What if Brock Lesnar Wins Universal Title and Shows up at UFC 230?

At Crown Jewel, Brock Lesnar will face off with Braun Strowman for the vacant Universal Championship. Most folks consider Strowman the favourite, given that WWE fans seemed to sour on Lesnar as a part-time champion working a less than inspired run in his last title reign, and that reign only ended a little over two months ago.

Strowman would be a credible enough star to be crowned Universal Champion. However, this would also be his first world title reign, and given how abruptly Roman Reigns had to relinquish the strap, it’s questionable if WWE really intends to move ahead with Strowman as its champion, or at least to put the title on him this soon.

Lesnar has the credibility of a five-time world champ in WWE, not to mention his real-life accolades in MMA and amateur wrestling. While he may not be the most appealing option to WWE, he is a relatively safe Superstar to turn to. There’s the added appeal that he’s working toward a return to UFC’s Octagon and the idea of him potentially holding the top titles form WWE and UFC concurrently may be too intriguing for either promotion to pass up on.

So what if Lesnar wins the title in Saudi Arabia this Friday and shows up for UFC 230 in NYC this Saturday? This article takes a look at that very scenario.

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#5. A champion standoff at Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden could see a new kind of history.

Madison Square Garden is one of the most legendary arenas in the world. That’s not least of all for its history of classic WWE moments including many of the greatest defences for iconic world champs like Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund, being the site of Hulk Hogan’s first world title win, and playing host to WrestleMania 1, 10, and 20.

WWE has largely split off from MSG in favour of the Barclay Center as its base for New York events in recent years. Nonetheless, some Universal Championship history could take shape at MSG if Brock Lesnar is to show up at UFC 230 to face down UFC champ Daniel Cormier. Cormier has already publicly threatened Lesnar if he does show up. While the average person might see that as a disincentive, Lesnar is exactly the kind of man to take that warning as a challenge.

#4. Lesnar carries the Universal Championship into his UFC title shot

Lesnar could be in for another lengthy world title reign.

Mixed martial arts still on the up and up as a legitimate sport, at least in so far as the fights themselves don’t have predetermined outcomes. As such, there’s no guarantee that Daniel Cormier will hold onto his title long enough to make good on the fight he and Brock Lesnar have both expressed an interest in for 2019.

Pro wrestling, of course, doesn’t abide by the same rules. Except for injuries and the occasional mistake on the part of wrestlers or referees, the outcomes are decided backstage and the competitors typically know how the match will end before they get in the ring. With this control, if WWE does feel compelled to put the title back on Lesnar, the odds are that they’ll be eyeing his opportunity to become the first man to hold WWE and UFC gold concurrently.

#3. A fully cross-promoted fight

Vince McMahon may, for the first time, actively help promote a UFC fight.

If WWE were to roll the dice on sending its top champion into the UFC Octagon for a shoot title fight, we have to assume they’re making a calculated gamble that they don’t mean to keep a secret. For the potential of Lesnar making history if he were to win gold in UFC while reigning as WWE’s Universal title holder, we can expect WWE to get on promoting this particular fight.

WWE and UFC have acknowledged each other, including WWE going so far as to plug Lesnar’s confrontation with Daniel Cormier from UFC 226 on social media and their website. This would mark a rare occurrence of WWE actively promoting a UFC fight, though, as typically crossover performers have only worked for one of the companies at a time. WWE seemed to quietly distance itself from Lesnar the last time he fought in MMA in between WWE appearances.

#2. Daniel Cormier in WWE

Might Daniel Cormier crossover to WWE?

Historically, there is overlap between mixed martial arts competitors and their fans with pro wrestling performers and their fans. However, they remain distinct groups on the whole, and, in particular, fighters and their supporters tend to turn their noses up to WWE as fake fighting, and often as not geared toward a younger audience.

Between Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey’s crossover success, in particular, we have seen these walls start to come down. While there have been fighters who have struggled with the transition to wrestling, and a number of wrestlers who haven’t held up well in real fights (CM Punk is the most recent, infamous example) Lesnar and Rousey have demonstrated that one can perform at the highest level in both enterprises. Given the rivalry UFC seems to have consciously built between Daniel Cormier and Lesnar, if this fight does materialize, it seems only natural Cormier would crossover into the WWE ring as well, if not for a match, at least to confront and maybe cut a promo against The Beast Incarnate.

#1. Derrick Lewis benefits

Derrick Lewis could benefit from Daniel Cormier's divided attention.

UFC 230 will feature a title fight between Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis. Cormier has expressed that he hopes Brock Lesnar shows up and sets foot in the Octagon again as he did in a surprise appearance at UFC 226 to get in Cormier’s face after he won. The intrigue around this point—particularly because Lesnar is such a lightning rod for fight fan attention, not to mention the intrigue of his overlapping WWE career—has shifted a lot of attention away from Cormier’s actual challenger for this weekend, Derrick Lewis.

Cormier is a favourite to win his title defence against Lewis. However, the best thing going for Lewis at this moment could conceivably be that Cormier’s attention is divided. Indeed, besides perhaps having his head on a swivel on the lookout for Lesnar, there’s a risk of Cormier being so caught up in the media hype and playing a role for his borderline pro wrestling style feud with Lesnar that he may be too distracted to give Lewis the attention he deserves for a big fight.