Fact Check: Did Hulk Hogan face Brock Lesnar after he returned to WWE from UFC?

Brock Lesnar left the UFC in 2011 while struggling with diverticulitis!

Hulk Hogan recently sat down with TMZ after launching a new promotion, Real American Freestyle Wrestling. Led by Hogan and Eric Bischoff, the new promotion will combine pro wrestling with MMA elements. With Izzy Martinez serving as COO, Hogan plans to make the promotion a major competitor to both WWE and UFC.

During the conversation with TMZ, Hulk claimed that he wrestled ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar after Lesnar left UFC. However, due to Hogan’s history of making outlandish claims that have often been proven wrong, or at least believed to be fictional, many fans are questioning the validity of his most recent claim, yet it hasn’t stopped him from continuing to make such statements.

In 2025 alone, Hulk Hogan faced multiple debunked claims, including his statement about the George Foreman Grills, his assertion that he invented WWE entrance music, and his expectation of being booed during Monday Night RAW’s Netflix Premiere, among others.

Let us now take a look at the facts to find out if Hogan is actually telling the truth this time, or, as usual, making claims that can be labelled as fiction.

Hulk Hogan was with TNA Wrestling in 2011

Hulk Hogan and Brock Lesnar faced off for the first time in a WWE Undisputed World Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership match on the August 6, 2002 episode of WWE SmackDown, which took place at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. Lesnar defeated Hogan in their first encounter.

However, this was their first and only encounter inside the ring and was six years before Lesnar made his UFC debut. Lesnar left the UFC in 2011, while Hogan was notably with TNA Wrestling at the time. After Lesnar’s UFC exit, Hogan only competed in two matches, all of which took place in TNA. All of this once again points towards Hogan making absurd claims which has no place in reality.

Brock Lesnar left the UFC in 2011 while struggling with diverticulitis, he returned to the promotion in 2016 and defeated fellow Heavyweight Mark Hunt via unanimous decision at UFC 200. The one-off opportunity was granted by WWE before he returned to the company for SummerSlam 2016.

However, the fight was ruled a no-contest after Lesnar was fined $250,000 and suspended for one year by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). As a result, his fight with Mark Hunt was officially overturned to a no-contest.

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