Credit: WWE

Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, 49, is retiring from combat sports following his appearance at WWE’s SummerSlam.

After 26 years in WWE/WWF, Brock Lesnar appeared in the ring for the final time at SummerSlam in Minneapolis last weekend.

Lesnar, 49, was first speculated to retire following a loss to Oba Femi earlier this year at WrestleMania 42 in April. He went on to rematch Femi in the SummerSlam main event, losing the headliner in his home state of Minnesota.

After becoming one of the most polarizing superstars in professional wrestling history, Lesnar announced his decision in one of his first interviews since SummerSlam Night 1.

Brock Lesnar retires from combat sports following WWE SummerSlam appearance

In a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Lesnar announced his retirement from professional wrestling.

“I’m here today to let the world know, that I am retiring,” Lesnar said.

“Saturday was a very emotional day for me. Weird, because when Oba Femi slammed me at Wrestlemania, I thought to myself, ‘I can’t do this anymore, I’m done!’. That’s it for me in the squared circle, and for everything else, too. So I just want to give a shoutout to everyone in this universe that’s followed me…

“I’m just grateful to be 49 years old and do what I did in this lifetime. I want to thank all of my coaches…if you work hard and put the time in, good things will happen.”

Lesnar, a former UFC heavyweight champion, shook up the Mixed Martial Arts world when he won the heavyweight title at UFC 91 over Randy Couture, at the height of his WWE superstardom. He went on to earn wins over Shane Carwin and Frank Mir before a loss to Cain Velasquez at UFC 121.

After a seven-year hiatus from MMA, Lesnar returned to the Octagon to fight Mark Hunt at UFC 200, earning a decision win that was later overturned to a no-contest after testing positive for a banned substance. He was briefly linked to a comeback after Daniel Cormier won the heavyweight title at UFC 226, but negotiations stalled in the following months.

What is your favorite memory from Brock Lesnar’s UFC career? Let us know your thoughts in the comments![

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM