Brock Lesnar vs Mark Hunt: WWE star returns at UFC 200 for one-off fight after five-year exile
Lesnar, 38, last fought in December 2011 but said decision to retire from MMA so early had 'haunted' him ever since
BROCK LESNAR has announced he will fight Mark Hunt at UFC 200 on 9 July.
The WWE star has not fought in the UFC since December 2011 when he was beaten by Alistair Overeem in the first round at UFC 141.
The 38-year-old won five of his eight Mixed Martial Arts bouts, winning the UFC heavyweight title in only his third fight.
Conor McGregor’s rematch with Nate Diaz had been scheduled to take place at UFC 200 before a contract dispute saw that bout moved back to UFC 202.
Lesnar, who offically called time on his MMA career in March 2015, admitted to ESPN that that decision had “haunted” him.
He told ESPN: “I couldn’t live with that decision.
“It was the hardest decision for me to make. That decision has haunted me for the last 15 months.
“I figured I couldn’t live like that for the rest of my life.
“I’m a big believer in living out your dreams and facing your fears.”
The WWE wrestler has been granted a “one-off opportunity” by the company to appear on the card but is still scheduled to compete at SummerSlam on 21 August.
Lesnar’s opponent Mark Hunt is known as one of UFC’s heaviest punchers.
The New Zealander, 42, has won nine of his fights by knockout and fought for the interim heavyweight title in 2014.
Lesnar revealed he had no say on who he would fight.
He added: “I’ve never turned down a fight in the UFC.
“Even when I was champ, I never turned down a fight. When I was fighting to be a champ, I never turned down a fight.
“If [UFC president] Dana White called me and said, ‘you have opponent X, Y or Z, which do you want?’
“He never gave me those options.
“I’m a grappler at heart. [Hunt] is a heavy hitter. I think that’s what the people want to see.
“The UFC ultimately culminated because we’re going to put guys with opposing disciplines against each other.
“I think I match up very well. If Mark ends up on the ground, the fight’s over.”
Lesnar only fought seven times for the company after an intestinal illness, divertculitis, saw him miss a year of competition and continued to plague him in his last three fights - the final two of which were defeats.
“At the top of my career, I wasn’t at the top of my game,” Lesnar said.
“I felt like I was cheated out of my career in the UFC. In my mind and in my heart, I never lost to a foe. I never lost to an opponent.
“I lost to diverticulitis. That was my opponent that beat me.
“ A lot of other people might have other thoughts about that.
“I’m sitting here today and I feel 1,000 per cent.”
Lesnar also said he has no idea if he’ll continue in UFC after this fight.
Elsewhere, Conor McGregor's rematch with Nate Diaz has been announced.
The pair had been supposed to headline UFC 200 but a contractual dispute saw the fight delayed.
They will now meet again at UFC 202 in August - with the fight again taking place at 170lbs, way over McGregor's usual fighting weight.