One of the biggest ever stars in UFC history is not coming back

It was New Year's Eve, 2011 and it looked for all the world that Brock Lesnar's fighting days were done.

An ongoing battle with diverticulitis was punctuated by two vicious TKO defeats, the most recent of which had taken place the night before, and the biggest hype train that had stepped through the Octagon doors to that point had been well and truly derailed, destined for retirement. "Tonight was the last time you'll see me in the Octagon," the former UFC heavyweight champion announced following his defeat to Alistair Overeem in the main event of UFC 141. But lo and behold, 2016 came and the world's preeminent MMA organisation went knocking on Lesnar's door in the hope that the WWE superstar might play a part at UFC 200. Lesnar was tasked with facing the man synonymous with one punch knockouts, Mark Hunt, but Lesnar's return was a successful one and one in which he encountered little resistance as he dominated the grappling exchanges and earned a unanimous decision. The event was not a stellar success but Lesnar's return saw it pass 1.1m buys. But then everything went tits up. Following his dominant display against Hunt, it emerged that Lesnar had tested positive for the banned substance clomiphene twice over the summer, which resulted in the former 'Baddest Man on the Planet' being suspended by the United States Anti-Doping Agency for a year retroactive to the tests. Lesnar would have been eligible to return to the Octagon on July 15, 2017 but that never looked to be a truly likely option. So tarnished was the 39-year-old's reputation that the vast majority of fight fans were certain that Lesnar had fought his last fight. And they'd be right. While there is no official statement from Lesnar, a UFC spokesperson had revealed to MMA Fighting that the fighter has confirmed his intention to retire from MMA. Finishing his career with a professional record of 5-3 (1 NC), Lesnar's legacy will live long in the Octagon as he was the first genuine superstar produced by the promotion. Since his positive drug test results, he has remained relatively quiet in the media although he is expected to perform at WrestleMania 33 in April.