Ranking the Best 5 Opponents for Brock Lesnar's Potential Return to MMA

Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was recently hailed by ESPN's Marc Raimondi as "one of the biggest combat sports stars of this generation." Now, the 43-year-old is the hottest free agent on the market after his WWE contract expired last week.

From the outside looking in, Lesnar would seem to have plenty of options on the table for whatever comes next in his career. Still, perhaps the most interesting thing to see would be the pro wrestling superstar returning one more time to the MMA world.

Lesnar last competed inside the Octagon at UFC 200 back in July 2016, but he almost came back to fight in 2019 to face Daniel Cormier and could be on his way to climbing back into the cage in 2020.

With that in mind, here are the five best potential opponents for Lesnar to consider if he comes back to MMA.

5. Ryan Bader

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Could Lesnar grab Bellator gold from Ryan Bader?

Bader just lost his Bellator light heavyweight title to Vadim Nemkov last month at Bellator 244, but the 37-year-old remains that promotion's heavyweight champion.

While Bader isn't quite the best option within the company itself, and Bellator is generally less appealing to mainstream sports fans than the UFC, facing Bader would at least offer Lesnar the chance to capture heavyweight gold in what could be an interesting and noteworthy contest. Moreover, Lesnar would face a slightly smaller fighter for the honor, and that's something that would greatly benefit his wrestling-centric approach.

Lesnar vs. Bader isn't the biggest or best option on the table, but it's worth considering.

4. Daniel Cormier

John Locher/Associated Press

Does Lesnar have another chance to face Daniel Cormier?

As previously noted, Cormier seemed to be on his way to facing Lesnar back in 2019 before Lesnar decided to head back to WWE. While Cormier technically retired just last month after losing his important rubber match to UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 252, it's still conceivable Cormier might want one more shot at ending his career on a high note.

Lesnar would seem to give Cormier that chance, and it's already clear all the most important parties involved in the decision, including both fighters and UFC officials, had pondered this idea before.

Besides, pairing two of the best and most popular heavyweights in the history of the promotion is always a good idea, and the superfight promotion featuring Lesnar and Cormier wouldn't hurt the bottom line for anyone involved.

3. Stipe Miocic

John Locher/Associated Press

Does the current UFC heavyweight champ want Lesnar?

Miocic beat Cormier in what some considered to be the most important fight in UFC heavyweight history at UFC 252. While Lesnar hasn't done anything in a cage fight in recent history to earn an immediate chance to lock horns with the "baddest man on the planet," the truth of the matter is that's not how combat sports work. The most important thing about any given fight promotion is whether it can be sold to the general public, and Lesnar's popularity makes him an easy sell to that group.

Lesnar is one of the biggest draws in UFC history, so if the former champ wanted to take a swing at dethroning the current champion, the fight would be on the table so long as there weren't bigger or better options laying around.

Sure, Miocic is supposed to take on Francis Ngannou next, but much more important fights have been delayed for lesser money grabs than Lensar vs. Miocic would be.

Lesnar probably doesn’t deserve to leapfrog Ngannou for a crack at Miocic, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't happen. Besides, another way to think about it is that, after all he's done, Miocic deserves the biggest and best fight possible at this point in his career.

What would be bigger and better than facing Lesnar?

2. Fedor Emelianenko

Associated Press

Lesnar vs. Fedor Emelianenko would be special.

Lesnar vs. Emelianenko would be MMA’s version of the upcoming boxing match between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr.

Like that promotion, Lesnar vs. Emelianenko is a superfight that was supposed to happen in the past but never got made for one reason or another. In fact, one might even argue Lesnar vs. Emelianenko was a much bigger deal than Tyson vs. Jones Jr., at least when it was supposed to happen the first time.

The primary driver behind that logic is that Jones Jr., while superbly gifted, was never considered a true heavyweight great. Sure, he won one of boxing's heavyweight belts back in 2003, which was an outstanding achievement for a fighter who started his world title collection with a 160-pound belt, but it's not like he beat Lennox Lewis that night.

By comparison, Emelianenko, 43, is still considered by many in MMA to be the best heavyweight in the history of the sport, and Lesnar's achievements in both MMA and WWE make him a one-of-a-kind superstar.

Lesnar vs. Emelianenko would be a special gift to fight fans because it would give them a fight they wanted to see a long time ago at a time when they least expect it to happen. Sure, it wouldn't be what it could have been had the UFC been able to seal the deal as White wanted back in 2012, but that wouldn't matter.

Something is always better than nothing. Lesnar vs. Emelianenko would be quite special.

1. Jon Jones

Michael Wyke/Associated Press

Lesnar taking on Jon Jones might break PPV records.

There's no better option for Jones or Lesnar than to fight each other. 

If Lesnar truly wants to make one more big run in the MMA world, facing Jones in a superfight would be the perfect step. Jones is easily one of the best and most accomplished UFC champs ever. Some even consider Jones to be the best MMA fighter in history.

Now, the basically undefeated former light heavyweight champion wants to move up to the heavyweight division for bigger fights. 

Is there anyone bigger in the history of the UFC heavyweight division than Lesnar?

Lesnar is a former champion in the weight class. He's also one of the biggest superstars in the history of the sport, so Lesnar vs. Jones would likely be one of the best-selling pay-per-view events in UFC history. 

Lesnar is already 43 years old. If he wants one more big fight on the grandest stage in MMA, he can't dilly dally any longer. 

Lesnar vs. Jones is the biggest, best and most intriguing potential blockbuster for the free-agent superstar to think about as he ponders his next move.