Looks like a bad news for UFC and Brock Lesnar fans as he confirmed he will not be returning to the UFC.
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar will not be returning to the UFC as he re-signed a new multiyear contract with the WWE on Monday, March 23, officially closing the door on MMA.
According to ESPN, the 37-year-old professional wrestler announced on Tuesday, March 24 that he has re-signed with the WWE, thus officially ending all rumors of Lesnar's potential return inside the Octagon.
Following his final scheduled appearance for WWE, Lesnar was due to enter a free agency next week, and rumors that he was considering a return to the UFC when his contract was up, have been making rounds.
"It was a very hard decision for me.," Lesnar said on ESPN's SportsCenter on Tuesday night. He said that the fighter inside him wants to fight however, now that he is an older caveman, he makes wiser caveman decisions. That said, Lesnar confirmed that his legacy in the Octagon was over.
According to FoxSports, the former professional mixed martial artist admitted that he actually has spent the past few months back in MMA training for a probable return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, however when push came to shove, Lesnar began to question why exactly he was plotting a comeback to MMA.
Lesnar said he had absolutely nothing to gain by going to the sport where he defeated Randy Couture in his 3rd UFC fight in order to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
At a UFC pay-per-view headlined by female bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey last month in Los Angeles, Lesnar was seen cageside. Lesnar, however said he attended the event purely as a fan and it was not a bargaining move.
Earlier this week, UFC chief executive, Lorenzo Fertitta told ESPN.com the two sides did not negotiate Brock Lesnar's return in Los Angeles.
Fertitta said just two days before the fight; Lesnar asked if he could have two tickets. Noting for that fight they had requests from celebs than they've ever had. According to Fertitta, Brock called back and said he wanted three tickets.
Apparently, Brock simply wanted to come to the fight and feel it again, Fertitta said.
That said, Lesnar admitted that he's really happy where he is at with the WWE.
According to FoxSports, Lesnar made an appearance in Los Angeles on Monday night as part of WWE's "Monday Night Raw" program as a prologue to his match this Sunday, March 29 at Levi's Stadium for the main event at WrestleMania. He sat down with the Chairman and CEO of WWE, Vince McMahon, and they were able to come to an agreement on a new multiyear contract in keep Brock Lesnar in WWE.
Lesnar works a limited schedule with WWE. With only so many appearances contracted throughout any given calendar year, the schedule allows the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion to spend time at home with his kids and wife unlike most professional wrestlers who need to be on the road for the majority of the year.
"Last night, old Vince McMahon put on the offer on the table that I couldn't refuse," Lesnar said. He admitted that it all finally comes down to business, money and health and wellbeing and he has been on both sides of the spectrum.
Lesnar confirms that at this point, his best choice was to put his career in the UFC behind him for good and remain with WWE.
Lesnar said, "I'm officially closing the door on MMA," admitting it was hard.
