To call Bobby Lashley a WWE Superstar would be a huge stretch but to say Lashley has a real opportunity to make waves in MMA isn’t that far-fetched.
Lashley began his MMA career in Strikeforce, an experiment that didn’t go so well, but his next shot at major MMA fame comes on Friday at Bellator 123.
Lashely gave some pretty interesting quotes to MMAJunkie.com:
“I want to swing for the fences and go after some of the bigger names,” Lashley told MMAjunkie. “This is my last run, so I don’t want to make it gradual. Some of these next few fights, there’s some guys I really want to get in the cage with.”
Lashley goes on to discusses why he chose to take a step backward after his Strikeforce fights:
“I decided to sit back and fight in smaller promotions and just have some fights under my belt without the pressure and the spotlight on it,” Lashley said. “I stepped back a little bit before because I became a single father, and I really had to take some time away for my kids. That was the time away I’ve had in the last couple years and didn’t have the opportunity to really train the way I wanted to.
“Now I have everything back together, I have more support at home, and now it’s an opportunity to step back on a major stage. Bellator is great, so I think this is the best thing for me right now.”
It’s interesting because many of the Strikeforce performers went into the UFC when the company was bought out and had successes. Many would think he missed a golden opportunity but Lashley feels that he made the right decision.
“I know a lot more than I did when I first started, so the natural progression is me being more prepared,” Lashley said. “I’ve had the opportunity to do some things I haven’t done before. I’m in great shape right now, and I’m in better shape than I have been in a long time.
“I feel more mentally focused to compete in this sport. I’m more confident than I have been for a while.”
With a win Lashley,38, puts his WWE past behind him and begins life as a marquee MMA fighter but with a loss he losses it all. Watch it unfold on Spike TV on Friday at 8 PM set.