So, Brock Lesnar wasn’t done with WWE after all.
When Lesnar stormed the octagon at UFC 226 on July 7 to challenge Daniel Cormier, who had just defeated Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title, the assumption was The Beast soon would walk away from WWE. It seemed even more likely when Roman Reigns defeated Lesnar for the WWE universal championship at the company’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event on Aug. 19.
But Lesnar shocked the world Sunday night by showing up at WWE’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event to attack Reigns and fellow superstar Braun Strowman. Which begs the question: Will the stunning WWE appearance impact Lesnar’s status with UFC?
Well, sources close to Lesnar told MMAFighting.com’s Dave Meltzer that the former UFC/WWE champion still is planning on returning to UFC. He hasn’t signed a deal with UFC yet, according to Meltzer, but Lesnar has been in the USADA testing pool, suggesting he’s serious about stepping back into the octagon against Cormier.
That said, Lesnar isn’t done with WWE, as Meltzer reports that Sunday night’s surprise appearance at Hell in a Cell was to set up another pro wrestling match that would take place in an as-of-yet-announced major show in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 2. WWE has a very lucrative deal with the government of Saudi Arabia, and it’s believed Lesnar could make well into the seven figures for his matches there, per Meltzer.
Lesnar, who held the UFC heavyweight title from November 2008 to October 2010, returned to the cage at UFC 200 in July 2016. He defeated Mark Hunt via unanimous decision in his first UFC fight since December 2011, but the result later was overturned because Lesnar tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
