Brock Lesnar has retired once again from the world of professional mixed martial arts. The former UFC Heavyweight champion informed the UFC and USADA of his decision on Tuesday.
USADA will no longer be able to test Brock Lesnar for PEDs.
For more details on this story, visit our report over at MMANews.com.
Brock Lesnar and the Wellness Policy
Lesnar received a 1-year suspension from USADA as a result of failing two failed PED tests stemming from his UFC 200 bout with Mark Hunt. For Lesnar to return to MMA he would have to allow USADA to test him for a period of 1-year before he would be eligible to return to the sport. By retiring he is taking himself out of USADA testing pool. If he ever wanted to return he would have to allow USADA to test him for a period of 1 year beforehand.
Last summer a WWE spokesperson told TMZ that part-time performers, such as Lesnar, are not subject to the company’s wellness policy. This means Brock is free to take whatever he wants with no repercussions from either WWE or UFC.
Brock Lesnar and his advocate Paul Heyman made a surprise appearance after Monday’s RAW from Portland, OR went off the air.
Heyman and Lesnar came out after RAW ended and issued an open challenge, which was accepted by The Big Show. The match lasted less than 5 seconds when Lesnar blocked a chokeslam and hit a F5.
Earlier in the evening, Goldberg appeared live on RAW to Heyman and Lesnar’s challenge for a match at WrestleMania 33.
Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar is now official for WrestleMania 33 in Orlando. Lesnar’s challenge was accepted by Goldberg on tonight’s RAW, as seen in the photo below.
As of this writing no other matches are official for WrestleMania but Randy Orton will face the WWE Champion as he won the Royal Rumble. John Cena currently holds the WWE Championship but he will defend inside the Elimination Chamber this coming Sunday
WrestleMania takes place on 4/2 from the Camping World Stadium in Orlando this year.
WWE has announced that Brock Lesnar vs. Kevin Owens will take place at the March 12th SmackDown live event from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Here’s the full card:
– WWE Champion John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt
– Universal Champion Kevin Owens vs. Brock Lesnar
– Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin vs. The Miz in a triple threat match for the Intercontinental Championship.
– Randy Orton vs. Luke Harper
– American Alpha vs. The Usos for the SmackDown tag team titles
– Dolph Ziggler vs. Apollo Crews
– Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch, Naomi and Tamina vs. Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Natalya and Carmella (with James Ellsworth)
– Rhyno, Heath Slater and Kalisto vs. Breezango & Curt Hawkins
– Chris Jericho suffered a minor ankle injury while being tossed around by Brock Lesnar in Sunday’s Royal Rumble match. It was only a minor injury, as Jericho worked a 14-minute match against Sami Zayn the following night on RAW.
– After last night’s RAW went off the air, Brock Lesnar came out an issued an open challenge to anybody in the WWE locker room. Out came the Big Show. When Show went for a chokeslam, Lesnar maneuvered out of it and hit Show with an F5. Lesnar’s music hit and he left the ring while Big Show remained laying on the canvas.
Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman appeared on tonight’s Raw from Laredo and issued a challenge to Goldberg for Lesnar vs. Goldberg at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando this April.
Goldberg took to Twitter after the segment and announced that he will be on next week’s Raw from Portland, Oregon to respond. He wrote on Twitlonger:
Tonight’s SmackDown Live takes place from Toledo, Ohio at the Huntington Center. WWE is advertising the following items for the show:
– Why did Mickie James help Alexa Bliss retain her SmackDown Live Women’s Title against Becky Lynch last week?
– Renee Young interviews Mickie James.
– Luke Harper battles Randy Orton in a singles match.
– John Cena will call out AJ Styles.
The dark match main event will see WWE Champion Styles and The Miz vs. John Cena and IC Champion Dean Ambrose. As always, check back later tonight for our SmackDown Live Results & discussion.
Check back here tonight at 8PM ET for our live play-by-play coverage of the show.
– Brock Lesnar will be making a rare live event appearance on Friday, 2/17 from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The venue has announced that Lesnar’s opponent will be longtime rival The Big Show. Other top matches for the card include:
– Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman.
– Seth Rollins vs. Rusev
– Fatal Fourway RAW Tag Team Championship Match: Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Gallows & Anderson vs. New Day vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass.
– Six-Woman Tag Team Match: Sasha Banks, Bayley & Alicia Fox vs. Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax & Dana Brooke.
This week’s RAW ended with a staredown between Goldberg, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker to promote Sunday’s Royal Rumble Match. That staredown continued after RAW ended before Brock Lesnar was the first to make his exit.
Goldberg then left but stopped to greet a few fans at ringside. The Undertaker did his trademark pose before leaving the ring and raising his fist on the stage.
Brock Lesnar is now confirmed for more than a dozen WWE dates going into WrestleMania 33.
Lesnar is not booked for the 2/13 RAW in Las Vegas due to his suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission over his failed UFC drug tests. He’s also expected for the final RAW before WrestleMania, on 3/27 from Philadelphia.
Here’s Lesnar’s updated schedule:
1/16 RAW in Little Rock
1/20 house show in Buffalo
1/23 RAW in Cleveland
1/29 Royal Rumble PPV
1/30 RAW in Laredo
2/4 house show in Salt Lake City
2/6 RAW in Portland
2/17 house show in Dallas
2/20 RAW in Los Angeles
2/27 RAW in Green Bay
3/6 RAW in Chicago
3/12 house show at MSG
3/13 RAW in Detroit
3/20 RAW in Brooklyn
4/2 WrestleMania 33
– Heath Slater and Rhyno defeated The Usos in the dark match before this week’s WWE SmackDown. The dark main event of the show saw WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose retain over The Miz.
– Here’s the promo for Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman’s return to RAW next Monday in New Orleans to discuss Goldberg and the Royal Rumble match:
The Nevada State Athletic Commission and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency have both issued their punishments to WWE star Brock Lesnar for a failed drug test prior to his UFC 200 fight against Mark Hunt. Now Hunt has officially filed a lawsuit against Lesnar, the UFC, and UFC President Dana White. Hunt’s lawsuit alleges that they “affirmatively circumvented and obstructed fair competition for their own benefit.”
“[UFC] had a chance to take all the money from this guy, because he’s a cheater, and they didnt,” Hunt told ESPN.com.
There is an option for the UFC to pay an extra fee in order to get the pre-fight tests back before fight day. Because the UFC didn’t take that option, the results from Lesnar’s failed test didn’t come in until after the fight. Hunt’s lawsuit states, “The UFC and USADA were aware of the option to expedite samples for a nominal fee but failed to do so.”
Lesnar tested positive for an anti-estrogen agent called clomiphene. It earned him a one year suspension and a $250,000 fine from the NSAC and a one year suspension by USADA, and his victory over Hunt was reversed to a no-contest. Lesnar was paid a $2.5 million purse, while Hunt was paid $700,000.
Lesnar, who is scheduled to appear on next Monday’s episode of RAW, will be eligible to return to the UFC after July 15th.
– Enzo Amore legitimately suffered a knee injury during a tag team match at the 12/30 WWE house show in Los Angeles, according to F4Wonline.com. This is why Enzo continues to use the wheelchair on RAW. There’s no timetable for his return but he’s scheduled to be re-evaluated in two weeks.
– Brock Lesnar, wife Sable and their children attended a Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames NHL game last night in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Below are photos and videos from the appearance:
Brock Lesnar has already received his punishment from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and now it’s time for him to answer to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
Lesnar tested positive for banned substances before his fight with Mark Hunt at UFC 200 back in July. Lesnar originally won the fight via unanimous decision, but that was reserved to a no-contest after the failed test results came in.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended Lesnar for a year and fined him $250,000, and now USADA has announced that they’re matching the NSAC’s suspension. USADA, the official anti-doping partner of UFC, issued a press release this week announcing their one-year suspension. Lesnar’s NSAC suspension is for a year from July 9th, and the USADA suspension is for a year from July 15th.
Below is USADA’s complete press release about Lesnar:
“USADA announced today that UFC athlete, Brock Lesnar, of the Brooklyn Park, M.N., received a one-year sanction, pursuant to the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, after testing positive for a prohibited substance on two occasions.
“Lesnar, 39, tested positive for clomiphene and its metabolite, 4-hydroxyclomiphene, following an out-of-competition urine test conducted on June 28, 2016, and an in-competition urine test conducted on July 9, 2016, at UFC 200 in Las Vegas, Nev. Clomiphene is a prohibited substance in the category of Hormone and Metabolic Modulators and is prohibited at all times under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, which has adopted the WADA Prohibited List.
“Lesnar’s one-year period of ineligibility began on July 15, 2016, the date on which he was provisionally suspended by USADA, and is identical in length to the sanction imposed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) on December 15, 2016. In addition, the NSAC overturned Lesnar’s victory at UFC 200 to a no-contest.
“Pursuant to the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, all UFC athletes serving a period of ineligibility for an anti-doping policy violation are required to remain in the USADA registered testing pool and make themselves available for testing in order to receive credit for time served under his or her sanction. Furthermore, if an athlete retires during his or her period of ineligibility, the athlete’s sanction will be tolled until such time the athlete notifies USADA of his or her return from retirement and once again makes him or herself available for no-advance-notice, out-of-competition testing.
“USADA conducts the year-round, independent anti-doping program for all UFC athletes. USADA is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental agency whose sole mission is to preserve the integrity of competition, inspire true sport, and protect the rights of clean athletes. In an effort to aid UFC athletes, as well as their support team members, in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on the UFC Anti-Doping Program website regarding the testing process and prohibited substances, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs. In addition, the agency manages a drug reference hotline, Drug Reference Online, conducts educational sessions, and proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as the Prohibited List, easy-reference wallet cards, and periodic athlete alerts.”
I’ve expressed my opinions on the Brock Lesnar and Goldberg match at Survivor Series before. To sum it up, I didn’t enjoy it. I thought it was done for shock value and that it made no sense for Goldberg, whom hasn’t been in a wrestling ring for over a decade, to dismantle Lesnar in 86 seconds. It was a snap judgement on my part. I found it cheap and was just done so that people would send out tweets about the match. Since Survivor Series, I’ve been proven wrong because the Goldberg and Lesnar storyline has continued and more weight has been put behind it. However, last night’s closing segment on Raw completely baffled me.
It was the debut of the Kevin Owens Show and his first guest was Goldberg. Owens and Jericho cracked jokes for a couple of minutes and Goldberg eventually joined them in the ring. Goldberg pretty much just said that he was going to win the Royal Rumble match and take the Universal Championship from either Kevin Owens or Roman Reigns. Paul Heyman then came out and said that Brock Lesnar was going to eliminate Goldberg at the Royal Rumble. Roman Reigns then emerged (without his United States Championship) and said that he was going defeat Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble and defeat whomever he has to face at Wrestlemania. Roman Reigns and Goldberg then had a stare down and Braun Strowman interrupted. Strowman stated that he was the one that was going to win the Royal Rumble match. The segment ended with Goldberg and Reigns hitting a Double Spear on Strowman. For some reason, everyone besides Goldberg then exited the ring and allowed him to celebrate in the ring.
I didn’t get it. The promo felt clunky and rushed. Chris Jericho also said that he was entering the Royal Rumble and Kevin Owens was upset about that. Owens was upset about that because he didn’t want to wind up having to defend his Universal Championship against his best friend, Chris Jericho, at Wrestlemania. There were just so many storylines and personalities crammed into that ten minute promo to close the show. Goldberg completely got lost in the shuffle and his presence didn’t feel special at all. I’m guessing that the WWE thought that the Double Spear with Reigns and Goldberg would be an epic moment but the crowd barely reacted.
Let’s breakdown Goldberg’s interactions to close last night’s Raw. Goldberg had a confrontation with Kevin Owens. Goldberg also threatened Chris Jericho when he announced that he was joining the Royal Rumble match. Goldberg then told Paul Heyman that he was going destroy Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. Goldberg then had a stare down with Roman Reigns. Finally, Goldberg Speared Braun Strowman. My point is that there was just way too much going in that segment. Goldberg’s appearances are limited so they should feel special. There shouldn’t be multiple storylines all crammed into one segment that feature someone as established as Goldberg.
Discussion: What did you think of the final segment of last night’s Raw? Did you have the same reaction or did you enjoy it? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
– Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar have been announced for the 1/16 RAW from Little Rock, Arkansas at the Verizon Arena. As of now, this is Lesnar’s only scheduled RAW before the 1/29 Royal Rumble PPV.
Goldberg is scheduled for the 1/2 RAW from Tampa and the 1/23 RAW from Cleveland but there are no pre-Rumble events where both men are scheduled.
– Sasha Banks reveals her workout routine in the new issue of Muscle & Fitness Magazine, which hits newsstands next week. WWE announced the following on the issue:
Sasha Banks wants to help you kick off 2017 right, with an article covering her intensive workout routine in “Muscle & Fitness.”
In the latest issue of the premier fitness magazine, WWE’s resident Boss breaks down her full-body workout to help you get in shape for the new year.
See the full feature in “Muscle & Fitness,” available on newsstands next week.
UFC President Dana White was recently featured in a TMZ Sports video where he talked about the futures of WWE stars turned UFC fighters CM Punk and Brock Lesnar.
On the subject of Lesnar, White said he has a great relationship with him but doubts he’ll ever see The Beast Incarnate back in a UFC octagon. White noted that he hasn’t had any talks with Lesnar specifically about another fight. Lesnar’s last fight against Mark Hunt was originally deemed a victory for the former WWE Champion, but it was overturned to a No Contest following two failed drug tests. Lesnar is serving a one-year suspension and paid a $250,000 fine for the failed tests.
“I think [Lesnar’s] career is winding down, but he’s a freak of nature, who knows, maybe he’ll give me a call and say he wants to do it again,” White said. “But I think he’s ready to ride off into the sunset.”
As far as CM Punk goes, the UFC President says he doesn’t know if Punk will get another shot in the octagon, but they’re going to talk about it and try to figure it out. White seemed to indicate that Punk, who only has one professional fight under his belt, may be better served starting off his career in another organization before returning to the UFC.
“UFC is a dangerous place, man,” White said of Punk. “It’s a tough place to come in for your first couple fights. I give him all the credit and respect in the world for coming in and giving it a shot. It’s a tough place to do it. We’ll see what happens, I love the guy.”
Back in October, White said that Punk’s UFC career was “probably over” after his first-round loss to Mickey Gall at UFC 203.
Are you interested in seeing Lesnar or Punk compete in MMA again? Sound off with your thoughts in the comments!
– WWE announced 12,708 fans in attendance for tonight’s RAW from the Allstate Arena in Chicago.
– WWE taped Lince Dorado vs. Tony Nese and Darren Young vs. Titus O’Neil tonight in Chicago for this week’s WWE Main Event show.
– WWE has confirmed Goldberg for next Monday’s RAW in Tampa, the first RAW of 2017. Below is a new promo for Goldberg and Brock Lesnar entering the Royal Rumble main event:
Brock Lesnar has been suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission for one year due to the two failed drug tests from before his UFC 200 win over Mark Hunt. Lesnar has also agreed to pay a $250,000 fine as part of a settlement with the Nevada attorney general’s office.
Lesnar’s win over Hunt will be overturned into a no contest as well. He received a hefty $2.5 million purse for that fight.
Lesnar tested positive for anti-estrogenic agent hydroxy-clomiphene twice in pre-fight drug tests – one on June 28th and the other on the day of the fight, July 9th.
Randy Orton recently spoke to Sports Illustrated about his memorable match against Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, his guest spot on the USA Network series Shooter, John Cena’s success in the entertainment industry and more.
You may recall that Chris Jericho and Brock Lesnar were involved in a backstage altercation at SummerSlam after Lesnar brutalized Orton in the ring and Jericho thought Lesnar had been reckless. During an interview with SI’s Justin Barrasso, Orton confirmed that an altercation did take place and he thinks it’s awesome Jericho was concerned for his safety.
“Basically, what happened is Jericho saw what was going on in the ring and wanted answers as to whether my best interests were in mind as far as my health and safety,” Orton said. “I had my family there, sitting front row, and Chris knew that, as well. He was just coming up to check on his boy, that’s what it boiled down to, and I think that’s awesome.”
He continued, “You hear all these things about how they were going to fight, but I don’t think Jericho wanted to fight Brock, I’m just going to throw that out there. I think he was coming up to just make sure everything was cool. It’s unfortunate that in that small space, with the dozen bodies in there, somehow that leaked and everybody knew about it. That’s very unfortunate. It was blown way out of proportion, and Jericho just wanted to check on one of his fellow boys in the locker room.”
Orton says he’s got a lot of respect for Brock and has fond memories of their time together in OVW, one of WWE’s former developmental territories. Despite all of Brock’s success in WWE and MMA, Orton says he remains the fun and humble guy he’s always been.
– Brock Lesnar has been announced for the 2/4 WWE live event from Salt Lake City. Here’s an updated look at Lesnar’s upcoming schedule. WWE will be announcing a few Lesnar television appearances leading up to the Royal Rumble, but the following appearances are now confirmed:
1/29 Royal Rumble (San Antonio, TX)
2/4 Live Event (Salt Lake City, UT)
2/17 Live Event (Dallas, TX)
3/10 Live Event (Buffalo, NY)
– We now know that Big Show, Mark Henry, Alicia Fox, R-Truth and Charlotte Flair are the WWE Superstars making the trip to the Middle East to meet US Troops this year. Below is a photo of the group on their flight:
– Below are Total Divas previews for tonight with Nikki Bella trying to talk to Daniel Bryan about getting back in the ring and Eva Marie talking to Mark Carrano about not getting booked for house shows:
– Brock Lesnar has been announced for the 2/17 RAW live event from Dallas. Tickets go on sale this Friday but a pre-sale is going on right now with the password BROCK. As previously reported, Lesnar will be working another Friday live event in 2017 – 3/10 in Buffalo.
– WWE producer Road Dogg BG James had praise for Baron Corbin and Kalisto for their Chairs Match at TLC last night. He wrote:
– As seen in this tweet, Triple H took to Twitter last night and praised Alexa Bliss after she captured the SmackDown Women’s Title from Becky Lynch at TLC:
It took Brock Lesnar less than 5 minutes to defeat Rusev at tonight’s WWE house show in Mexico City.
This was Lesnar’s first time in the ring since losing to Goldberg at Survivor Series last month. He will be back in the ring for the Royal Rumble main event next month from The Alamodome.
Below are a few photos and video from tonight’s match in Mexico:
– The RAW TV ratings for last night have been delayed due to the back-up from the Thanksgiving holiday. They will be released on Wednesday.
– For those who missed it, Paul Heyman mentioned on last night’s RAW that Brock Lesnar suffered cracked ribs from the first Goldberg spear he took at Survivor Series. As reported, Lesnar and Goldberg are both now confirmed for the thirty-man Royal Rumble main event in January.
– Below are the top 10 moments from last night’s show in Charlotte:
– John Cena tweeted the following on RAW and SmackDown as he prepares to return to the blue brand in late December after filming on American Grit is complete:
Brock Lesnar is now official for the 2017 WWE Royal Rumble PPV from The Alamodome in San Antonio.
Lesnar will be in the thirty-man Royal Rumble main event, along with Goldberg and other Superstars.
The announcement was made by Paul Heyman on tonight’s RAW, seen below. Heyman warned that a new side of Lesnar we’ve never seen will be coming for Goldberg at the Rumble.
– 16-time World Champion and 2-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair is backstage in Charlotte, NC for tonight’s WWE RAW. His daughter Charlotte defends the RAW Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks on the show.
– WWE.com is running a poll asking fans if they want to see Brock Lesnar wrestle Goldberg again. Despite the attention coming out of their memorable encounter at Survivor Series, only 51% of fans say they want to see Lesnar vs. Goldberg III. The match is rumored to be one of the headliners of WrestleMania 33 in April.
#WWE is running an interesting Goldberg/Lesnar poll on their page right now. "Yes" is barely edging out the "No" vote, 51% to 49%. pic.twitter.com/gwzbJ4HYcC
– On Monday Triple H officially announced the next NXT Takeover special will take place on 1/28 from San Antonio, TX, the night before the Royal Rumble. Tickets go on sale this Friday.