WWE releases statement on Brock Lesnar competing at UFC 200

Brock Lesnar is a UFC fighter once again. He's also a WWE Superstar.

How does that work, exactly? That's not entirely clear. But WWE released a statement in an attempt to clarify Saturday night after the UFC announced that Lesnar would be fighting at UFC 200 on July 9 in Las Vegas.

"Brock Lesnar remains under contract to WWE, however, he has been granted a one-off opportunity to compete at UFC 200," the statement read. "Following this milestone event on July 9, Brock will return to WWE for Summerslam on Sunday, August 21, live on WWE Network."

Lesnar, 38, was a decorated amateur wrestler before embarking on a career in pre-determined pro wrestling. The former NCAA national champion at the University of Minnesota was a huge star in WWE in the early 2000s before leaving due to the brutal schedule and pursuing legitimate sports like football and then MMA.

Lesnar signed with the UFC originally in 2008 and became heavyweight champion with a win over Randy Couture in just his fourth pro MMA fight that same year. "The Beast" defended the belt against Frank Mir and Shane Carwin before falling to Cain Velasquez in 2010. Lesnar hung up the gloves -- or so we thought -- in 2011 after falling to Alistair Overeem. In between, he dealt with multiple bouts of the debilitating illness diverticulitis.

MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani was the first to report on Lesnar nearing a deal to return to the UFC at UFC 200. Lesnar famously defeated Mir at UFC 100, the promotion's last massive milestone event. The dual-sports entertainment star is arguably the biggest pay-per-view draw in UFC history.