Nine years after Brock Lesnar lost his UFC Heavyweight Championship to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121, the two fighters will meet again for a rematch – but this time, as professional wrestlers headlining a WWE pay-per-view.
Velasquez obliterated Lesnar at UFC 121, winning by first-round TKO in 4:12, but lost the title in his first defense. Lesnar lost his next fight in 2011 to Alistair Overeem and retired from MMA, opting to return to WWE.
The two fighters met again for the first time last week on the debut of SmackDown on Fox, after Lesnar squashed Kofi Kingston in seconds to win the WWE Championship. Velasquez was brought out by Rey Mysterio, and his appearance shocked Lesnar.
On Friday in Las Vegas, WWE announced that Lesnar will face Velasquez at WWE Crown Jewel on October 31st. Velasquez is still active in UFC, most recently losing to Francis Ngannou in February, but has some experience in the squared circle. In August, Velasquez was involved in a six-man tag match alongside Cody Rhodes at Triplemanía XXVII in Mexico City.
Lesnar did an excellent job selling the match in a press conference at the T-Mobile Arena.
“To me, this is not a show, Cain. For 10 years…. For 10 long years, I’ve been waiting for this moment, Cain. I get up every day and I have to look at this scar that you put on my face inside that octagon. I can’t wait, I can’t wait to get my hands on you again.”
Lesnar vs. Velasquez wasn’t the only crossover headliner announced on Friday, however. Braun Strowman will face boxing’s lineal heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury, in what will be Fury’s first-ever wrestling match.
