Brock Lesnar altered the landscape of two major fighting organizations with one announcement Tuesday night.
The professional wrestler and MMA star joined Michelle Beadle on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” to announce that he’s retiring from UFC and has re-signed a multi-year contract with WWE.
Lesnar is set to square off against Roman Reigns in WrestleMania 31 on Sunday. With his WWE contract set to expire shortly after, it seemed possible that he might reboot his MMA career and join UFC after a four-year hiatus. The 37-year-old revealed he had been training the last several months to return to the Octagon, but admitted his head simply wasn’t in it.
WWE, though, appears to be Lesnar’s first love. He signed with the organization out of college in 2000 and quickly rose to WWE champion in 2002, a title he held for three years. He left for UFC in 2007 but returned to WWE in 2012.
The South Dakota native should do well in the ring, as he’s had success at pretty much every turn. Lesnar is the only person to have won a WWE championship, a UFC championship and an NCAA wrestling championship. He even had a brief stint on the Minnesota Vikings during the 2004 preseason.
Legendary WWE wrestler Triple H chimed in with his support shortly after Lesnar’s announcement.
[tweet https://twitter.com/TripleH/status/580501834005131264 align=’center’]
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
