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Bobby Lashley Coming to MMA?

Royce_09_tiny by Kid Nate on in News Comment 15 comments

Sam Caplan at 5oz does some speculating based on Dave Meltzer's report that Lashley's non-compete deal with WWE is expiring:

...Lashley could be an impact player in MMA -- should he choose to go down that path.

Being a former WWE U.S. champion and ECW heavyweight champion is meaningless when it comes to MMA, but I think his credentials as a former NAIA wrestling champion in college and his past training at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif. are very relevant. The fact that he also served the U.S. as a member of its Army is also a plus for him.

At age 31, time is against Lashley. However, he has an existing fanbase thanks to his WWE background and he's really a great athlete. He's without question someone who could really make some money for an MMA promotion if he was managed properly.

Unlike most of the fighters out there on the free-agent market -- Fedor, Barnett, Arlovski, Tim Sylvia -- Lashley comes with a built-in audience in the U.S.

If I was Dana White or Gary Shaw I'd be on the phone with Lashley RIGHT NOW offering him anything he wants to fight for me.

Update [2008-5-9 10:4:18 by Kid Nate]:

I don't get to say this often, but it looks like my lack of knowledge about contemporary pro-wrestling has bitten me in the ass. Word from the mouth-breathers is that Lashley isn't popular enough with the knuckle-dragging set to be an immediate draw. Ah well. Guess its around this time that I start accusing people of being racist.

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Re: Bobby Lashley Coming to MMA?
uummm.....Pro wrestling fans don't even like Lashley. They guy is chemically huge but he isn't even strong. I watch wrestling, I would know.

by godzillad on May 8, 2008 8:52 PM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Re: Bobby Lashley Coming to MMA?
I agree.  He's not gonna draw like Brock Lesnar, that's for sure.  He'd be Sean O'Haire-like.

by BeerMonster on May 8, 2008 9:45 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Re: Bobby Lashley Coming to MMA?
Not drawing as well as Brock isn't exactly an indictment.  

by Popetastic on May 9, 2008 12:00 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Re: Bobby Lashley Coming to MMA?
Right...but I think the point is...his built in fanbase (pro wrestling fans) don't like him...actually that isn't fair because people who don't like someone will tune in to hope they get beaten down (it's the principle pro wrestling thrives on)...the pro wrestling crowd just don't care about him.

by Brent Brookhouse on May 9, 2008 12:45 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Re: Bobby Lashley Coming to MMA?
Yes, that's what I meant. Wrestling fans don't care for Lashley. Hell, even TNA didn't sign him and they signed X-Pac.

by godzillad on May 9, 2008 1:06 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Re: Bobby Lashley Coming to MMA?
I don't care if he draws like Lesnar (when did this become art school), can the guy actually fight better than Lesnar? Because if this is just the latest can we're setting up to make Frank Mir look good, I'll pass.
-- Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ

by jemaleddin on May 9, 2008 8:38 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Re: Bobby Lashley Coming to MMA?
Lesnar is going to be a top 10 heavyweight when all is said and done...you can bank on that.  Once he calms down and doesn't do the whole "freak out trying to bash someones face in within 30 seconds and then leave a limb exposed" thing which was honestly a rookie mistake, and one that you'd likely get away with not fighting a guy like Mir in your second fight.  I know a lot of people made up their minds on Lesnar before he ever had a pro fight, but I firmly believe he will be a top ten heavyweight.

I don't know that Lashley couldn't be a better fighter, but was just making the point that he doesn't have that same level of "must sign him now" that Lesnar did based on his lack of drawing power in comparison.  Honestly if I were the UFC the only reason I'd sign him would be to put him in with Lesnar because THAT would draw.

by Brent Brookhouse on May 9, 2008 9:40 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Re: Bobby Lashley Coming to MMA?
Giving Mir a "Thanks for the leg!" moment wasn't Lesnar's only issue. His wrestling looked good, but did you see the way he was throwing those hammer fists (at the back of Mir's head)? Not great. He's strong enough to make up for some lack of technique (especially with his hammer fists), but I sure wish he'd get some sort of offensive and defensive techniques.
-- Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ

by jemaleddin on May 10, 2008 4:10 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Re: Bobby Lashley Coming to MMA?
It doesn't matter much if he's not popular with the pro wrestling audience. He did more or less headline Wrestlemania a year ago, which counts for something, though it is less now that another Wrestlemania has passed. But disregarding his involvement in pro wrestling, Bobby Lashley is a large, well built man, so he has the physical charisma to make a casual observer say "wow, look at him!" Granted, he's not exactly natural (elevated liver enzymes, lol), but I think it's silly to expect his body to turn to pudding if he gets clean.

He does have a (real) wrestling background, he does have some manner of draw among the wrestling fans, even if it is significantly less than Brock Lesnar's draw, and he looks like a man who could beat up a lot of folks. In the best case scenario, he ends up being a good fighter and all of his other assets help make both him and the MMA organization he might sign with some money. In the worst case scenario, he's Bob Sapp sans the promo ability; a large body that you can feed to the lions and promote the victory as meaningful to the casuals while the hardcores scoff, look down their noses, of pass out while yelling profanities, forgetting that they are also mouth breathers.

by Brett Jones on May 9, 2008 10:35 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Re: Bobby Lashley Coming to MMA?
Geez Nate.  Passing off all fans of pro-wrestling as mouth breathers is pretty much the same as the mainstream media passing off all MMA fans as bloodthirsty idiots.

I'm not saying that there isn't a large portion of the crowd that is made up of "mouth-breathers" but seriously man...

by Brent Brookhouse on May 9, 2008 11:01 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Re: Bobby Lashley Coming to MMA?
Man if I can't take my cheap shots what is the fun of blogging? Clearly I'm slinging mud to cover for my lack of knowledge of the topics I'm addressing -- isn't that blogging 101?

by Kid Nate on May 9, 2008 11:24 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Re: Bobby Lashley Coming to MMA?
There are, fan for fan, as many mouth breathing MMA fans as there are pro wrestling fans. You can make fun of the idiots without offending the intelligent ones in the bunch. If someone takes offense, they must fall into the mouth breathing category, in which case you don't care what they think, anyhow.

by Brett Jones on May 9, 2008 11:31 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Re: Bobby Lashley Coming to MMA?
amen, brent...... i guess that piece o paper i have on the wall with the letters MBA on it came from the Mouth Breathers Association....

by robnashville on May 9, 2008 6:58 PM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Re: Bobby Lashley Coming to MMA?
I wouldn't say that all pro wrestling fans are mouth-breathers (but I've had long stretches of my life where my allergies didn't allow for much nose breathing, so it's not a preferred insult). But comparing them to fight fans is odd. I mean, it isn't a sport - it isn't even competition of any kind. It's certainly an athletic endeavor, but at its core it's a soap opera. Not that there's anything wrong with that: lots of good entertainment qualifies as soap opera. But I can't imagine that whatever qualities wrestling has that motivates people to like it are the same qualities that bring fans to MMA.

I don't personally have the ability to suspend disbelief long enough to watch pro wrestling (though I watch plenty of other crap entertainment), so I'm certainly not able to judge what it is that people like about pro wrestling. So what is it, Brent?

-- Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ

by jemaleddin on May 11, 2008 9:23 AM EDT to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

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