Manager: These aren’t negotiating tactics to scare WWE — Brock Lesnar genuinely wants UFC return

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar, was recently seen posing for pictures with promotion president Dana White, which led to speculation that Lesnar was trying to scare World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) into a bigger pro wrestling contract.

His current deal expires next month after WrestleMania.

But those mixed martial arts (MMA) fans who attributed his reemergence in the combat sports media as nothing more than a negotiating tactic may be in for a surprise when Lesnar makes his (unwelcome?) return to UFC later this year, according to manager Paul Heyman.

From his conversation with Newsweek:

“I don’t think it’s any secret that Brock is looking to get back into the Octagon. He is obviously eyeballing another fight in UFC. There’s no secret. He’s posing for pictures with Dana White wearing a UFC shirt in the UFC offices in Las Vegas. That’s not a negotiating tactic, Brock Lesnar wants to compete inside of the Octagon. There’s no leveraging that; it’s a fact. Now, when will it take place, against who and where? These are just details. The big question has always been ‘are you willing to do this?’ And it’s pretty apparent that Brock Lesnar is.”

There’s certainly no shortage of potential opponents.

After already cashing in a special exemption for his last MMA go-round, Lesnar would need to reenter the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug testing pool — if he hasn’t already — and stay clean for six months.

Lesnar (5-3, 1 NC) hasn’t been seen since the UFC 200 pay-per-view (PPV) event, which ended in disaster. After failing his drug test and getting his Mark Hunt win changed to a “no contest,” the UFC record setter found himself on the wrong end of a civil lawsuit.

Not that it’s stopped White from rolling out the red carpet.