Hard to believe now — but Brock Lesnar almost never made it to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
The former UFC Heavyweight champion hasn’t competed in mixed martial arts (MMA) since UFC 200 back in 2016, but his drawing power remains legendary. Six of his fights reportedly cleared the one-million pay-per-view mark, making him one of the biggest stars in company history.
But early on?
UFC CEO Dana White wanted nothing to do with him.
“Dana White wanted nothing to do with me,” Lesnar said on Spittin’
Chiclets. “He wouldn’t return my phone call.”
At the time, it made some sense.
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 — especially one with just a single pro fight — wasn’t exactly aligned with that vision.
So Lesnar forced the issue.
“So 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,” Lesnar said. “So 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’m Brock Lesnar and we went to the back, and he says, well, listen, I’ll give you a shot.”
That “shot” came on a one-fight deal against former champion Frank Mir — and it didn’t go well. Lesnar was submitted via kneebar in under two minutes.
He thought it was over before it even started.
“I went back to the locker room, and I was like, I screwed it up,” Lesnar said. “And then Dana comes in. He’s like — because they know the pay-per-views buys instantly, right. So the numbers must have been really, really good— Dana is like, ‘No, you’re not done.’ And then the next day, we negotiated a real contract.”
Despite the rough debut, Lesnar’s star power was undeniable. His first fight reportedly generated around 650,000 pay-per-view buys — more than enough to convince the UFC to invest in him long-term.
Looking back, Lesnar understands why White was hesitant.
“I had no credibility. I don’t blame him,” Lesnar said. “I was an amateur wrestler and a ‘fake’ entertainer. I fought a tomato can in my first fight. I beat him in 90 seconds. I didn’t prove myself yet. So he threw me to the wolves. He said, ‘I’m not giving you any easy fights.‘ My first fight is against Frank. You know, a lethal dude. He almost broke my leg in half, right? So he’s the real deal, so I just Yeah. It was just one of those things where I had to prove myself to him.”
And prove himself he did.
Lesnar went on to become one of the biggest stars in UFC history, capturing and defending the Heavyweight title twice during his run.
Still, it’s wild to think — if he hadn’t literally chased down the UFC head honcho that night — his UFC career might’ve never happened.
