Brock Lesnar "Retires" From UFC
Dana White says 'The Beast' won't be Octagon-bound...
Brock Lesnar will not be returning to UFC - or any form of MMA, in fact - despite relentless speculation since a 2018 Octagon teaser following a Daniel Cormier/Stipe Miocic showdown.
The decision was confirmed by UFC president Dana White during an interview with ESPN that covered the possibility of 'The Beast' taking on Cormier in a fight that's effectively booked itself over the last despite Lesnar's continued involvement with WWE.
“He told me he’s done, he’s retired,” White told ESPN's Brett Okamoto. “We’re going to move in another direction with Cormier.” The president will likely book a rematch between Cormier and former champion Stipe Miocic in place of anything he might have had in mind for Brock.
Lesnar’s hasn't fought since July 2016. He scored a victory over Mark Hunt at UFC 200 that was later overturned after he was revealed to have failed the USADA drug test after the fight.
WWE made allusions to his potential UFC return over WrestleMania weekend, with Paul Heyman and Seth Rollins both scripted to reference a flight to Las Vegas either side of his WrestleMania 35 Universal Title loss. That same plane may now be on its way back, perhaps in time for WWE's own trip to Saudi Arabia in June.