Hard to believe now \u2014 but Brock Lesnar almost never made it to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).<\/p>\n
The former UFC Heavyweight champion hasn\u2019t competed in mixed martial arts (MMA) since UFC 200 back in 2016, but his drawing power remains legendary<\/a>. Six of his fights reportedly cleared the one-million pay-per-view mark<\/a>, making him one of the biggest stars in company history.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n But early on?<\/p>\n UFC CEO Dana White wanted nothing to do with him.<\/p>\n \u201cDana White wanted nothing to do with me,\u201d Lesnar said on Spittin\u2019 Chiclets<\/a>. \u201cHe wouldn\u2019t return my phone call.\u201d<\/p>\n At the time, it made some sense.<\/p>\n The UFC was still working to establish itself as a legitimate sport, shedding the old stigma attached to MMA. Bringing in a former WWE superstar \u2014 especially one with just a single pro fight \u2014 wasn\u2019t exactly aligned with that vision.<\/p>\n So Lesnar forced the issue.<\/p>\n \u201cSo what happened was I fought at the LA Coliseum for K-1 Dynamite. And then I wanted to get into the big leagues. And there was only one big league at the time, it was UFC. So my team reached out and wanted to do something with the UFC,\u201d Lesnar said. \u201cSo I said, screw it, and I bought four nosebleed tickets to the MGM Grand, where Randy Couture was headlining against Gabriel Gonzaga for the Heavyweight championship. I sat there in the stands through the entire event, and as soon as Randy won that fight, I scaled the security railing, ran to the Octagon, grabbed Dana, and I introduced myself. I said, I\u2019m Brock Lesnar and we went to the back, and he says, well, listen, I\u2019ll give you a shot.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n That \u201cshot\u201d came on a one-fight deal against former champion Frank Mir \u2014 and it didn\u2019t go well. Lesnar was submitted via kneebar in under two minutes<\/a>.<\/p>\n He thought it was over before it even started.<\/p>\n \u201cI went back to the locker room, and I was like, I screwed it up,\u201d Lesnar said. \u201cAnd then Dana comes in. He\u2019s like \u2014 because they know the pay-per-views buys instantly, right. So the numbers must have been really, really good\u2014 Dana is like, \u2018No, you\u2019re not done.\u2019 And then the next day, we negotiated a real contract.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the rough debut, Lesnar\u2019s star power was undeniable. His first fight reportedly generated around 650,000 pay-per-view buys \u2014 more than enough to convince the UFC to invest in him long-term<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Looking back, Lesnar understands why White was hesitant.<\/p>\n \u201cI had no credibility. I don\u2019t blame him,\u201d Lesnar said. \u201cI was an amateur wrestler and a \u2018fake\u2019 entertainer. I fought a tomato can in my first fight. I beat him in 90 seconds. I didn\u2019t prove myself yet. So he threw me to the wolves. He said, \u2018I\u2019m not giving you any easy fights.\u2018 My first fight is against Frank. You know, a lethal dude. He almost broke my leg in half, right? So he\u2019s the real deal, so I just Yeah. It was just one of those things where I had to prove myself to him.\u201d<\/p>\n And prove himself he did.<\/p>\n