Brock Lesnar re-signs with WWE, rules out return to UFC

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar announced live on ESPN SportsCenter Tuesday that he was not only shutting the door on his mixed martial arts career, but that he had signed a new contract with the WWE.

During a sit-down interview with ESPN's Michelle Beadle in Los Angeles, Lesnar said that it was a decision that was a year in the making and that it was tough, but WWE Chief Executive Officer Vince McMahon made him an offer Monday night that he couldn't refuse.

Lesnar also said that he loves to fight, but that he is putting his desire to compete Octagon aside to continue to work for the WWE.

"The older you get, the wiser you become," Lesnar said during the interview. "I didn't want to be that guy that retired and came back so there was a lot of different things that went through my mind. Like I said, this just wasn't an overnight decision. This was a long, heartfelt decision that you weight out the pros, you weigh out the cons and at the end of the day, last night old Vince McMahon put the offer on the table that I couldn't refuse."

"When it comes down to business and money and health and well-being, I've been on both sides of the spectrum," he added. "I've been in a bad position with my health, I've been in a bad position with my money and now I'm in a great position with both and I'm happy. I love what I'm doing. I work a limited schedule. I work part-time with full-time pay … like everybody wants, but you can't have, just me, so I'm happy."

"If you can't watch me in the ring and not be entertained and not think that I'm having any fun then there's something definitely wrong," he said. "I love being in the squared circle. I always have, but I always hated the outside ambiance about everything else. There's an old saying in the business, 'It's all fake, but the money and the miles,' and the miles weren't good for me."

[Video courtesy of ESPN.com]