ESPN reported on Friday that Two-Time UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Valasquez has signed a lucrative, multi-year contract with WWE and has also notified the UFC of his retirement.
The report also noted that Valasquez has been removed from the UFC’s United States Anti-Doping Agency drug-testing pool and the UFC heavyweight rankings.
Velasquez debuted during the premiere episode of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX when he entered the ring and took down newly crowned WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.
Several hours following the report by ESPN, WWE officially announced that Cain Velasquez will challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at Crown Jewel which takes place live from Saudi Arabia on Thursday October 31.
You can read the full announcement followed by the Twitter post below:
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez
At WWE Crown Jewel, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar will go to war with former UFC Champion Cain Velasquez.
The WWE Universe was left in utter shock when Brock Lesnar hit a sudden F-5 to defeat Kofi Kingston in less than 10 seconds to capture the WWE Championship on the premiere of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX. Before anyone could catch their breath, however, Rey Mysterio’s music suddenly blared through the arena. The Master of the 619, who was decimated alongside his son by Lesnar on Monday, hit the scene sporting a sling on his arm, but he didn’t come alone. Rey had considerable backup in the way of Lesnar’s former MMA rival Cain Velasquez.
Stepping between the ropes, Cain absolutely unloaded on The Beast, dropping him with a double-leg takedown and landing several stiff strikes. The ambush caused Lesnar to retreat, and the new WWE Champion looked as if he had just seen a ghost.
As a result of the incident, WWE made the monumental announcement four days later that Lesnar will once again step into the ring against Velasquez at the WWE Crown Jewel pay-per-view.
Lesnar’s attack on Mysterio and his son has made the coming contest extremely personal for Velasquez, who has pledged to make his opponent relive the nightmare of their past showdown. Each and every time The Beast has looked in the mirror for the past nine years, he’s had to see the scar that Velasquez gave him when Velasquez defeated him for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. The return bout is an opportunity for Lesnar to finally right that wrong.
Don’t miss when Lesnar once again faces off against Velasquez when WWE Crown Jewel emanates from the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, streaming live on WWE Network on Thursday, Oct. 31, at 8 p.m. AST/1 p.m. ET.
LESNAR. VELASQUEZ.
Will history repeat itself when @BrockLesnar defends his #WWEChampionship against @cainmma at #WWECrownJewel? #SmackDown @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/v2MTi3IsFw
— WWE (@WWE) October 12, 2019