Lesnar responds to Mir's critique
In a May interview with MMAWeekly.com, UFC interim heavyweight champion Frank Mir said Brock Lesnar was just doing it for the money.
"I'm a martial artist; he's a professional fighter," said Mir. "He fights because he gets paid to fight. If the UFC were to go bankrupt tomorrow, a month later I would still be in some small organization fighting. Not because I need to; my house is paid off, my cars are paid; I don't need the money as far as desperately.
"I fight because I enjoy fighting. I enjoy the preparation and the training and the mindset, everything that goes behind it. I don't know if we can say the same about Lesnar. If Lesnar was making $10,000, would he show up to fight?"
On a Wednesday teleconference promoting Mir's title unification rematch with Lesnar at UFC 100, Lesnar told reporters that, yes, it's about the money. But it's no less about the love.
"(He has) desires to fight, and I've got mine," said Lesnar. "I truly love what I'm doing, and it just so happens that I get paid a lot more money than he does. So, at the end of the day, whoever's happy, that's his prerogative. I'm happy with the way I'm doing it, and hopefully he's happy the way he's doing it.
"At the end of the day, you've gotta be able to provide for your family. This is a business for me and it just so happens I enjoy getting up every day and going to work. When this is all said and done and everything's over with, and there's no money in the bank, I don't know, to me, it just seems like nowadays, especially with the way the economy is, I want to live comfortably when this is all said and done.
"You put your body and your mind through so much discipline and, no, I can honestly say I wouldn't fight for peanuts. That's just who I am. I've been there. I've wrestled, blood, sweat, and tears for 18 years. I've got a lot of time in the gym and got paid zilch. So now, here's my opportunity. This is prize fighting for me. You look at it any other way, you might as well just go fight in the underground, bare knuckle, or fight in the streets, as far as I'm concerned."
Lesnar says he's most certainly not doing it for the fame. Since leaving the WWE, and later the NFL, he's had his fill of being recognized at gas stations. He rarely does interviews and conducts his training camps in seclusion from the outside world.
"That's why I live a simple life," said Lesnar. "I've already been through that, I've already made a lot of money, and now it's just a matter of staying grounded, being close to my family, and being happy. If you're not happy, life can be pretty damn miserable. And I wasn't very happy as a professional wrestler. Now I'm happy; life is pretty enjoyable."
