Brock Lesnar fuels speculation over his WWE future with appearance at UFC event
Heavyweight champion's appearance at UFC 184 adds to conjecture over his WWE future
Brock Lesnar's future in World Wrestling Entertainment appears to be on shaky ground after the World Heavyweight Champion turned up at UFC 184 in Los Angeles.
Lesnar, whose contract with WWE has fewer than five weeks to run, was pictured at the event at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles with Dana White, the UFC President, amid reports that talks with Vince McMahon over a prolonged stay in professional wrestling have broken down.
The Minnesota-born former amateur wrestling standout suffered from diverticulitis during his first UFC run, though he is believed to want another shot in the mixed martial arts organisation.
He also, it is claimed, stormed out of Monday Night Raw last week, having originally been advertised to appear on the show.
That presents a sizeable problem for McMahon and his booking team, who have penned in Lesnar against Roman Reigns, the Royal Rumble winner, for the title at the upcoming flagship event, Wrestlemania.
A further twist in an increasingly messy tale is provided by CM Punk, the now-departed former WWE Champion who is the subject of a defamation lawsuit filed by Dr Christopher Amann.
Punk revealed two weeks ago that Lesnar is helping him acclimatise to the world of professional fighting - unlike Lesnar, Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, has no past experience of MMA.
White responded to Lesnar's presence in Los Angeles by claiming he "didn't know" why the behemoth was there.
But Frank Mir, who defeated Lesnar in the Minnesotan's first UFC bout but lost by TKO the next year, called him out after beating Antonio Silva in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on Sunday, saying he would love to have a rubber match.
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