Since he entered the cage on Saturday at UFC 226 and confronted new heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, there's been some speculation as to when exactly Brock Lesnar is eligible to return to competition inside the Octagon. The return all depended upon when the former heavyweight champion re-entered himself into the United States Anti-Doping Agency testing pool, and now we have an answer to that question. 

In a statement released to MMA Fighting, the USADA announced Lesnar has re-entered the testing pool as of July 3. With Lesnar required to serve a six-month suspension, he will be eligible to make his return to the cage in early January -- should he continually provide negative tests, of course. 

"After receiving notice of his intent to compete in the UFC, USADA re-entered Brock Lesnar to the testing pool on July 3," the USADA statement read. "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."  

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The suspension Lesnar is required to serve stems from a positive test for the substance clomiphene in relation to his UFC 200 fight with veteran Mark Hunt. Lesnar initially earned the decision win in that battle which took place in July 2016, but the decision was ultimately overturned and the suspension was handed down. Prior to his appearance in the Octagon on Saturday night, Lesnar has stayed away from the UFC while fulfilling his contractual obligations as the universal champion with WWE as a member of the Raw brand. 

It had been rumored for the past few months that Lesnar was aiming at returning to mixed martial arts, and after reigning light heavyweight champion Cormier quickly disposed of Stipe Miocic on Saturday to add the heavyweight championship to his collection, Lesnar quickly sprung into the cage to cut a profanity-laced promo on the heavyweight division before challenging Cormier. UFC president Dana White would later confirm that Lesnar would be Cormier's first challenger for the heavyweight championship. 

With the news on Monday that the former heavyweight champ is back in the testing pool, the stars are aligning for the Lesnar-Cormier matchup to take place some time in early 2019.