Former WWE star and Bellator heavyweight Bobby Lashley can’t wait to get back in the cage, which he will at Bellator 179 in London.

It just won’t be against the fighter he was hoping for.

“I think every heavyweight wants to get the opportunity to fight Fedor Emelianenko before he completely retires,” Lashley, whose opponent is to be determined for the May 19 event, told MMAjunkie. “That was one thing that I was hoping to get early on.”

The opportunity to face Emelianenko in his Bellator debut instead went to Matt Mitrione, who unfortunately withdrew from the main event of last week’s Bellator 172 just hours before because of kidney stones. Lashley (15-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) knows the company still intends to give Mitrione his shot, which he doesn’t mind. Lashley just hopes he’s next.

“I have all the respect for Mitrione; I think Mitrione is an incredible person,” Lashley said. “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.”

And what about Brock Lesnar? That’s a matchup long been talked about, naturally, because of both men’s ties to WWE.

Lesnar came back for one fight last year to face Mark Hunt at UFC 200 but was suspended one year by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for a failed drug test. Earlier this month, Lesnar decided to retire for the second time.

All of which leads Lashley to believe there’s no more shot of a fight between the two big men.

“I think it’s shut. I would like to say it’s not shut, but I think it’s shut,” Lashley said. “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 patcheck on his last, so I don’t think he even wants to come back and do anything anymore.

Check out our complete one-on-one interview with Lashley above.

For more on Bellator 179, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.