Brock Lesnar Reportedly Tested by USADA Weeks Before Retiring from UFC

Before walking away from his UFC career, Brock Lesnar was taking steps to get back in the Octagon at least one more time.

Per TMZ Sports, the United States Anti-Doping Agency confirmed the former UFC heavyweight champion submitted nine samples through the drug testing pool over the past year, including one between April 1 and 18. 

UFC president Dana White told ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto Lesnar "told me he's done. He's retired."

Lesnar was suspended for one year by USADA for failing one out-of-competition drug test and one in-competition drug test leading up to his fight against Mark Hunt at UFC 200 in July 2016. 

In order to give himself the option of fighting again, Lesnar entered back into the USADA drug-testing pool on July 3 that would make him eligible to return when his suspension ended on Jan. 8. 

UFC seemed to be building toward a Lesnar-Daniel Cormier match for the heavyweight title. Cormier called the former WWE universal champion into the cage following his win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 226, four days after Lesnar went back into the testing pool.

White told reporters as recently as April 15 if Cormier wanted to fight Lesnar, "he’s going to fight Brock Lesnar if I can get it done and if I can make it happen."

Instead, Okamoto noted Cormier is expected to give Miocic a rematch for the heavyweight title at a pay-per-view event on Aug. 17. 

Lesnar, meanwhile, will presumably remain with WWE for the foreseeable future. The company announced he would be part of the June 7 event in Saudi Arabia.