Francis Ngannou gets called out to a crossover bout by WWE champion Bobby Lashley

WWE champion Bobby Lashley is currently enjoying the best run of his pro-wrestling career. The All-Mighty, who made his WWE debut in September 2005, recently defended his title against both Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman at WrestleMania Backlash, proving himself as the man to beat on WWE RAW. However, as well as things are going for Lashley inside the squared circle, he’s open to defend his title against anyone who might give him a tough challenge, even if it’s against the newly-crowned UFC champion Francis Ngannou.

Lashley’s brief MMA run

Between 2008 and 2016, Lashley made many appearances inside the octagon as he fought in Strikeforce and Bellator MMA. The former All-American amateur wrestler did very well for himself, earning an overall career record of 15-2. Going into his last bout against Josh Appelt at Bellator 162: Shlemenko vs Grove, Lashley was on a seven-fight win streak, with wins over Dan Charles, James Thompson, Matt Larson, Josh Burns and others. He then went on to defeat Appelt via second-round submission, ending his career on a high note.

WWE vs UFC: Lashley on MMA retirement

During an interview with joe.co.uk, the All-Mighty revealed that he liked the sport, but his heart was never fully in it as he still wanted to see success in the wrestling ring. "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. He said he never dedicated himself 100% to MMA and after few years decided to return to WWE.

His decision to return to Vince McMahon’s promotion proved to be fruitful as he went on to deliver some phenomenal performances. Particularly in the last 12 months, the former MMA fighter has been dominating the WWE RAW roster before achieving his dream of becoming a WWE Champion. The 44-year-old defeated Miz in March 2021 to lift the title for the first time in his career.

Bobby Lashley vs Francis Ngannou

Another man who achieved his dream this year was Cameroon native Francis Ngannou. The Predator defeated the greatest heavyweight of all-time Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 to claim the UFC gold. Talking about the 34-year-old, Lashley admitted that he’s open to fighting Ngannou in the WWE ring or UFC octagon. “He has a title, I have a title - we could do it in the ring or the cage. I don't mind it. If this is calling him out, this is calling him out,” he added.

Image Source: Francis Ngannou/ Instagram, WWE.com