Brock Lesnar Claims John Cena Was Happy He Left WWE In 2004, Recalls Cain Velasquez “Handing Him His Ass” In UFC

As noted, Brock Lesnar recently appeared as a guest on the Splittin Chiclets podcast for an in-depth interview covering all things pro wrestling and MMA.

In addition to the highlights from the interview we published earlier, “The Beast Incarnate” also spoke during the discussion about his loss to Cain Velasquez in UFC, how John Cena was happy when he left WWE in 2004 and more.

Featured below are some of the highlights from the interview where he touches on these topics with his thoughts. Also embedded below is a complete audio archive of the discussion.

On Cain Velasquez beating him in UFC: “Cain Velasquez, he handed me my ass in Anaheim. But, I think for me, going through diverticulitis really took a lot of fight out of me. I almost died with that disease and afterwards, it changed my life a little bit and changed my mentality towards the sport, and hey, you can get hurt at this pretty easily and so, it was one of those deals where early in my career, it was all or nothing, and then, there was some fights left on my contract where I was like, ‘You know what? I’m not gonna leave this money on the table so I’m gonna go fight.’”

On John Cena being happy he left WWE in 2004: “John Cena was very happy (that I left WWE in 2004). Because a year before I left, I just signed a new contract. It was a 10-year contract, $20 million guaranteed, and I’m 22 years old… The company was pretty chapped at me at the time because they invested a lot into me, and I understand that now but, if I would have stayed there, I wouldn’t be who I am today either. I’m glad that I had enough wits about me to leave. But, everything turned out.”

On WWE environment being ‘a lot softer’ than in his first run with the company: “Yeah, definitely. I was a shooter, an amateur guy. I had a lot of credentials to my name. Of course I got tested along the way by the old timers. You have to pay your dues. Back then, you paid your dues and you had to get your respect. It’s different now, obviously. Things have gotten a lot softer. There isn’t no more kangaroo courts… It’s different now but, I go there, I’m the old guy now.”