Brock Lesnar is going to return to the UFC after his WWE contract expires, according to Dana White.
The UFC president was asked about Lesnar’s future in mixed martial arts during an appearance on UFC Tonight.
“Ya, Brock Lesnar’s coming back,” White said. “I don’t know when, but yes he is.”
White announced Wednesday that Conor McGregor would “100 per cent” compete in the Octagon in 2018. McGregor and Lesnar are the top two pay-per-view draws in the promotion’s history and their returns would be a massive boon to a star-starved UFC.
Lesnar is set to compete against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34 on Sunday but his WWE future beyond that is up in the air. According to MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani, there is “a deal in place” for Lesnar to return to the UFC roster.
The former UFC heavyweight champion last fought at UFC 200 in July 2016 when he defeated Mark Hunt via unanimous decision in a featured bout. That result, however, was eventually changed to a no-contest after it was revealed Lesnar failed one pre-fight and one post-fight drug test. The 40-year-old tested positive for the anti-estrogenic agent Hydroxy-clomiphene. He was fined $250,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and retroactively suspended for one year.
That suspension was frozen when Lesnar announced his retirement from MMA in February 2017. He would have to finish serving that suspension, and Lesnar would have to re-enlist in the UFC Anti-Doping Program, which is administered by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, before being deemed eligible to compete.
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