Brock Lesnar Eligible to Fight Again in January 2019 After Re-Entering USADA Program

Brock Lesnar has started the necessary steps to make his return to the UFC.

On Monday, USADA officials confirmed in a statement to MMANytt that Lesnar re-entered the drug testing program on July 3 to begin working towards his next fight inside the Octagon.

Lesnar made his return to the UFC cage on Saturday night where he confronted new heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier following his win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 226.

“After receiving notice of his intent to compete in the UFC, USADA re-entered Brock Lesnar to the testing pool on July 3,” USADA officials wrote in a statement. “With six months and four days remaining on his period of ineligibility, Lesnar will be able to compete on or after January 8, 2019, should he remain in compliance with the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.”

Lesnar was previously suspended for one year after he tested positive for the banned substance Clomiphene following his UFC 200 fight against Mark Hunt in 2016. Following that suspension, Lesnar informed the UFC and USADA that he was retiring from the sport, which pulled him out of the company’s drug testing program.

Now that Lesnar intends to fight again, he has to serve out the remainder of that sentence, which coincides with six months of required drug testing before he is eligible to return to the UFC.

On Saturday night, UFC president Dana White confirmed that Lesnar will face Cormier with the heavyweight championship on the line when he makes his return to the Octagon.

Assuming Lesnar doesn’t run into any other infractions of the UFC’s anti-doping policy, he can face Cormier any time after Jan. 8, 2019.