WTF of the Day: Lesnar vs. Emelianenko Allegedly in the Works… For Japanese Pro Wrestling Bout
(“What the hell did you put in my Bud Light?”)
According to Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Antonio Inoki’s Inoki Genome Federation is trying to put together a pro wrestling bout between recently retired former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and former PRIDE and WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko.
The chances of the one-off fake fight happening are slim-to-none considering Brock mentioned that one of the main reasons he retired was to spend more time with his family after his pair of diverticulitis scares the past two years. Travelling to Japan likely isn’t high on his list of family vacations.
Japanese promoters have used the tactic of “announcing” that they are trying to set up fights between big name fighters for years. It’s likely that this latest “news” is a calculated publicity stunt by IGF to conjure up a story, or else they are trying to pressure one or both of the two to perform under their banner. Either way, we probably won’t see Brock or Fedor inside the IGF squared circle anytime soon.
UFC president Dana White recently said during a tipsy interview outside an L.A. club that Brock has his blessing to wrestle again, but that statement contradicts what he said at the UFC 141 post-fight press conference.
“When you retire, he retires under contract. I have no idea [how long the remainder of his contract is]. Listen, I’ve had my moments with Brock Lesnar, but I’ve had a great relationship with him and we’ll figure it out; no big deal,” White explained when asked if Lesnar would be given the go-ahead to return to the WWE. “[We’ve] never had a situation with a guy where we haven’t done the right thing.”
Depends on who you ask I guess. Remember when Jon Fitch tried to retain ownership of his likeness?
