Brock Lesnar reveals Dana White snub: 'He | MMA News
Even with his short stint with the company, Brock Lesnar is still thought-about one of the greatest stars to ever compete under the UFC banner, but that nearly did not occur due to doubts from Dana White.
At the time, in his mid-20s and thought-about one of the younger guys in the promotion, the South Dakota native was one of the standout names in the WWE during the early 2000s. Lesnar sat alongside global stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Goldberg, The Rock, and many others, as a true ticket vendor for skilled wrestling. However, burnout, journey schedule, and other components have been key to his departure from the leisure business.
His absence left a Brock Lesnar-shaped gap for followers, but that was rapidly stuffed when he announced his enterprise into combined martial arts. Many believed that if he might capitalize on his NCAA wrestling background inside the cage, Lesnar would undoubtedly turn out to be a star in the game, but Dana White nearly handed up on the chance.
According to Lesnar, the UFC CEO failed to return his calls, forcing the formidable grappler to pursue other strategies to get in contact with White.
“Dana White wanted nothing to do with me,” Lesnar revealed. “No, no. He wouldn’t return my phone calls. Yeah, so, what happened was, I fought at the LA Colosseum for K-1 Dynamite, and then I wanted to get into the big leagues. And there was only one big league at the time, and it was the UFC. So, my team reached out and wanted to do something with the UFC.”
“This is the stuff you have to do. I bought four nosebleed tickets to the MGM. 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 and ran to the octagon and grabbed Dana. I introduced myself. I said, ‘I’m Brock Lesnar.’ And we went to the back, and he says, ‘Well, listen, I’ll give you a shot.'”
“So he gave me a one-fight deal. I said take a gamble on me, and so he gave me a one-shot deal, and I lost that fight against Frank Mir. I went back to the locker room, and I was like I screwed it up. And Dana comes in, and he’s like, because they know the pay-per-view buys instantly, right? So, the numbers must have been really, really good. At that point, Dana is like, ‘Nope, you’re not done.’ And then the next day, we negotiated a real contract.”
Having already turn out to be a family identify in sports activities leisure, main up to his spot in the UFC, refusing to signal Brock Lesnar would seemingly have seen unparalleled backlash befall Dana White.
Despite having to go to great lengths to get himself into the UFC and later changing into a success for the group, Lesnar agrees with White’s hesitation to signal him.
“Because I had no credibility, and I don’t blame him. I was an amateur wrestler and a fake entertainer, you know. And so, he didn’t care, you know. I fought a tomato can my first fight. I beat him in 90 seconds, and it’s whatever. I didn’t prove myself yet.”
“[Dana White] threw me to the wolves. He said, ‘I’m not giving you any easy fights.’ My first fight is against Frank. He’s a, I don’t know how many times, defending champion at the time. A lethal dude. He almost broke my leg in half, right. So, he’s the real deal. So, it was just one of those things where I had to prove myself to him.”
Brock Lesnar talks getting a deal with the UFC and how Dana White wished nothing to do with him at first.
Full podcast right here:https://t.co/87F6B0qAbT pic.twitter.com/oTTU7JFROP
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) March 24, 2026
Stay up to date with the latest news in combined martial arts! Our web site is your go-to source for cutting-edge MMA news, combat highlights, fighter stats, and insights into upcoming matchups. We present daily updates to guarantee you have got access to the freshest info on combat outcomes, rankings, injury experiences, and major bulletins.
Explore how these trends are shaping the future of the game! Visit us often for the most participating and informative MMA content by clicking right here. Our fastidiously curated articles will keep you informed on UFC occasions, championship fights, fighter contracts, and historic moments in the octagon.
