Brock Lesnar announced that he will not return to fight again in the Ultimate Fighting Championship Octagon after his upcoming appearance in the highly anticipated WWE WrestleMania 31 on Sunday.

Lesnar was linked to a move back to UFC once his contract with WWE runs out this month. But in an interview on SportsCenter on Tuesday, the 37-year-old athlete clarified that he will not return to the Octagon.

"I'm officially closing the door on MMA," Lesnar said. "It was hard. I re-signed last night with the WWE."

Lesnar, who will be featured in WWE's biggest pay-per-view event this year, said that he strongly considered returning to UFC, but eventually picked what he thinks is the best for his family.

"It was a very hard decision at this stage of my career," Lesnar continued. "The fighter inside me wants to compete. The father and husband -- I'm an older caveman now. I make wiser caveman decisions. So, I'm here to say my legacy in the Octagon is over. It was a hard decision to make."

Talks about his potential return to UFC intensified over the past several weeks, especially when he was seen cageside at UFC 184 during the showdown between women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and Cat Zingano.

The former UFC heavyweight champion confirmed that he strongly considered returning to mixed martial arts. He revealed that he has been preparing for his return. While he is still physically ready to fight in the Octagon again, Lesnar admitted that he eventually felt that he wants to close his door on mixed martial arts.

"It took me a year. I've thought about this for a year. At the end of the day, it's all about me wanting to have fun," Lesnar added. "The last two-and-a-half months I've been training to get back into the Octagon. I felt physically great, but something lacked mentally -- and that's not good."

Lesnar, who has not fought since losing to Alistair Overeem via knockout at UFC 141, reportedly reached out to the promotional company to talk about a possible comeback, but UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said that no negotiations took place. Fertitta said that Lesnar talked to him last month, but only to ask for UFC 184 tickets.

"He just wanted to come to the fight and I think feel it again, feel the energy," Fertitta told ESPN. "Remember what it was like to be part of the UFC."

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