Brock Lesnar shoves Daniel Cormier"[Brock Lesnar] told me he's done, he's retired."
With that simple statement from Ultimate Fighting Championships President Dana White, it appears that one of the largest figures in the UFC organization is stepping away from a professional mixed martial arts career stretching back a dozen years.
Lesnar's decision would also appear to put an end to the possibility of a match with UFC heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier ... but opened the door to a rematch between Cormier and Stipe Miocic.
Cormier and Miocic last fought at UFC 226 in Las Vegas in July 2018, with the 40-year-old Cormier scoring a first-round knockout. Immediately after the bout, Lesnar entered the Octagon to challenge the champ ... which had fueled endless speculation as two when the two titans would actually settle things.
Here's how wrestlinginc.com reported Lesnar's retirement announcement Tuesday:
"[Lesnar] told me he's done, he's retired," White told ESPN. "We're going to move in another direction with Cormier."
"With Brock Lesnar informing UFC president Dana White that he doesn't intend to fight again, the UFC is close to finalizing a heavyweight title matchup between Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic for a pay-per-view event on Aug. 17, in Anaheim, California," according to ESPN.com.
"Both sides have verbally agreed to the fight, though contracts are not yet signed," ESPN.com continued.
"Cormier confirmed to ESPN that he is in the process of finalizing the bout, as did Miocic. UFC president Dana White confirmed the pay-per-view date and location."
If Lesnar is indeed hanging up the fight shorts, the 41-year-old retires from a pro MMA career launched in 2007 with a 5-2 overall record. Cormier is 22-1-1 in his pro career which goes back to September 2009, while Miocic is 18-3 as a pro (starting in February 2010) -- and 5-0 as an amateur.
No doubt helping power the successful MMA careers of these titans of the Octagon: Lesnar, Cormier and Miocic all have amateur wrestling backgrounds.
Brock Lesnar placed third at the South Dakota state wrestling championships, then headed north to Bismarck State College, where he became a two-time NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) champion. It was at a wrestling tournament where Lesnar was "discovered" by J Robinson, then head coach at University of Minnesota. In two seasons as a Golden Gopher, Lesnar was a two-time Big Ten conference heavyweight champ and two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships finalist, winning the title at 285 pounds at the 2000 Nationals.
Daniel Cormier was a three-time Louisiana high school state champion who continued his academic and athletic career at Colby Community College in Kansas, where he a two-time NJCAA national titlewinner. Cormier then went to Oklahoma State, where he was a finalist at the 2001 NCAAs at 184 pounds. Cormier was a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic men's freestyle team but was unable to compete at the Beijing Games because of kidney failure.
Stipe Miocic, 36, wrestled in high school in Eastlake, Ohio in suburban Cleveland ... then continued his mat career at Cleveland State University before venturing into MMA first as an amateur nearly 13 years ago, then going pro nine years ago.
Lesnar leaving the squared circle, too?
If it weren't enough that Lesnar had reportedly told White of his plans to retire from UFC, some media outlets are reporting that the former UFC and WWE champ had a similar talk with WWE's Vince McMahon.
Here's what wrestling-edge.com reported Wednesday:
"According to Brett Okamoto of ESPN, UFC President Dana White told him Brock Lesnar is retired from UFC, but there's an even bigger story which hasn't been reported yet ... Brock had a conversation with Vince McMahon over the weekend and wants to retire from WWE at WrestleMania 36. That's huge."
Stay tuned.
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