By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

In an interview with ESPN's Bill Simmons, former WWE Hvt. champion and current UFC Hvt. champion Brock Lesnar says he felt like he was brain-washed working WWE's full-time schedule and allowing his body to be punished on a nightly basis.

When WWE came up in the interview promoting the UFC 116 PPV on Saturday, Lesnar initially thanked WWE for providing him with a spotlight. Lesnar then engaged in a discussion on health issues in WWE and his opinion on working WWE's full-time schedule.

"I don't know why Vince (McMahon) does things the way he does," Lesnar said about WWE not having an off-season. "He's got his own business philosophy and it's worked for him. I think things could be different. He would have a different atmosphere around the business if there was some kind of a rotation to give guys some time off and guys could keep their sanity a little bit."

Lesnar continued: "I think when you're on the road that long - I felt like I was almost brain-washed. It was one of these things where you get up, you do this, you go to a different town, and he's got you in this routine. If you get out of it, you might not want to come back. So that's probably why he keeps you in it."

Simmons asked a follow-up question on whether the constant physical toll of taking big bumps without an off-season impacted his long-term physical condition.

"Absolutely," Lesnar said. "I took more years off my body working for that company than I have in my years I've been training as an athlete. It's a grind. It's not for everybody, that's for sure."

Lesnar said he eventually came to a cross-roads in his WWE career. He said he decided to start a family with his wife, Rena Mero, rather than allowing his WWE career to become his life.

"The thing I disliked over the years was I liked my life. I wanted to be home with my family," Lesnar said. "I looked around the locker room and decided that if I was going to make a career out of this, this was going to be my life and I wasn't going to have the one I wanted. So, it was time to exit the building."

Lesnar initially complemented WWE and Vince McMahon for giving him the opportunity to become a mega-star in pro wrestling, which has helped him become a mega-star in MMA.

"Without Vince McMahon and WWE, I never would have met my wife (Rena Mero), I would never have the visibility I've gotten, I wouldn't have the star status I've acquired over the years, and I wouldn't have been able to make some decent money over the years," Lesnar said.

Link: Listen to the complete interview on ESPN's Podcast page.

Continue to follow coverage of UFC 116 with Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin building to Saturday night on our sister site, MMATorch.com.

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