Brock Lesnar Has Officially Retired From Mixed Martial Arts

Brock Lesnar’s mixed martial arts career was likely over after he was suspended for failing two drug tests in the lead up to his bout with Mark Hunt at UFC 200. Lesnar was suspended for one year by USADA but there was still a chance the 39-year-old would try to take one more chance with the UFC. Now we can officially put that speculation to bed.

Lesnar reportedly informed the UFC on Tuesday that he is officially retiring from mixed martial arts, putting an end to what was an insanely hyped but short-lived career.

Lesnar returned from a five-year absence to face Hunt at UFC 200 and earned a unanimous decision victory. That bout opened the door to a possible future fight, though it was billed as a one-off event. The former UFC heavyweight champion was a huge draw for the promotion and you can bet president Dana White wanted to keep Lesnar around. That all came crashing down when the failed tests were revealed.

Lesnar’s win over Hunt has been changed to a “no-contest” and Hunt is now suing the UFC, Lesnar and White in civil court because the promotion allowed Lesnar to keep the vast majority of his purse despite the failed tests.

After a successful career in WWE and a brief stint with the Minnesota Vikings, Lesnar — who was a decorated collegiate wrestler — opted to try mixed martial arts. He quickly showed that he could hang with the best, winning five of his first six fights including a two-round decimation of the legendary Randy Couture in his fourth bout. He earned the UFC heavyweight title with that win and appeared unstoppable.

But long layoffs thanks to a battle with diverticulitis clearly threw his career off, as he lost his title to Cain Velasquez in 2010 and was annihilated by Alistair Overeem in 2011. Neither fight got out of the first round. Lesnar is now back with the WWE and is clearly raking in a ton of money. It’s probably not worth it for him to put MMA in his past.

His quick rise and brief dominance will never be forgotten, but his failed drug tests around his return fight will also mar his legacy.