Brock Lesnar may have just revealed one way of getting into the UFC. The WWE star-turned UFC heavyweight champion became one of the promotion’s biggest attractions in the late 2000s, selling millions of pay-per-views. However, during a recent appearance on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, the former UFC champ disclosed that Dana White initially wanted nothing to do with him—and explained how he managed to enter the promotion despite that.

“Dana White wanted nothing to do with me,” Lesnar said. “He wouldn’t return my phone call.”

Lesnar recalled fighting at K-1: HERO’s Dynamite at the time. After securing a first-round knockout win over Min Soo Kim at the LA Colosseum in June 2007, he wanted to get in the big leagues. Naturally, he asked his team to reach out to the “only one big league at the time,” UFC, to make his debut. When he didn’t receive a response, Lesnar had to make a crucial decision, which would help him get into the promotion.

“I said, ‘Screw it.’ I bought four nosebleed tickets to the MGM,” Lesnar recalled. “Randy Couture was headlining against Gabriel Gonzaga for the heavyweight championship. I sat there in the stands through the entire event. As soon as Randy won that fight, I scaled the security and ran to the octagon and grabbed Dana. I introduced myself. I said, ‘I’m Brock Lesnar.’ And we went to the back, and he says, ‘Well, listen, I’ll give you a shot.’ So he gave me a one-fight deal.”

Brock Lesnar, who was 1-0 at the time, was offered the fight against Frank Mir, a legend of the sport. Unfortunately for Lesnar, he lost his debut via first-round submission in February 2008. Disappointed, he went back to his locker room, expecting to be thrown out of the promotion for good. But then Dana White came into the room.

“I was like, I screwed it up, and Dana comes in,” Lesnar recalled. “Because they know the pay-per-view buys, like instantly. So the numbers must have been really, really good. And at that point, Dana’s like, ‘No, you’re not done.’ And then the next day, we negotiated a real contract.”

Lesnar went on to beat Heath Herring before fighting Randy Couture for the heavyweight title. He avenged his loss to Mir in 2009 at UFC 100, which became his highest-selling pay-per-view fight in the UFC with approximately 1.6 million PPV buys. Lesnar later defended his title against Shane Carwin before losing to Cain Velasquez in 2010 and then to Alistair Overeem in 2011. 

He didn’t fight in the UFC for the next four years, but returned with big hype to fight Mark Hunt. Today, Lesnar ranks as the clear #2 all-time in total UFC PPV buys among fighters, with approximately 7.8 million career PPV sales across his MMA career. Despite the success he reached in the UFC, Brock Lesnar never had any ill will against Dana White for not giving him an opportunity initially.

“Because I had no credibility,” Lesnar admitted. “And I don’t blame him. I was an amateur wrestler and a fake entertainer, and so he didn’t care. I fought a tomato can in my first fight. I beat him in 90 seconds. And I didn’t prove myself yet. So he threw me to the wolves.

“My first fight [was] against Frank. He’s a, I don’t know, how many times defending champion at the time, a lethal dude. He almost broke my leg in half. So he’s the real deal.”

Since leaving the UFC, Lesnar has had a very spotty, part-time run in WWE. His activity has always been sporadic, as he shows up for a few TV segments, does a handful of matches per year, and then disappears for weeks or even months at a time. And now, he may retire from that as well.

Brock Lesnar may not have many days left in WWE

Ahead of WrestleMania 42, Lesnar revealed on Spittin’ Chiclets that his return to WWE may be brief.

“S**t, I went back to work so I could feed my kids…,” Lesnar said. “I’m grateful that I’m back for a short time here.” 

His candid admission has fueled speculation about an impending exit. Fellow WWE star John Cena added to the uncertainty during his appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, suggesting Lesnar could soon “ride into the sunset,” possibly in Minnesota. 

“To create a mountain to climb for someone, you have to build the mountain,” he added, emphasizing the importance of timing. 

With SummerSlam 2026 set for Minneapolis—Lesnar’s home turf—fans believe the ‘Beast Incarnate’ could be nearing his final chapter in WWE.

Brock Lesnar may be closing up shop for good, and he has had a great career both in the UFC and WWE. While his path to stardom was unconventional, Lesnar’s UFC career proves that in the fight game, sometimes forcing your way into the room is the only move that matters.