After Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley, and CM Punk, popular WWE star discloses desire to compete in MMA
Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley are two renowned WWE names who competed in the mixed martial arts business. While Lesnar was signed to UFC, Lashley is known for his time in other promotions, such as Bellator MMA and Strikeforce (which was later bought by UFC). CM Punk had also stepped inside the Octagon at one point in his illustrious career.
The All Mighty's on-screen stablemate on Friday Night SmackDown, Montez Ford, recently spoke about his interest in the leading mixed martial arts promotion, Ultimate Fighting Championship. TKO Group Holdings is the parent company of the latter as well as WWE.
Montez Ford was asked if he has UFC aspirations while speaking to TNT Sports. He revealed that the aforementioned top stars inspired him to train for it and that he eventually intended to step inside the Octagon.
"100% I will say. I’ve always been a fan of it, always been training for it. It is something I was talking about in the last two years about actually going over and having a match. Seeing CM Punk, Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley, doing different promotions. Something I had interest in but it got shut down quickly by um, coughs.” [H/T: Ringside News]
The WWE Tag Team Triple Crown Champion and wife, Bianca Belair, were spotted at the UFC 298 event. CM Punk was also in attendance. The latter was described in UFC's name banner as a "Retired UFC Welterweight."
When Montez Ford told WWE Hall of Famer about his future plans in the wrestling business
Montez Ford was cited by former WWE Superstar Mustafa Ali as the "most charismatic guy" on the roster. He is often singled out for praise by many of his contemporaries. Former WWE Champion Big E even claimed that Ford has "screamed star" for a long time.
During an appearance on Booker T's Hall of Fame podcast, Montez Ford spoke candidly about becoming a singles star and hoisting the World Championship. He revealed that his mother still sends him childhood photos of himself in which he is seen holding the WWE Championship belt.
Furthermore, Ford added that at the end of the day, as much as they want to make money, every superstar on the roster also wants to become the man:
'I feel like all the guys and everyone that's here, if you're not trying to be the guy then — obviously you want to make money, that's the main thing, but you always want to be the man, too."
Currently, Montez Ford is part of a popular faction on SmackDown alongside Bobby Lashley, Angelo Dawkins, and B-Fab. The Street Profits have done it all in the tag team division, including winning all the belts and picking up a notable WrestleMania victory last year. It remains to be seen where the foursome will fit in on the Road to WrestleMania 40.