Current WWE Heavyweight Champ and former UFC Heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar says his days in the octagon are over.
Lesnar announced on SportsCenter Tuesday that he would not be returning to mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting. But made a big announcement concerning his expiring WWE contract. I’m officially closing the door on MMA,” Lesnar said. “It was hard. I re-signed last night with the WWE.”
The 37-year-old wrestling icon’s previous contract was scheduled to expire at the end of the month causing concerns with his return to the MMA arena.
“It was a very hard decision at this stage of my career. The fighter inside me wants to compete. The father and husband — I’m an older caveman now. I make wiser caveman decisions. So, I’m here to say my legacy in the Octagon is over.”
“It was a hard decision to make. It took me a year. I’ve thought about this for a year. At the end of the day, it’s all about me wanting to have fun. The last two-and-a-half months I’ve been training to get back into the Octagon. I felt physically great, but something lacked mentally — and that’s not good.”
He had a pretty good run in the UFC beating Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight belt back in 2008. Although, his last appearance in the ring was a first round knockout loss courtesy of Alistair Overeem back in 2011, his ongoing battle with diverticulitis (an intestinal disorder) is what Lesnar says cut his career short. “I could go back to the Octagon, but what am I going to gain? I was the UFC heavyweight champion of the world. Due to my illness, my career got cut short. That’s God telling you, ‘it’s time to move on.”
