Dana White Thinks Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Cormier Will Happen, Expects to Hear From Lesnar This Summer

UFC released a new extended interview between Megan Olivi and UFC President Dana White. You can check out that video interview below. During the interview, White addressed the new ESPN deal where ESPN+ will be the exclusive provider for UFC pay-per-view events. Also, he talked about Brock Lesnar possibly returning to the UFC to face heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. White stated that he thinks the fight will happen. However, he noted that he expects to hear from Lesnar later this summer. Below are some highlights.

Dana White on the new ESPN+ pay-per-view deal: “It’s incredible for the fans. When you think about it, this is an exclusive deal. We are exclusively with ESPN. When we were with everybody, we couldn’t even offer discounts on pay-per-view and things like that. You’d have to get the approval of all these different groups. Now, it’s a one-stop shop. ESPN’s is going to be able to bundle ESPN+, plus the pay-per-views. It’s not all worked out exactly how it’s going to go down. But this is amazing for UFC fans. They’re going to be able to get so much more value out of the fights, whether it’s ESPN+ or with pay-per-view, now with everything being with ESPN. We did this because it’s good for everybody. It’s good for us. It’s good for the fighters, and it’s absolutely incredible for the fans. And people will get nervous about this whole streaming thing. I hate to break it to you guys, but streaming is where everything is going. So, if you have Netflix, you have Hulu, you have any of this stuff at home, that’s basically what ESPN+ is. You get it the same exact way as Netflix and these other streaming services. It’s exactly the same.”

White on Conor McGregor: “Yes, I think you will see Conor McGregor in the future. If you look at Conor from the day he set foot in this company, he has been an incredible businessman, what he’s been able to accomplish — if he could stay out of trouble, that would be incredible. What this guy has accomplished in his fighting career and outside of the sport is remarkable man. As his wealth continues to grow, I continue to question how much more he’s going to want to fight. But one of the beautiful things about Conor — and I know everybody thinks I’m all over Conor and I pump up Conor. You know why I do? Because he deserves it. This is a guy who came in and fought everybody, was willing to fight anybody when opponents would drop out. And fans know when somebody is a real fighter. And everything is a little shaken up right now with him, Khabib [Nurmagomedov] getting into trouble, going through this stuff with the commission, and what’s next? Who’s out there to fight? Who’s right for him? Who’s the next fight? I think once this shakes out with [Max] Holloway and Poirier and Khabib is back, we can really start to figure out where Conor McGregor fits into this puzzle.”

Dana White on Brock Lesnar: “Brock Lesnar is doing his thing right now with the WWE. One of the things about Brock Lesnar is, when that guy is ready to fight, he is not shy. He’ll call me and he will let me know. To be honest with you, I’m hoping to hear from that guy this summer.”

White on if he thinks Lesnar vs. Daniel Cormier will happen: “I do. I think both guys really want it. I know Cormier wants it bad, and I know Brock wants it bad. So, when two guys want to fight each other as bad as these two do, I think it’s going to happen.”

If using the above quotes, please use a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.