WWE Champion Bobby Lashley Calls For Clash With UFC Champion Francis Ngannou
WWE champion, Bobby Lashley has sights fixed on a future showdown against reigning UFC heavyweight titleholder, Francis Ngannou claiming that the behemoths could settle their differences in a “ring or a cage“”.
Lashley, a professional wrestler, has competed in professional mixed martial arts before, seventeen times, in fact, and has lodged an eye-catching 15-2 professional record.
The 44-year-old Kansas native is the current WWE champion, and featured at the professional wrestling organization’s flagship event, WrestleMania 37 which took place on April 10. and 11. — and has featured professionally under the banners of Strikeforce, Titan FC, Shark Fights, SFL, and most notably, Bellator MMA alongside Scott Coker. Back in October of last year after a six-year stay with the North American-based promotion, Lashley was granted his release from the organization.
Plying his trade with American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida — Lashley has scored notable wins over the likes of Jason Guida, Bob Sapp, Wes Sims, Karl Knothe, Kevin Asplund, Karl Etherington, James Thompson, and Josh Appelt. His last professional walk back in October of 2016 against Appelt where he scored a second round rear-naked choke win.
Speaking with JOE.co.uk — Lashley claimed he would be open to the possibility of standing opposite Batie bruiser, Ngannou in the future, whether that be in a ring or in the Octagon.
“I went into that world (MMA) without aspirations of being a UFC champion, I went into that world to learn the business and learn the sport,” Lashley said. “I won some titles but I was never completely one-hundred percent dedicated because I always wanted to come back to professional wrestling.That was my goal the entire time, but some of the organizations told me that in order for me to come in I had to write the professional wrestling part out of my schedule and I couldn’t do that.“
“He (Francis Ngannou) has a title, I have a title — we could do it in the ring or in the cage,” Lashley explained. “I don’t mind it. If this is calling him our, this is calling him out.“
If Lashley would ever make a run in the UFC, he would be following the footsteps of Ken Shamrock, former WWE champion, C.M. Punk who suffered two losses in his sole two Octagon walks, as well as maybe most notably, Brock Lesnar — who scored the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship during his time with the Dana White-led organization.
While Lashley is open to the prospect of meeting with Ngannou in the future, the Cameroonian already appears to have his hands full in a bid to avenge a prior career loss to Derrick Lewis, with the heavyweight championship expected to be on the line between the two this August in a title re-run.
