WWE World Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has ‘closed the door’ on returning to MMA, signing a new multi-year deal with WWE.
Appearing on ESPN SportsCenter last night, Lesnar told host Michelle Beadle he had been made an offer he couldn’t refuse - even though he had been training for a potential MMA return.
“It was a very hard decision for me,” Lesnar revealed, just days before his Wrestlemania main event clash with Roman Reigns.
“The fighter inside of me wants to compete. The father, the husband – I’m an older caveman now, so I make wiser caveman decisions.
“I’m here to say my legacy in the octagon is over. However, my legacy this Sunday at WrestleMania will not be my last.”
He continued: “I wanted it [the announcement] to be out of my mouth, I wanted people to hear me. It was a hard decision to make. I’ve thought about this for a year.
“At the end of the day it’s all about me wanting to have fun. The money is great, but the lifestyle… For me to get back into the Octagon – for the last two months I’ve been training to get back into the Octagon, and felt physically great, but something lacked mentally.”
Reflecting on his battle with diverticulitis which saw 12 inches of his colon removed in 2011 during an earlier run with UFC, Lesnar added: “When it comes down to business and money, and health and well-being, I’ve been on both sides of the spectrum.
“I’ve been in a bad position with my health, I’ve been in a bad position with my money, and now I’m in a great position with both and I’m happy.
“I love what I’m doing. I work a limited schedule - part-time with full-time pay.”
He continued: “If you can’t watch me in the ring and not be entertained, and not think that I’m having any fun than there’s something definitely wrong. I love being in the squared circle, I always have.
“But I always hated the outside ambiance about everything else. There’s an old saying – ‘it’s all fake but the money and the miles’, and the miles were not good for me. Me and the highway just did not get along.”
The 37-year-old also confirmed he had spoken to UFC bosses about a return to the Octagon but concluded he was “born to be an entertainer”.
“I talked with Dana [White], I talked to Lorenzo [Fertitta], I talked to Vince McMahon, I talked to my wife and my friends,” Lesnar said.
“I had many sleepless nights on what to do. At the end of the day, it weighed heavily on my heart that I was born to be an entertainer, and I have fun doing it.”
The former UFC heavyweight kingpin also denied his cageside appearance at UFC 184 in February following a reported falling out backstage at Raw just days earlier was a negotiation tactic.
“It wasn’t a contractual move, or a bartering pitch of any kind,” he said.
“For me, I just wanted to feel that energy [of a UFC event], and it just so happened it was Ronda Rousey [headlining].”
Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque reflected on Twitter last night: “Brock Lesnar is a global attraction. Happy to have him re-sign a multi-year contract with WWE."
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