Paul Heyman publicly doubts that Brock Lesnar will ever return to UFC

What a difference a few months makes, eh? It was only the end of May when Brock Lesnar caused Vince McMahon to have a fit and the Internet to explode with speculation when he turned up at cageside to watch UFC Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos demolish former enemy Frank Mir at UFC 146. Far from just a meaningless publicity stunt, it was an opportunity to talk business with Dana White too, leading everyone to believe that Brock wanted to squeeze in a fight with UFC this year in between his WWE commitments.

Well, at least until Dana broke his public silence on the matter and revealed that the meeting "couldn't have gone worse". The presumption was that Brock Lesnar's one year contract with WWE explicitly prevented him from fighting for UFC at the same time and Dana would just have to wait until next April before offering him a deal. But maybe the perception that he was itching to step into the Octagon again was merely a crafty con to send a message to WWE that he was still pissed off at them for John Cena's funny business at the end of the Extreme Rules pay-per-view and wanted better treatment?

Further evidence for this line of thought came over the weekend when Paul Heyman, in an interview with mmajunkie.com, publicly doubted that we will ever see his best friend Brock Lesnar return to UFC:

I think Dana White would love to have Brock Lesnar back. I think Lorenzo Fertitta would love to have Brock Lesnar back. Does Brock Lesnar want to go back? I don't think Brock has anything to prove in the UFC anymore. He's 35 years old. He made a lot of money in the UFC.

His house and his farms and his cars and everything that he owns is paid for. Why would he go in and risk injury and concussions and risk any kind of physical damage when he doesn't need to? That's the thing you have to understand. How hungry can a fighter be when he has millions and millions of dollars in the bank? What's there for him to gain? Another run as UFC heavyweight champion? Why would he do that?

However, you could ask the very same questions about why Lesnar is still wrestling for WWE then, as even though the combat isn't real, the same risks remain, though arguably at a reduced level. Clearly the answers are the same, for a truckload of cash.

So maybe this shocking display of honesty by pro wrestling's greatest ever spin doctor is the latest tactic at trying to cultivate a bidding war for Lesnar's services between WWE and UFC in six months time? As Paul has made it clear to UFC that they would have to pay through their nose to get Brock to come out of retirement.

Or maybe the fact that Heyman only last week signed a new deal with WWE is evidence that both he and Lesnar are now content with how things are going with WWE management, and that their days of playing games are over with. I suppose wonders may never cease.