New ONE champ Arjan Bhullar wants to fight Bobby Lashley next.
It’s been a few months since Arjan Bhullar secured the ONE Championship heavyweight title to become the first Indian MMA champion. Even longer if you consider the fight was in April but tape delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But now that he’s got the title, he’s making big plans for what to do next with his career.
And that’s Bellator’s Bobby Lashley.
“[Scott] Coker’s not gonna let it happen in a cage, for cross-promotion,” Bhullar told FanSided. “So maybe Vince McMahon will allow that to happen in the squared circle. Either way, I’d love to pick a fight with Bobby Lashley.”
Cross promotion isn’t something done often in MMA, though Bellator has done it with RIZIN and ONE Championship and the UFC took part in the first MMA “trade.” These are all facts that Bhullar has taken into account and he believes ONE Championship would support a fight with Lashley, no matter the venue.
Arjan Bhullar would fight Bobby Lashley anywhere
“I think [Chatri Sityodtong] got a lot of trust in me and all of his champions,” he said. “And I think he sees value in that, in terms of me going out there and proving that. It brings value to us, to our title, to our brand as a company. I’d love to carry our flag and go do that. But if it’s in MMA, you have to get [Scott] Coker’s permission, which he’s not willing to give. But if we get Vince McMahon’s permission, it’s the same thing, and we got our hands on him. So it doesn’t matter to me where it happens, but I want my hands on Lashley.”
ONE Championship returns to live events on July 30 when it hosts ONE: Battleground from Singapore. At press time Bhullar wasn’t scheduled for a bout, but he recently called out former UFC champion, Stipe Micoic, who expressed displeasure with his current promotion.
ONE: Battleground takes place on Friday, July 30, live from Singapore. Follow along with FanSided for all your live news and highlights.