Brock Lesnar continues to receive challenges, even nearly a decade after stepping away from active combat sports competition.
The former UFC heavyweight champion`s last professional fight was a victory over Mark Hunt at UFC 200 in July 2016.
However, Lesnar`s win in that final MMA bout was later officially changed to a no-contest after he tested positive for performance-enhancing substances.
Nine years later, `The Beast Incarnate` has shown no public interest in fighting again, yet he remains a target for call-outs from heavyweights in both boxing and mixed martial arts.
Butterbean Targets Brock Lesnar for Comeback
Brock Lesnar was recently included on a list of potential future opponents for former World`s Strongest Man Eddie Hall following Hall`s MMA debut win in April. In the same month, Lesnar also caught the attention of a legendary boxer who vowed to knock him out.
That boxer is Butterbean, who has dramatically reduced his weight from 500lbs to 280lbs and announced plans for a combat sports comeback in 2025. While challenging Jake Paul is a primary goal for the veteran, a fight against Brock Lesnar is also very much on his radar.
Mike Tyson is another prominent name mentioned as a possibility for Butterbean, whose real name is Eric Esch, if other matchups don`t come to fruition.
In a recent interview, Butterbean expressed his desire to compete against big names. “I would’ve loved to have fought Tyson back in the day,” he commented. “I would still like to fight Tyson.”
He specifically called out the former UFC champion, stating, “I’d love to fight Brock Lesnar. That would be a good fight.”
Butterbean emphasized his criteria for opponents: “I wanna fight that people want to see and would be a challenge for me also. Brock would be a challenge, just like Jake would be a challenge. Tyson is in there. I’m just out there for a good fight that makes sense.” He added he prefers fighters willing to engage: “Somebody like Evander Holyfield, who is going to hit, run, and jab, wouldn’t be the fight for me. I wanna fight someone who wants to fight.”
Motivation Behind Butterbean`s Return
Butterbean has been retired from all forms of combat sports since June 2013.
After ending his career, the heavyweight veteran (with a record of 77–10–4) faced significant health challenges, including being confined to a wheelchair when his weight soared to 500lbs.
Now, having successfully lost 220lbs, the 58-year-old aims to make a comeback fight in 2025 to serve as an inspiration and demonstrate that it`s possible to overcome major setbacks.
Butterbean articulated his primary motivation: “I wanna do one more fight to prove to people that no matter how down you get, if you believe in yourself like I believe in myself, you can accomplish anything. I wanna do it this year. Most definitely this year.”
