Report: WWE Preparing for Brock Lesnar to Return to MMA

According to insiders in the WWE, Brock Lesnar's days as a professional wrestler may be winding down, and his days as a UFC heavyweight contender may just be starting back up.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (via John Morgan of MMAJunkie.com), the WWE is currently preparing to deal with the departure of its heavyweight champion.

According to Meltzer, "The Lesnar people always keep things quiet, but within the company, the belief is that he's going back to UFC, and his showing up lighter to TV last week confirmed that to people who thought it.”

Meltzer is referring to the December 15 edition of Monday Night Raw, which saw The Beast attack Chris Jericho and John Cena in order to hype his upcoming match at the Royal Rumble.

However, the most surprising thing (aside from the fact that it's a surprise to see Lesnar at all these days) was that he was visibly leaner—by Lesnar's standards, at least—than when he fought Cena at the Night of Champions event in September. 

Naturally, that spurred discussion that he was shedding weight in order to return to MMA, which traditionally carries a 265-pound limit on its heavyweight divisions.

Speculation regarding Lesnar once again leaving pro wrestling in order to pursue MMA has swirled for a long while now.

UFC President Dana White has taken every opportunity to state that Lesnar wants to return to the sport and that he is welcome to come back to his old promotion.

With Lesnar's WWE contract expiring in just a few months (it lasts until WrestleMania 31, on March 29, 2015), both the UFC and Bellator are making their intent to pursue Lesnar clear.

The race for Lesnar is likely to be one of the biggest stories of 2015. Stick with Bleacher Report for more details as they become available.