Inching Closer to 50, Bobby Lashley Still Desires to Be in Combat
Fifty seems to be the new 20 in combat sports. Or something like that anyway. Bobby Lashley, a former WWE wrestler, may be looking to get back on the professional MMA circuit at age 48. Lashley, who originally started in the public light as a WWE wrestler back in 2005, took a long hiatus from the squared circle to try his hand in the cage.
Lashley, according to MMAfighting latest news, showed during his time in Bellator and Strikeforce that he was a competent competitor. Lashley never got close to a championship but compiled a 15-2 record in several different promotions. Ultimately, Lashley left the sport in 2016 to go back into wrestling.
With the way the combat sports arena has changed since the pandemic, there has been an interest in seeing fighters take on more “freak show” types of fights. Instead of pursuing belts, many older fighters have looked for matchups that would draw a big audience and payday.
There have been calls for Lashley to fight Jake Paul. Lashley would probably make sense for Paul, who has made a boxing career out of clashing with older MMA fighters. How much interest Lashley’s name generates will dictate the direction that his career goes in.
Lashley Leaves WWE
Lashley became one of the rare WWE stars to find success in MMA. When Lashley returned to professional wrestling, he joined a rarer group. Lashley found more success in the ring than he did the first time around.
An army veteran who wrestled in college, Lashley always had the look that the WWE was looking for. When Lashley returned to the ring with legitimate combat sports experience behind him, he got a legitimate push from the promotion.
Lashley captured the United States, Intercontinental, and WWE titles. Lashley last competed on the big stage for the WWE at WrestleMania XL. He competed in a tag team match with The Street Profits and beat The Final Testament.
Lashley’s last official match with the WWE came in May when he won a house show match with Santos Escobar.
Lashley Finding Way Back to Wrestling Was a Surprise
Before landing back with the WWE, the early part of Lashley’s wrestling career was considered a disappointment. Lashley first emerged on the professional wrestling stage in the middle of 2005. After the WWE promoted him to have a major winning streak to start his career, the act didn’t necessarily stick with wrestling fans.
That left the WWE and Vince McMahon with some issues about how to book him moving forward. Lashley was too physical an opponent to be in the mid-card against lighter wrestlers. Instead, the WWE moved him over to the revitalized ECW brand. Lashley won the ECW championship and competed on that brand for two years.
However, toward the end of Lashley’s time in ECW, he suffered a serious injury. After being out of action for six months, Lashley was cut loose from the WWE in February 2008. Once he left the ECW, he traveled the world competing in various promotions, hoping to find his niche.
Lashley found that his size and success wrestling at NAIA Missouri Valley College, helped provide him the base for MMA. What Lashley had to prove was that he could stay clean on drug tests and demonstrate the striking ability to fight at the top level.
MMA Career Filled with Success and Disappointment
Calling Lashley’s MMA career a failure would be wrong. Lashley won plenty of fights and competed in legitimate promotions. What Lashley struggled to secure was the big payday fights against other top fighters.
The best MMA news sites show that Lashley wasn’t chosen for a UFC contract when the UFC bought out Strikeforce. Once Lashley went over to Bellator, he was hoping to fight against MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko. But those opportunities never materialized.
Lashley did make the most of many of his opportunities. He won 12 of his 15 fights by finish. When Lashley reached Bellator, he found plenty of success in the heavyweight division. Lashley won all five of his fights by either TKO or submission.
Lashley was certainly no CM Punk, who had a much-derided two-fight stay in the UFC. Lashley’s amateur wrestling chops, combined with his overall physicality, made it difficult to deal with him in the cage.
Is Fighting Jake Paul a Viable Option?
Paul has been making a living fighting older MMA fighters. But Paul’s next fight may be his most bizarre one. Anyone looking at online boxing news will see that Paul’s next fight is against Mike Tyson. Tyson, who is nearing 60, hasn’t been a competitive professional boxer for nearly 25 years.
But Tyson is a personality who resonates with American culture. People are still fascinated by the former undisputed heavyweight champion, even if he hasn’t been relevant in the sporting world since the late 1990s. There are some people who are urging Tyson not to fight Paul because it could be damaging to his legacy.
It’s hard to imagine Tyson could damage his legacy any more than when he bit off Evander Holyfield’s ear.
Exhibition Fights are All the Rage
Lashley could find some work because boxing has had difficulty developing new stars. With so many weight classes and different organizations offering world championship titles, it can be difficult for even the most ardent fan to keep up. Events that feature one-off events between aging big names have been popular.
Manny Pacquiao, Evander Holyfield, Floyd Mayweather, Anderson Silva, and Chael Sonnen have also gotten back in the ring. With boxers able to create some rules to minimize the amount of damage that are subjected to, this is an appealing option.
If Lashley wants to fight, he should be able to find some takers. Whether those promoters will be able to meet his asking price may be the only aspect of this deal that puts the brakes on things.
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
By Dean McHugh.
