Bobby Lashley wants a crack at Fedor Emelianenko before “The Last Emperor” calls it quits for good.
Emelianenko was supposed to meet Matt Mitrione in his Bellator debut this past Saturday night (Feb. 18) inside the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Those plans crumbled when Mitrione was pulled from the event due to kidney stones. “The Last Emperor” was removed from the card as well.
Lashley, who competes against an opponent to be determined at Bellator 179 on May 19, told MMAJunkie.com that he’d like to face Emelianenko some day. In fact, Lashley said it’s a bout that was always in his sights:
“I think every heavyweight wants to get the opportunity to fight Fedor (Emelianenko) before he completely retires. That was one thing that I was hoping to get early on. I have all the respect for Mitrione; I think Mitrione is an incredible person. I like that fight with Fedor, but I know they’re still going to give Mitrione the opportunity to fight him. After he fights him, hopefully they open the doors for me.”
Brock Lesnar can currently been seen in a part-time role for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Lashley used to be seen on WWE television and is now the reigning Total Nonstop Action (TNA) world heavyweight champion.
Many fans have linked the two, although Lesnar is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion who took a different path. Lashley juggles sports entertainment and mixed martial arts (MMA) and has been doing so for years.
Lashley closed the door on a potential match-up with Lesnar:
“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 (fight), so I don’t think he even wants to come back and do anything anymore.”
