AEW's Bryan Danielson Challenged To MMA Fight
'Filthy' Tom Lawlor responds to Bryan's comments about wanting one last legitimate fight.
As Bryan Danielson continues to check off bucket-list items as he winds down his full-time in-ring career, could the American Dragon be set for an MMA fight? Possibly...
During a recent appearance on The Hull Show, Danielson said he'd be "a little bit sad" if he didn't get into at least one more legitimate fight before he dies. The Blackpool Combat Club man noted how the "physicality" of "legitimate beef" is "fun" and part of who we are as humans.
These comments have caught the attention of one 'Filthy' Tom Lawlor, who took to X to challenge Bryan Danielson to an MMA fight. As of this writing, Bryan has yet to respond.
Lawlor is quite the interesting figure, having an extensive MMA background in addition to his career as a pro wrestler. That MMA background has Filthy Tom with an 11-8-1 record, with him having spent eight years competing in the UFC's light heavyweight and middleweight divisions. Where it comes to the squared circle, the 41-year-old can these days be found competing for, amongst others, NJPW and MLW, with Lawlor the inaugural NJPW Strong Openweight Champion and a former MLW World Champion.
Could we see Bryan Danielson vs. Tom Lawlor in a shoot MMA fight? That remains to be seen. Whether a shoot or not, though, Lawlor's New Japan ties obviously open him up as a potential Danielson opponent at this year's Forbidden Door, but that's merely speculation on your writer's behalf. It's also worth noting that Lawlor has technically wrestled for AEW before, defeating Serpentico on the Zero Hour pre-show for last year's Forbidden Door - a PPV where Tom Lawlor was originally supposed to face Adam Cole before Cole was pulled on the day of the show due to illness.