Cain Velasquez is hanging up his gloves for good in favor of the squared circle.
ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reports that Velasquez has informed the UFC of his retirement. He has signed a multiyear deal with the WWE. Velasquez is set to take on WWE champion Brock Lesnar at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 31.
The writing was on the wall when it came to Velasquez’s future. The former two-time UFC heavyweight champion has been removed from the USADA drug-testing pool as well as the heavyweight rankings. ESPN reached out to the UFC for comment, but a response wasn’t immediately sent.
Velasquez made his WWE debut last Friday night (Oct. 4). He appeared at the end of WWE SmackDown’s FOX debut. Velasquez walked down the ramp with Rey Mysterio right after Lesnar defeated Kofi Kingston to become the new WWE champion. Velasquez attacked Lesnar inside the ring before “The Beast” could escape.
During a WWE press conference in Las Vegas, Velasquez confirmed to reporters that he has closed the door on his MMA career. The former heavyweight ruler said that UFC president Dana White was fully supportive of his decision to transition to the world of pro wrestling, or sports entertainment as WWE chairman Vince McMahon has coined.
