Brock Lesnar is in trouble. Daniel Cormier, a former UFC heavyweight champion, revealed that Lesnar is banned from WWE due to legal issues. Speaking on the Mightycast podcast with Demetrious Johnson, Cormier linked Lesnar’s absence to a lawsuit against WWE founder Vince McMahon, casting doubt on his return to wrestling or UFC.
Cormier’s Comments and Past Rivalry
Cormier addressed Lesnar’s status, saying:
“Brock is on the banned list right now. Brock got into so much trouble. You know what Brock did. I ain’t telling you on air what Brock did. Brock is in so much trouble.”
He tied the ban to a federal lawsuit by former WWE employee Janel Grant, without sharing specifics.
He also recalled their near UFC fight. After Cormier beat Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 in July 2018, Lesnar shoved him in the cage, hyping a potential title bout. It never happened. Cormier said:
“WWE paid him more to stay. We danced the dance for a while. It could have been Brock and I when I fought Derrick Lewis in New York. But yeah, they paid him so much to stay. He was such a big star there that he could make money to go do that and do nothing but suplexes. Or go fight me in an Octagon which is real, and I’m gonna try to kill him. So it was like, yeah, he made the best choice.” h/t MMAMania
That moment in 2018 when Brock Lesnar stormed into the Octagon and got called out by UFC Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier while still holding the WWE Universal Title.
VINCE MCMAHON WAS PISSED 😭
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) July 2, 2025
Brock Lesnar, 48, is a former UFC heavyweight champion and WWE star. He won the UFC title in 2008 against Randy Couture, defending it twice before losing to Cain Velasquez in 2010. In WWE, he’s a seven-time world champion, winning the WWE Championship in 2002 at age 25, the youngest ever. He also won NCAA wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling titles.
His career has faced challenges. In 2016, Lesnar tested positive for clomiphene at UFC 200, turning his win over Mark Hunt into a no-contest. His last WWE match was a loss to Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam 2023. Legal troubles now block his wrestling return, and a UFC comeback seems unlikely.
Lesnar’s WWE ban stems from Grant’s lawsuit, filed January 25, 2024, and amended February 2025. Grant accused McMahon of sexual assault and trafficking, alleging he tried to traffic her to Lesnar in 2021 during contract talks, backed by explicit texts and a canceled “play date.” Lesnar hasn’t appeared in WWE since August 2023.
