What’s the story?
Former UFC Heavyweight champion Josh Barnett and TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley will clash this Thursday night (February 23, 2017) for the title on Impact Wrestling. Both men also have an extensive mixed martial arts (MMA) background as Barnett once ruled the UFC’s Heavyweight division, and Lashley is well on his way there, over at Bellator.
This isn’t the first time the pair has wrestled, however, as Barnett revealed they originally wrestled together in IGF in Japan. In an interview with Wrestling Inc, Barnett spoke about his first encounter with Lashley.
In case you didn’t know...
Barnett is currently focusing on his pro wrestling career as he is currently suspended by the UFC for the use of banned substances.
The heart of the matter:
Here’s what Barnett had to say about his initial meeting with Lashley in Japan (courtesy of Wrestling Inc.):
"God, it was in IGF and it was pretty hard-hitting. We went out for a good amount of time and it was the first and only time I did a dropkick off the top rope, so it was a good time. And we got in there and we mixed it up. You know, what's nice about people like Bobby is that I can get in there and we can do a lot of stuff without having to do it ahead of time. We don't have to call it. We just put hands on each other and get moving and we wrestled."
What’s next?
Lashley and Barnett will collide once again for the Heavyweight title in TNA; much higher stakes than their original meeting in Japan.
Sportskeeda’s take
Barnett is rather experienced inside the ring so his match with Lashley should be an interesting one. It is definitely a match to keep your eye on this week.
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