Brock Lesnar shuns UFC, signs contract extension with WWE

Brock Lesnar announced Tuesday in a live appearance on SportsCenter that he had re-signed a contract with the WWE and would no longer compete in mixed martial arts. During an interview with Michelle Beadle, Lesnar said he signed the deal to remain in the WWE on Monday.

He will face Roman Reigns on Sunday in Santa Clara, Calif., at WrestleMania 31, the WWE's biggest event of the year. His contract was up on Monday and UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and president Dana White both said they planned to speak with him when he was contractually free.

Lesnar, though, didn't think he could go through the grind of training again.

"It was just hard," Lesnar told Beadle. "It was hard for me and it is hard to talk about it, but the fighter inside of me wants to complete. The father, the husband ... You know, I'm an older caveman now. I make wiser caveman decisions. So I'm here to say my legacy in the Octagon is over. However, my legacy this Sunday at WrestleMania will not be my last. It will not be my last.

"That's why I wanted to come here. I wanted people to hear me. It was a hard decision to make. It took me a year. I've thought about this for a year. At the end of the day, it's all about me wanting to have fun."

Lesnar, whose appearance at UFC 184 in Los Angeles last month prompted speculation of a return, said he had been training for the last two months preparing to return to fighting.

But as he pondered it, his ability to work a limited schedule in the WWE was most appealing. Lesnar said he wasn't sure he could go through a full-time grind again and that making only limited appearances was ultimately what swayed him.

White told Yahoo Sports he supported Lesnar's choice.

"I am very happy for him," White said. "He has been a stand-up guy from the day I met him and I think he made the right decision."

When Lesnar first fought in MMA in 2007, defeating Moon Soo Kim at the Los Angeles Coliseum on a Hero's MMA card, he spoke of his distaste for the rigorous travel professional wrestling required. But when he retired from the UFC after a loss to Alistair Overeem in Las Vegas in 2011 at UFC 141, largely because of health issues, he signed a deal with the WWE that allowed him to make considerably reduced appearances.

"This wasn't an overnight decision," Lesnar said. "This was a long and heartfelt decision. You weigh out the pros. You weigh out the cons. At the end of the day, last night, old Vince McMahon put the offer on the table that I couldn't refuse. That's really what it comes down to: Business and money and health and well-being.

"I've been on both sides of the spectrum. I've been in a bad position with my health. I've been in a bad position with my money. Now, I'm in a great position with both and I'm happy. I love what I'm doing. I work a limited schedule. I work part-time with full-time pay, like everybody wants, but which you can't have. Just me. So I'm happy."

Lesnar said he attended UFC 184 simply to recall the feeling of what it was like to be at a fight.

"I wanted to feel that energy [again]," he said.

But even after he felt it, he decided it wasn't for him. He said he will never compete in MMA again.

"I'm officially closing the door on MMA," Lesnar said.

from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1CWqicM