UFC News Update: League Officials Clarify Brock Lesnar Is Still Suspended Amid Comeback Rumors
Officials of the Ultimate Fighting Championship clarified that Brock Lesnar is still suspended from the league.
Recently, Lesnar was rumored to be making a comeback to the UFC after he was reportedly spotted lined up for the United States Anti-Doping Agency's testing. This stirred up a lot of speculations that he was planning to re-establish a UFC career once he was done with his contract with World Wrestling Entertainment.
Lesnar's contract with the WWE is set to lapse shortly after the WrestleMania 34 event next year. This fact gave fans more reason to believe that he could be considering going back to the mixed martial arts scene once he is done with wrestling.
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However, UFC vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky commented on the reports and said Lesnar was not back in the USADA testing pool for MMA as reported.
Novitzky said: "If he ever re-entered the program, he'd have to serve [the duration of the suspension] before he'd be able to compete."
On July 9, 2016, Lesnar faced Mark Hunt for a Heavyweight Championship title match during UFC 200. Lesnar won via unanimous decision.
However, later that month, USADA confirmed that Lesnar's in-competition sample tested positive for the use of an unnamed substance. The fight's result was then overturned.
Then, in December 2016, the Nevada State Athletic Commission found that Lesnar's off-competition sample was positive in having an anti-estrogenic agent Hydroxy-clomiphene. He was subsequently slammed with a one-year suspension and $250,000 fine.
Lesnar had a stellar career in the UFC in the earlier years. In 2008, Lesnar faced Randy Couture in the octagon to snatch the Heavyweight Championship crown. Couture was defeated via technical knockout in the second round. Then, in the following years, Lesnar was successful in repeatedly defending the UFC Heavyweight Championship title.
By 2010, Lesnar faced a yet undefeated Shane Carwin to defend the UFC Heavyweight Championship title. He won and ended the match with an arm triangle choke in the second round. At the time, Lesnar's run as the UFC Heavyweight Champion was recognized as one of the most successful consecutive title defenses in the league's history.
