\n Mir went on to submit Lesnar with a knee bar in the opening stanza to get ‘The Beast Incarnate’s’ career off to a disastrous start, while Sylvia was beaten by Ant\u00f4nio Rodrigo Nogueira for the interim heavyweight title in the UFC 81 main event.<\/p>\n Sylvia claims the UFC told his handlers that they wouldn’t be renewing his deal following the defeat, despite the fact that he had won six of his last eight fights.<\/p>\n Five months later, he was snapped up by MMA<\/a> upstart Affliction and was paid $1milliion to fight the great Fedor Emelianenko.<\/p>\n At the peak of his powers, the towering 6ft 8in fighter was one of the best heavyweights in the world and carried serious power in both hands.<\/p>\n During an impressive run with the UFC stretching from 2002 to 2008, Sylvia defeated Jeff Monson and Andrei Arlovski (twice), en route to two separate reigns as UFC heavyweight champion.<\/p>\n After leaving Dana White<\/a>‘s company, though, his career took a steep, unforgiving decline.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/brock-lesnar-reacts-second-round-984731530.jpg\")
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