Brock Lesnar Retires From UFC, WWE Reveals Former Champion's Return Date

Brock Lesnar’s days of juggling between the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is over after UFC president Dana White confirmed the heavyweight fighter has expressed his desire to retire. A proposed rematch between Lesnar and UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has been put to rest with the promotion now looking for a new opponent.

The 41-year-old’s last WWE appearance came at WrestleMania 35 in April when he dropped the Universal Championship to Seth Rollins. He was expected to return to UFC before making an appearance inside the squared circle later in the year.

“He told me he’s done, he’s retired,” White told ESPN. “We’re going to move in another direction with Cormier.”

Lesnar’s retirement from UFC will now see him turn attention to WWE and he will be making his appearance sooner than expected after the promotion confirmed his return for the yet to be named pay-per-view event in Saudi Arabia. He was not involved in the recent superstar shakeup, but rumors earlier suggested he could return as part of SmackDown Live after spending most of his time in the past as part of RAW.

The former Universal champion is not the only top star confirmed for the Saudi Arabia event in June with WWE also announcing the return of Hall of Famer Goldberg, who has not competed inside the squared circle since dropping the Universal title to Lesnar at WrestleMania 33. The Undertaker is also part of a star-studded roster that will travel to the Middle East as part of WWE’s 10-year agreement with The Saudi General Sports Authority.

“The Saudi General Sports Authority, in partnership with WWE, will host an event at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, June 7, at 8 p.m. AST. The event will feature WWE Superstars Roman Reigns, Undertaker, Kofi Kingston, Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Goldberg, AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar, and stream live on WWE Network,” WWE confirmed via a statement.

There is always a possibility that Lesnar will return to in-ring competition between now and the pay-per-view in June but he has seldom attended regular televised or love events in the past two years, choosing to make appearances only at special events. But his retirement from UFC could see Lesnar make more frequent appearances and be part of a weekly storyline.