Brock Lesnar has officially called time on one of the most decorated careers in WWE.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Lesnar confirmed that he is retiring from professional wrestling. This was after his emotional loss to Oba Femi inside Hell in a Cell in the main event of SummerSlam Saturday. The match, which took place in Lesnar’s home state of Minnesota, ended with “The Beast” endorsing Femi as the future of WWE. Many viewed it as a symbolic passing of the torch.

Speaking on Pat McAfee’s show, Lesnar reflected on the moment he realized his career had come to an end.

“I’m here today to do this interview to let the world and everybody know that I am retired, and I wanted to say a big thank you to everybody.”

Lesnar admitted that the realization first hit him after his WrestleMania 42 loss to Femi.

“When Oba Femi slammed me at WrestleMania, I was like, ‘I can’t do this again.’ And so I was like, ‘I think I’m done.'”

Although he still felt he had something left to give, Lesnar said SummerSlam was the right place to walk away.

“I still had some fuel in the tank. But Saturday, for Brock Lesnar, that’s it. That’s it for me in the squared circle.”

Lesnar also took time to thank the fans who supported him throughout his career. Furthermore, he reflected on his journey from a small-town athlete to one of the biggest stars in both WWE and UFC.

“I was just a farm kid from South Dakota with a big dream, and a big heart, and a big-ass chip on my shoulder. I’m just grateful. Grateful to be 49 years old and to have been able to do what I did in this lifetime.”

He also encouraged younger athletes to value hard work over social media fame.

“I think a lot of people nowadays… leave out the hard work. If kids just stay focused on work and putting the time in, good things will happen.”

Lesnar’s retirement brings an end to a remarkable career. This spanned amateur wrestling, mixed martial arts, and sports entertainment. Before becoming one of WWE’s biggest attractions, Lesnar won the 2000 NCAA Division I Heavyweight Wrestling Championship while competing for the University of Minnesota.

He made his WWE main roster debut in 2002 and quickly became the youngest WWE Champion in company history. Over the next two decades, Lesnar built one of the most accomplished resumes in the company. He captured multiple world championships while headlining numerous premium live events.

Outside WWE, Lesnar enjoyed a successful career in mixed martial arts. He became the UFC Heavyweight Champion after defeating Randy Couture at UFC 91. Next, he successfully defended the title before eventually stepping away from the sport.

Lesnar had hinted that retirement was approaching earlier this year. After losing to Oba Femi at WrestleMania, he removed his gloves in a moment many interpreted as a farewell. However, he later returned to challenge Femi again at Clash in Italy, where he picked up one final victory before the rivals settled their feud inside Hell in a Cell at SummerSlam.

With his endorsement of Femi after the match and his official retirement announcement now public, Lesnar closes the curtain on a career that established him as one of the most dominant and accomplished performers in both WWE and UFC history.