# The Inevitable Bobby Lashley Post



## burke_p (Oct 15, 2007)

source:http://bleacherreport.com/articles/208191-the-inevitable-bobby-lashley-post

The Inevitable Bobby Lashley Post

" Get ready for a tidal wave of Bobby Lashley discussions, ranging from Brock Lesnar comparisons (also as inevitable as this post) to critiques of the former WWE superstar's still-growing skill set.

Saturday night in Biloxi, Mississippi, Lashley headlined the Ultimate Chaos fight card and earned a first round submission win over former Pride and K-1 star Bob "The Beast" Sapp, improving his record to 4-0.

Let's get the automatic Brock Lesnar comparison part out of the way up front.

In truth, there is no real comparison, as Kid Nate from Bloody Elbow accurate points out here. They are quite different, both in and out of the WWE. Honestly, read Nate's piece; he covers it all.

But while I—like Kid Nate—give the edge to Lesnar in the physical specimen and collegiate pedigree categories, Lashley earns top marks from me for how he is approaching his transition into the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.

Not to take anything away from Brock Lesnar—his freakish athleticism and jet-propelled climb to the top of the UFC Heavyweight mountain, but to me, the way Lashley is going about his business earns much more respect in my books.

While I am certainly a fan of Lesnar's—as I declared here earlier in the week—his natural talents and abilities, combined with his immense following from the WWE, gave him a greater opportunity than any fighter I can remember and he has made the most of it.

He certainly has nothing to be ashamed of, and the detractors can complain about him all they want. I'm sure Brock Lesnar sleeps well at night.

That being said, seeing Bobby Lashley align himself with an outstanding camp at American Top Team and work his way up the ladder, taking the fights he is given, and not simply looking to quickly cash in on his name recognition, deserves praise.

It shows a commitment to the sport and learning the craft as opposed to making money and using the natural talents he has been blessed with. He's like an anti-B.J. Penn, training his ass off and constantly looking to improve, instead of resting on his abilities and relying on being "The Prodigy."

As great as Penn is now, he would reach the iconic status he feels he deserves if he just worked that much harder. Lashley looks like he is the opposite.

Chances are someone (read: Dana White, Tom Atencio, Scott Coker) have placed a call or two to Bobby Lashley about taking the next step and moving to one of the larger organizations, but as of yet, that hasn't happened.

In interviews, he acknowledges that he still has a great deal to learn, and is interested in getting more fights under his belt before making the jump and that is why I'm confident that he will be a legitimate title contender by this time next year.

I was totally down on Lashley following his uneven performance against Jason Guida, as many were. Since then, he wasted no time choking out Mike Cook up here in Edmonton, and ran through the ridiculously large Sapp in just over three minutes last night.

The improvement shows, as does the intelligence of abandoning the pre-fight hype declaration of looking to stand and trade with "The Beast" and utilizing his strength as a wrestler to take the fight to the floor and dominate.

Undoubtedly, a great deal of that gameplanning comes from ATT, who are either No. 1 or No. 1A as far as training teams go in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, depending on your feelings about Greg Jackson's squad in Albuquerque.

Again, while he could certainly coast through these initial fights on the natural talents he possesses, training every day with a list of guys that includes Jeff Monson, Thiago Silva, Carmelo Marrero and Todd Duffee (just to name the guys around the same weight) is only going to help him improve and become a better fighter.

And that is what we're seeing in Bobby Lashley—the continued evolution and growth of a fairly household name as he transitions into the world of Mixed Martial Arts.

Here's to watching the evolution continue, and Lashley continuing to go about things this same way.

The money and spotlight will always be there if you keep winning.

In the meantime, keep becoming a more complete fighter and earning victories and respect along the way."


----------



## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

Monson trains at ATT so Im not sure if he and Lashley would fight each other or not, on your list Id pick Rizzo since I think the rest could make short order of him because of his inexperiance.


----------



## burke_p (Oct 15, 2007)

Toxic said:


> Monson trains at ATT so Im not sure if he and Lashley would fight each other or not, on your list Id pick Rizzo since I think the rest could make short order of him because of his inexperiance.


i did not know that monson and him were both at ATT.


----------



## steveo412 (Sep 27, 2006)

I would like to see him fight Rothwell. Ricco hand Pedro are really not that good of fighters, I dont want to see Lashley in there fighting past their prime scrubs, the guy needs to improve his resume and I think a win over Rothwell would be great for him, and if he loses it will just help him grow.


----------



## Evil Ira (Feb 9, 2009)

A win over Rothwell would maybe put Lashley in the top 15 Heavyweights in the world right now. The other three (Monson, Rodriguez, and Rizzo) might point out Lashley's inexperience. I don't think Bobby's ready for those three just yet, but might in a year or two, because he probably has a bright future ahead of him.


----------



## AmRiT (Apr 23, 2007)

He shouldn't fight either, he should go to the UFC, fight 3 cans and then step up


----------



## burke_p (Oct 15, 2007)

AmRiT said:


> He shouldn't fight either, he should go to the UFC, fight 3 cans and then step up


The UFC would never use his name to just feed him cans. Bobby Lashley would be instant main card if not Main Event as his first fight in the UFC. That just on his name. He needs at least 5 more fights outside the UFC.








vs.









hahaha!! ^


----------



## D.P. (Oct 8, 2008)

First, great post.

Now, I voted for Rothwell. While I think he would win, Rothwell would also put up a hell of a fight, and it would be great to watch.


----------



## burke_p (Oct 15, 2007)

D.P. said:


> First, great post.
> 
> Now, I voted for Rothwell. While I think he would win, Rothwell would also put up a hell of a fight, and it would be great to watch.


Rothwell vs. Lashley could be a great draw for affliction or strikeforce. I see this fight going the same as Kongo vs. Cain. only lashley wouldn't drop from each shot i do not think.


----------



## joshua7789 (Apr 25, 2009)

Honestly, he shouldnt fight any of these guys right now. His inexperience was shown with a big spotlight against jason guida, put him in the cage or ring with someone that is closer to his size and strength and has four times his experience, he is going to get exposed quickly. I think he should take two or three more fights against people that are on a similar level to him before jumping up against on someone like the fighters on the list. Sapp wasnt really a test, he is a giant can that connects sometimes. Did anyone really see that fight going differently then it did?


----------



## burke_p (Oct 15, 2007)

joshua7789 said:


> Sapp wasnt really a test, he is a giant can that connects sometimes.


----------



## burke_p (Oct 15, 2007)

According to Fanhouse, a new fight for Lashley is already in the works...

...the now 4-0 MMA rookie has agreed to fight again for Prize Fight MMA, one of the promoters of last night's "Ultimate Chaos" event, in September. No official date, location or opponent has been agreed upon, but September 26 appears to be likely.

source: http://www.fightticker.com/stevefic...shley_victorious_looks_to_return_in_september


----------

