Reports suggested for months that Lesnar would return to the Octagon to fight Cormier for the title but UFC President Dana White claims the WWE superstar told him he is done with the sport.
DC and The Beast’s intense feud started at UFC 226 last July at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The former Universal Champion walked into the Octagon after Cormier called him out following his historic first-round knockout victory over Stipe Miocic, which made him the second fighter in UFC history to hold two titles simultaneously.
Moments after coming face-to-face, the six-time world champion nearly sparked a brawl by pushing the ex-two-division champion before delivering an expletive-laden tirade.
The UFC Heavyweight Champion believes The Conqueror decided to call time on his MMA career because no offer met his financial demands.
The Louisiana-born fighter believes WWE are more capable of offering him a better deal as he is an invaluable commodity when it comes to TV ratings.
Cormier told ESPN: “I’m sure Brock couldn’t come to terms with the UFC, in terms of financial offer.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world of mixed martial arts right now in terms of pay-per-view.
“It’s not as straight forward as when Brock was there.
“I think when Brock looked at the landscape of the sport, what they were offering him, Brock said, ‘I can make guaranteed money [in WWE].’
“Not work as hard.
“He’d have to work his a*s off [to fight me] and it’s probably gonna go the bad way.
“Whereas with the WWE, it’s usually determined in his favor.
“So, as a businessman, I think Brock made the right decision.
“Then it works, right?
“Everybody is talking like, ‘Oh, Vince McMahon keeps putting the belt on Brock’ or keeps doing this with Brock.
“Brock was on the pay-per-view and then Brock was on Monday night and the ratings increased.
“There’s a method to the old man’s madness.
“He just continues to kind of rely on Brock and Brock has shown to be a commodity that keeps working for him.”