Brock Lesnar Announces Retirement from Pro Wrestling and MMA

Brock Lesnar has officially called time on his careers in both professional wrestling and mixed martial arts, announcing his retirement following his appearance at WWE SummerSlam. The 49-year-old made the declaration on The Pat McAfee Show, stating plainly that he is finished with both the ring and the cage.

Lesnar departs MMA with a professional record of five wins and three losses, having competed as a heavyweight throughout his career. Standing six-foot-three with an 81-inch reach, the South Dakota native brought an imposing physical presence and a legitimate wrestling base to the sport. He averaged 3.9 takedowns per 15 minutes across his UFC tenure, and his striking accuracy of 72 percent stands as one of the more remarkable numbers of his era. He won the UFC heavyweight championship and remains one of the most commercially significant figures the division has ever seen.

His final MMA appearance came at UFC 200 in 2016, when he defeated Mark Hunt by unanimous decision — a result that was later overturned to a No Contest after Lesnar tested positive for a banned substance through the USADA anti-doping program.

Why it matters

• Lesnar's heavyweight title reign helped define the late 2000s era of the division and drew mainstream crossover attention to the UFC.
• His retirement closes the door on any speculation about a potential comeback that had periodically surfaced over the years.
• The drug test failure that turned his final bout into a No Contest means he exits MMA with that result still on his record, a complicated footnote to an otherwise headline-grabbing run.
• His departure from professional wrestling simultaneously ends a decades-long dual career that made him one of the most recognizable combat sports figures globally.