Sorry Bobby Lashley, But You're No Brock Lesnar
by Kid Nate on Jul 16, 2009 10:32 PM EDT
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Once again, Bobby Lashley is using Brock Lesnar's notoriety to draw attention to himself. It's a good business model.
Lashley told ESPN radio (via the Sherdog blog):
"I’m not going to say anything bad on Brock, because Brock is doing all the right things," Lashley said. "[But] my sights are set on Brock. I’m not saying I want to fight him because he’s ‘the wrestling guy.’ I’m saying it because I am a heavyweight fighter and he’s the champ."
Micheal David Smith (in his innovative new Twitter mail bag feature) addresses rumors that Lashley had a sort of ticket into the UFC, joining the cast of TUF 10:
I've been told that Lashley had the opportunity to be on season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter and declined. Lashley values his independence -- he wants to be able to move from promotion to promotion, and to have the flexibility to keep doing pro wrestling with TNA. The UFC wouldn't go for that, so for now they won't come to terms, but I wouldn't rule it out in the future. I think we're more likely to see Lashley in the Octagon than Fedor in the Octagon.
I agree with MDS that Lashley made the right call in skipping TUF. Not only would it prevent him from earning fat paydays on TNA, but I don't think there is any way Lashley would make it through the tournament in the TUF house. He's much better off building slowly and continuing to build his name. If he can manage his career carefully enough he has an outside chance of making it into the UFC on better terms (sure he'll have to stop doing TNA but those TUF contracts blow).
Not long ago I spelled out the case against Bobby Lashley being a Brock Lesnar caliber talent (boy that phrase is painful to write). That case still stands.
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2 years away.
Bobby needs a few more fights in other promotions, before he can even get in the UFC. The TUF idea would not be good right now, so that was smart. He needs to hand pick in opponents for a while and after a few more fights he can look for the UFC contract.
He has a huge upside to the UFC if he can win five or six more fights in a row, then have a 2-4 win start in the UFC. After all that then a Brock Vs Lashley fight in 2011 would be a nice draw.
by JustinWF on Jul 16, 2009 9:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
its just going to be hard
to convince people that Lashley’s not a paper tiger unless he starts winning impressively.
He ducked Don Frye I think — I heard he got the offer to fight Frye and King Mo stepped up when Lashley didn’t bite. Probably a good call, the Predator is still dangerous — hits hard and has some decent wrestling.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Kid Nate on Jul 16, 2009 9:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
All I have is a question…it seems like Weox3 was the first guy to ever even touch Twitter when it comes to MMA blogging…am I right in this thought, or had it been around and I just missed it? haha
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by kyfm621 on Jul 16, 2009 9:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
You know. Mike Fagan was ahead of the curve when it comes to MMA sites, and really the bulk of media, using Twitter. He spearheaded BE setting up an account. Fagan and weoweoweo are visionaries.
by Cannon Jacques on Jul 16, 2009 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
haha. thanks..
but it really just started with trying to find other news to post.. All the BE guys are real good and FAST at posting all the MMA news and every time i think about making a post, someone else had already posted it.
Eugene and maggie hendricks posted the links of several fighters with twitter accounts, so i made an account just so i could to find another place where guys don’t regularly get news…err useless random tidbits.. :)
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 16, 2009 10:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
—Bobby Lashley was on ESPN radio today and announced he had signed with TNA and would debut on Sunday’s PPV
Doesn’t sound like Lashley’s head is in MMA training all the way
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Jul 16, 2009 9:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
well he said he's just working there 3 times a month
and he uses the money there to be able to train properly and have a decent lifestyle still..
It’s more of Lashley using TNA for the money actually.. I expect him to drop all that stuff when he gets big paydays in MMA..
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 16, 2009 10:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Apparently it is close to ATT as well.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Jul 16, 2009 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It’s in Orlando.
TNA records a months worth of television in two days. Combine that with their monthly PPV, which is generally the same week as the television tapings, and its not much of a commitment.
by xlynwoodx on Jul 16, 2009 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
the shows look huge
but theres really only maybe a couple hundred people there and its all very much contrived. your told when to cheer and all that.
he was injured. injured bad.
by troy145 on Jul 16, 2009 11:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It isn't the time...
it’s the health thing. Pro wrestling is very demanding on the body and leads to a LOT of injuries. Add training injuries to pro wrestling injuries and you’ve got a recipe for a guy fighting a lot of nagging injuries.
Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Jul 17, 2009 8:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m not going to deny any of that. There is a pretty serious risk of injury from pro wrestling. However, in his defense, TNA television matches rarely go over five minutes in length. As long as he is careful in the ring, I think the positives (money, national recognition) still outweigh the negatives (time, health).
by xlynwoodx on Jul 17, 2009 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But a lot of the injury risk in wrasslin’ is due to the sheer volume of work that the guys put in. Lashley is not going to be doing 15-20 shows in a different city every night. He’s going to show up at a studio for three days a month, do his wrasslin’ thing, and then get back to MMA training.
by Steve4192 on Jul 17, 2009 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t really know if Lashley is using Lesnar’s notoriety, or if he is unfairly being compared because they have the WWE background and went to MMA. On ESPN radio, was Lashley responding to a question regarding Lesnar or did he just talk about Lesnar on his own volition?
by chrisbboy82 on Jul 16, 2009 10:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
…and the conversation did not last more than a few turns before Lashley was asked to offer an opinion on a potential match with Lesnar.
Sounds like he was simply answering a question.
Some people might say that winning a fight makes you a better fighter but I don’t agree with that.- BlueberryMuffin
by ufc4 on Jul 16, 2009 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So why the line: “Once again, Bobby Lashley is using Brock Lesnar’s notoriety to draw attention to himself?” Not to sound like some sort of Lashley nuthugger (which I am NOT), but it just sounds like an unfair comparison here. Even the title of this article seems to be unfairly putting Lashley down.
by chrisbboy82 on Jul 17, 2009 12:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You’ll have to ask Kid Nate that, does seem a bit misleading.
Some people might say that winning a fight makes you a better fighter but I don’t agree with that.- BlueberryMuffin
by ufc4 on Jul 17, 2009 1:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sorry. I wasn’t really trying to direct that question just at you, and I most certainly did not expect you to have an answer. Good to know though that I am not the only one that sees it as a bit misleading.
by chrisbboy82 on Jul 17, 2009 1:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
100% agree.
All Lashley has ever said (that I’ve read) is that he isn’t Brock. I have no idea where the title of this article comes from.
by Simco on Jul 17, 2009 8:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
LOL, I like the title.
With Lashley you create too much of a link with “PRO-WRESTLING” which could hurt the brand especially now that Brock is a major player in the UFC… Lashley is better off getting some seasoning first.
I dont think Bobby will ever be a factor in the heavyweight division. Depending on how he progresses he may crack top 10 but I doubt he’ll ever be top 5.
by mmalogic on Jul 16, 2009 10:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
you never know with the blatant biases some people rank fighters.
haha.
#1 Lightweight Fighter in the World: Shinya Aoki
2. Eddie Alvarez
3. B.J. Penn
4. Tatsuya Kawajiri
5. Joachim Hansen
6. Kenny Florian
7. Gesias “JZ” Calvancante
8. Josh Thomson
9. Frankie Edgar
10. Diego Sanchez
MMAWeekly World MMA Rankings last updated on July 15, 2009
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 16, 2009 10:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That is the single worst top ten I've ever seen.
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by subo on Jul 16, 2009 11:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I have no idea how BJ is ranked that high with only three wins (one arguably impressive) in the last four years.
by FRANKIE on Jul 17, 2009 1:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Probably because he’s the best lightweight on Earth.
Josh Barnett is #2 despite not having beaten a top ten opponent since 2006, but I bet that doesn’t bother you as much.
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by subo on Jul 17, 2009 2:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Is this supposed to be one of those so-bad-it’s-good things?
Shameless self-promotion! http://twitter.com/scb0212
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by themachiavellian on Jul 16, 2009 11:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t see how that means that Lashley is using Brock to draw attention to himself. He was asked about him, he replied. That’s it.
by xlynwoodx on Jul 16, 2009 10:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Dumb move by Lashley to skip TUF, he could have used that platform to become a name which right now he isn’t. I thought he was all about focusin on MMA and doing things the right way but by the sounds of it he’s yet to leave his wrestling roots and passed on the UFC bad moves all around.
by Raker on Jul 16, 2009 11:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I dunno
Three things:
1) Lashley isn’t very far along as an MMA fighter. Entering TUF — especially with guys like Roy Nelson involved — would be a huge step up in competition for less money than he’s making fighting Bob Sapp right now.
2) Lashley’s a name. He’s headlining small cards. His every move gets tons of online coverage (mostly by me, but whatever). TNA is big exposure and will build him into a serious draw as an MMA fighter as well.
The biggest concern I have with him doing TNA is the chances of injury are very high.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Kid Nate on Jul 16, 2009 11:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah, wrestlers get injured all the time, this action alone (signing with TNA) leads me to believe that Lashley is not as serious about MMA as he would have you believe. If one is really serious, you really have to put all your focus into MMA and fully commit like brock did.
by kanodogg on Jul 17, 2009 12:00 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Why would wrestlers get injured more in a fake matches than MMA fighters do in serious hardcore training? I don’t doubt that it’s true—I know the injury rate is high in wrestling—I’m just curious why that’s more dangerous than serious MMA training and sparring?
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who
by thetakeover on Jul 17, 2009 2:17 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Probably because there’s more flair, extension, etc in pro wrestling. In MMA training, you’re not trying to show off. In pro wrestling, you train showing off.
How's the weather up your own ass? - Stephen Colbert
by subo on Jul 17, 2009 2:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
plus
you do that every week.. and you’re on the road all the time, so your body doesn’t have much time to recover..
by Anton Tabuena on Jul 17, 2009 5:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And they do stupid shit like juping off ladders onto tables, cutting themselves deliberately, take huge risks with outrageous flying moves.
The injury rate is definately higher in wrestling due to smackies participating in barbed wire matches, etc.
by Well Read Idiot on Jul 17, 2009 7:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This doesn’t come into play with TNA, they do 3 days a month in one location.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Jul 17, 2009 9:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Because they’re only fake in the fact that the outcomes are predetermined.
Getting powerbombed through a table probably hurts more than getting hit while you’re sparring.
Yes, they aren’t hitting each other full force, but they’re still getting hit, and taking huge bumps, all of the time.
by Phildo on Jul 17, 2009 9:30 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, it’s the repetition that does the damage. AFAIK, it’s not the big table/ladder/etc. spots so much as constantly landing flat on your back. That adds up for big dudes like Lashley. Three back-to-back tapings sounds like it could make things worse.
by An Old Friend on Jul 17, 2009 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Three back-to-back tapings will probably involve a few promos, two quick run-ins and a two minute squash match where he doesn’t have to take any bumps. I’m pretty sure they’ll book him as an unstoppable monster, so he shouldn’t be in too much danger.
by FRANKIE on Jul 17, 2009 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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