Despite rumors of a return to the UFC Octagon, Brock Lesnar is staying put in the WWE -- at least for now.
In a statement released Monday, WWE announced that Lesnar had re-signed with the company and will next perform in a match on April 27 at the "Greatest Royal Rumble" event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, defending the Universal championship against Roman Reigns inside of a steel cage.
Terms of Lesnar's new contract were not released, and it is not known how the deal will affect his future with the UFC. Lesnar has crossed over and fought in the UFC while under contract with the WWE before, including in his last MMA fight, when he faced Mark Hunt at UFC 200 in July 2016.
Lesnar defeated Hunt by decision, but that result was changed to no contest when Lesnar tested positive for clomiphene. If he were to return to MMA, Lesnar would still have to re-enter the USADA testing pool and serve out the last six months of his suspension.
As recently as Friday, at the UFC's 25th anniversary news conference, UFC president Dana White spoke about Lesnar's status with the company.
"He's still under contract with the UFC, but we haven't signed him to a fight," White said. "He's still under contract with us, too -- he still has fights left on his deal. He's gotta get back into the USADA pool."
White also said it was possible that Lesnar could face the winner of the July 7 UFC heavyweight championship fight between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier at UFC 226.
Speculation about Lesnar's return to the UFC gained traction in late February when White, appearing on Kevin Harvick's SiriusXM NASCAR Radio show, said there was a "very, very, very good" chance that Lesnar would return to the UFC . Last Wednesday, White appeared on Fox Sports' "UFC Tonight" and reiterated his confidence in a Lesnar return to the UFC.
"Yeah, Brock Lesnar's coming back," White said on the show. "I don't know when, but yes he is."
Lesnar's history with the WWE goes back almost two decades. After his collegiate wrestling career at the University of Minnesota concluded, Lesnar signed his first WWE contract in 2000 and remained with the company through March 2004. After a failed attempt to enter the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, Lesnar eventually made his way to the UFC and made his debut in February 2008. In his fourth professional fight, Lesnar defeated UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture to become UFC heavyweight champion. His MMA record stands at 5-3 with one no contest.
He returned to the WWE in April 2012 and has been under contract with the company ever since.
Lesnar appeared at WWE's WrestleMania 34 show in New Orleans on Sunday night and performed in the show's closing match against Reigns.