MMA News: Brock Lesnar won't appear on UFC 230

What's the Story?

Brock Lesnar's highly anticipated return to UFC lead many to believe he would make another surprise appearance at UFC 230, but that won't be happening.

UFC President Dana White confirmed that Lesnar will not be at UFC 230 to confront Daniel Cormier after his fight.

In Case You Didn't Know...

Before returning to WWE after an extended absence, Lesnar made a surprise return to the octagon at UFC 226 and talked down on the current state of the heavyweight division in the company before challenging Cormier for the UFC Heavyweight Title.

It was later revealed that Lesnar was back in the USADA testing pool and was eligible to compete in the UFC in January 2019.

The Heart of the Matter

During the UFC 232 press conference, White was asked whether Lesnar would be in attendance for UFC 230 this Saturday and confirmed that the former UFC Champion would not be coming to the show.

“People keep asking me that. No, he’s not coming here. He’s not coming to the fight.”

This news is especially interesting following Lesnar becoming the WWE Universal Champion after wrestling Braun Strowman at WWE Crown Jewel yesterday.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Lesnar's contract with WWE could keep him through to Royal Rumble 2019 and possibly WrestleMania 35, but would affect his UFC return timetable.

What's Next?

With Lesnar's recent victory at Crown Jewel, his career with UFC and WWE just got much more interesting.

UFC Fighter Jon Jones also expressed his desire to fight Lesnar, so the Universal Champion has two blockbuster fights on the horizon for 2019.

Paul Heyman has constantly talked about Lesnar holding both the Universal and UFC Heavyweight Championships at once, but now there's an actual chance that it could happen.