Brock Lesnar did not wait for a call. Instead, he made one decision that changed his life. Lesnar revealed that he approached Dana White directly and asked for an opportunity to compete in the UFC.
Many fighters spend years competing on the regional circuit before they get noticed and recruited by the UFC. However, Lesnar was no ordinary competitor. He was only a few years removed from a strong WWE career, where he was a multi-time champion, and WrestleMania headliner.
Lesnar was a proven commodity, having essentially been the face of WWE in such a short period. Before joining WWE, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ was a standout amateur wrestler, having won the 2000 NCAA Division 1 National wrestling championship.
Lesnar revealed that the interest was not mutual. He said White wanted nothing to do with him at first and never answered his calls. But, that did not stop him from trying.
Brock Lesnar Convinced Dana White to Sign Him at a UFC Event
Brock Lesnar recalled the move that got him signed by the UFC. He purchased tickets to an event and sat in the upper bowl.
After the event concluded, Lesnar immediately rushed toward White, introduced himself, and requested an opportunity.
“Dana White wanted nothing to do with me,” Lesnar told Spittin’ Chiclets. “He wouldn’t return my phone calls. So, what happened was, I fought for K-1 Dynamite!, and then I wanted to get into the big leagues. And there was only one big league at the time, that was the UFC.”
He continued:
“I bought four nosebleed tickets to the MGM [Grand Garden Arena]. Randy Couture was headlining against Gabriel Gonzaga,” he said. “As soon as Randy won that fight, I scaled the security and ran to the Octagon and grabbed Dana. And we went to the back, and he says, ‘Well, listen, I’ll give you a shot.'”
Lesnar Reveals Details of First UFC Contract Offered by White
Lesnar also revealed the details of the first UFC contract White offered him. It was not the long-term six-or eight-fight deal many fighters typically sign today.
The former WWE champion instead was offered only one fight on his deal with the UFC. That was considered more of a tryout than a guarantee, which added pressure on Lesnar to perform well. Not only was he immediately put to the test, but the UFC matched him up with Frank Mir for his debut.
Despite having only one professional fight, Lesnar surprised the MMA community with a strong performance. He controlled most of the fight. However, Mir capitalized on an opportunity and submitted Lesnar with a heel-hook in the 1st round.
While he came up short in his debut, White saw enough both inside the Octagon and in the pay-per-view buyrate, and signed Lesnar.
“[White] 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 [Mir]. I went back to the locker room and I was like, ‘I screwed it up,’ Lesnar told Spittin’ Chiclets. “So, the [pay-per-view] 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.”
Brock Lesnar Reveals the Bold Move That Got Him Signed by Dana White