What’s the story?
TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley recently spoke with MMAJunkie to discuss his return to the cage. During the interview, Lashley said that like everybody else in the Heavyweight division, he too wants to try his luck against the legendary Fedor Emelianenko.
Lashley who is also signed with American mixed martial arts promotion Bellator is scheduled to appear at Bellator 179 in London. However, it is not known as of yet who his opponent will be.
In case you didn’t know...
Emelianenko was supposed to make his Bellator debut against another veteran of the sport, Matt Mitrione. The fight was supposed to happen last week at Bellator 172, but Mitrione pulled out of the fight just hours before the show, citing kidney stones as the reason.
The heart of the matter
Lashley (15-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) is currently undefeated in his last five MMA fights in the promotion and is looking to add another victory to the tally in his return fight at May 19 event in London. While his opponent is yet to be revealed, Lashley has expressed the desire to face The Last Emperor Fedor Emelianenko.
Here is what the TNA World Heavyweight Champion had to say in this regard:
I think every heavyweight wants to get the opportunity to fight Fedor (Emelianenko) before he completely retires. It was one thing that I was hoping to get early on.
In case you are wondering how dominant Lashley can be inside the cage, here are some highlights from his last MMA fight:
Furthermore, Lashley brushed off the rumours of a potential fight with Brock Lesnar, stating that the two would probably never face each other inside the cage. Here is what he said about the possible match with the Beast Incarnate:
I think it’s shut. I would like to say it’s not shut, but I think it’s shut. I think the WWE is taking really good care of him right now, which they should because he’s a huge star for them. If they’re taking care of him, there’s no real reason for him to keep stepping back over. He made a huge paycheck on his last, so I don’t think he even wants to come back and do anything anymore.
What’s next?
As noted above, Lashley’s opponent for Bellator 179 is yet to be announced. In the kayfabe world, he is currently feuding with another MMA legend Josh Barnett.
Sportskeeda’s take
Bobby Lashley is amongst the few pro wrestlers that made a successful transition to the world of mixed martial arts. A fight between him and The Last Emperor would be an absolute treat, and Bellator should book it right away since the ageing process is swiftly closing in on the two men.
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