Paul Heyman’s claim that Brock Lesnar ‘would still be champion at 49’ sparks WWE backstage reaction
Brock Lesnar announced his retirement from professional wrestling in August 2026 after losing to Oba Femi in a Hell in a Cell match at SummerSlam. Paul Heyman said Lesnar would never have been defeated in the UFC and “He’d still be champion today at 49,” comments that reportedly provoked responses from people backstage in WWE.
Lesnar’s career combined notable success in WWE with a spell in mixed martial arts: he won seven WWE Championships, three Universal Championships and two Royal Rumble matches and ended The Undertaker’s unbeaten WrestleMania streak. In MMA he defeated Randy Couture to capture the UFC Heavyweight Championship in 2008 and defended it twice before diverticulitis interrupted his career. His final UFC outing against Mark Hunt at UFC 200 initially ended in a victory but was overturned to a no-contest after an anti-doping violation; Lesnar finished his professional MMA career with five wins, three losses, and one no-contest, and his UFC record was four wins and three losses, with one no-contest.
WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman made his remarks about Lesnar’s athleticism and the impact of diverticulitis during an appearance on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, saying: “It’s just magic. It’s lightning in a bottle. He was my Aryan and I was his Jew. His name was perfect, what a name. Brock Lesnar. You don’t have to make up a name. He is the greatest athlete on the face of the planet, and the only reason why he doesn’t get the credit he deserves is number one, there is a preconceived notion of what a professional wrestler is. Number two, because diverticulitis robbed him of so much more great athletic accomplishment. If he didn’t have diverticulitis, he would’ve never been defeated in UFC. Never. He’d still be champion today at 49. There’s nobody on this planet that could hang with him. No one. No one would get out of the first round with him, there’s no way.”
Fightful Select reported that several people within WWE reacted to Heyman’s comments, with the general feeling backstage described as Heyman promoting Lesnar rather than offering a realistic assessment of his chances against today’s heavyweight fighters. One source quoted in the report said Heyman was in “promoter mode.”
Lesnar formally announced his retirement on The Pat McAfee Show on August 4, 2026, following his SummerSlam loss to Oba Femi, and spoke about prioritising family and other interests away from wrestling, saying: “I got some hunting lined up and I got two boys in hockey. I’m gonna support that, their dreams, as long as that’s feasible and my daughter — she’s got her eye on 2028 Olympics and just gonna spend some more time with the kids and in the woods and just reap what I’ve sown, you know? Just enjoy life.”
Since retiring he has made occasional public appearances, including being pictured in September with a youth hockey team, and has been supporting his daughter Mya’s track and field career as she pursues her Olympic ambitions. Although speculation about a WWE return continues, Lesnar has not announced any plans to resume wrestling and has said he will focus on family and personal pursuits.
Lesnar has not declared an intention to return to the ring; his stated immediate priorities are supporting his children’s sporting activities, including his daughter’s 2028 Olympic ambitions, and spending time away from professional wrestling.