WWE icon and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has officially announced his retirement from professional wrestling, bringing the curtain down on one of the most remarkable careers in combat sports.
The 49-year-old made the announcement during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, confirming that his recent match at WWE SummerSlam would be the final time fans would see him compete inside the ring.
“Saturday, for Brock Lesnar, that’s it. That’s it for me in the squared circle and everything else,” Lesnar said, confirming his decision to step away from the sport.
Known worldwide as “The Beast Incarnate,” Lesnar revealed that he had already contemplated retirement after WrestleMania earlier this year, when he famously left his boots and gloves in the ring. However, one final opportunity to compete in a Hell in a Cell match in his hometown of Minneapolis convinced him to return for one last appearance.
“When Oba Femi slammed me at WrestleMania, I said, ‘I can’t do this anymore. I think I’m done.’ But the business called, and I still had some fuel in the tank,” he explained.
Lesnar leaves behind a legacy few athletes can match, having achieved success across amateur wrestling, professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.
Before joining WWE, Lesnar was a standout collegiate wrestler at the University of Minnesota, where he became a two-time All-American, two-time Big Ten champion and NCAA Division I national champion in 2000.
His transition to WWE was nothing short of spectacular. In 2002, Lesnar defeated Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to capture his first WWE Championship, launching a career that saw him become a 10-time world champion. He also won two Royal Rumble matches, the 2002 King of the Ring tournament and the 2019 Money in the Bank ladder match.
One of the defining moments of his wrestling career came at WrestleMania 30 in 2014, when he ended The Undertaker’s legendary 21-match undefeated streak, creating one of the most shocking moments in WWE history.
Outside WWE, Lesnar also reached the pinnacle of mixed martial arts. After leaving wrestling in 2004, he briefly pursued an NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings before turning to MMA. In just his fourth professional fight, he defeated Randy Couture in 2008 to become UFC heavyweight champion.
Although he retired from MMA in 2015, Lesnar returned for a one-off bout at UFC 200 in 2016 against Mark Hunt. The result was later overturned after he failed a drug test, and he never competed in the Octagon again.
Reflecting on his journey, Lesnar described himself as “a farm kid from South Dakota” who fulfilled his dreams through determination and hard work.
“I’m just grateful to be 49 years old and have been able to do what I did in this lifetime. I thank God and everybody that supported me,” he said.
With his retirement, Lesnar closes the chapter on a career that established him as one of the most dominant and recognisable figures in the history of combat sports.
