Daily Debate: Should Brock Lesnar get Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier UFC title winner?

If former UFC heavyweight champion and current WWE starBrock Lesnar returns to the octagon, should he get an immediate UFC title shot?

More specifically, should Lesnar (5-3-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC) fight the winner of July’s much-anticipated UFC 226 pay-per-view headliner, which features heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic (18-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) vs. light-heavyweight titleholder Daniel Cormier (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) in a heavyweight title fight?

That’s the question we posed in MMAjunkie Radio’s latest Daily Debate poll, and though the results were close, they ultimately don’t support the possibility of Lesnar getting the Miocic vs. Cormier winner (via Twitter):

It’s, of course, a loaded question. After all, in MMA, the line can blur between “should” and “will,” especially when potential PPV revenue (for both the UFC and potential Lesnar opponents) is factored into the equation.

Here are the facts: Lesnar has fought once since late 2011, his 2016 victory over Mark Hunt was overturned due to a failed drug test (and he’s still currently suspended), he’s now winless in his past three fights, he hasn’t picked up an official MMA victory in eight years, and his return could be little more than a one-off PPV stunt with no guarantee he’d stick around to defend a belt if he wins it.

But here are some other facts worth considering: Even now, Lesnar is likely one of the UFC’s top PPV draws, opponents know Lesnar can help them score major paydays (“When you fight Brock, you’re getting paid,” Cormier said), the UFC gets more mainstream media coverage when he fights, and UFC President Dana White has already said it’s “a possibility” he fights Miocic or Cormier when he returns.

Check out the video above as the MMAjunkie Radio hosts discuss the poll and the possible ramifications of a Lesnar return to the octagon.

And for more on UFC 226, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.