Bobby Lashley signs with the AFL By Editor June 02, 2008 This content is protected ITS OFFICIAL! AFL SIGNS BOBBY LASHLEY TO MULTI FIGHT DEAL Former wrestling megastar announces his long anticipated entrance into MMA (LEXINGTON, KY) The American Fight League has signed former WWE wrestling star Bobby Lashley to a multi-fight contract, demarking the beginning of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career. The official announcement was made in front of a full crowd in Atlanta during the AFL: BulletProof event held at Philips Arena on Friday, May 30. Since announcing his exit from professional wrestling there have been murmurs that the goliath-like Bobby Lashley would be making a move into MMA. Long anticipated and much speculated, the signing of Bobby Lashley to fight in the American Fight League will finally put all the rumors to rest. Bobbys entrance into the cage is sure to bring a new level of excitement to the MMA world as he competes in the heavyweight division, one known for its hard hitting brawlers and dramatic knock downs. Ive been looking to switch to MMA for quite some time but wanted to make sure the move was with the right organization. It wasnt until I started talking with the American Fight League that I found where I wanted to begin the next chapter in my career, said Lashley. I love the AFLs vision. They arent interested in running a circus but rather want to produce quality MMA events with legitimate athletes. The more I spoke with BJ Santiago and Jon Hatton, the more I knew that the AFL would be the best outlet for me to show the world what I can do in the ring. I think we are going to be a great fit, and I am excited about my first fight. American Fight League CEO BJ Santiago could not be more pleased with the Lashley signing. Theres no question that this is an enormous signing for the AFL, said Santiago. Bringing athletes like Bobby Lashley on board shows the world that we are very serious about signing top talent to our roster. Santiago added, Bobby is an incredible competitor with a lot of star power and charisma. Fans love him. I believe he will be a great ambassador for the AFL and the sport of mixed martial arts. Joining the AFL will mark Lashleys entrance into the sport of competitive MMA. With a long history in competitive wrestling, MMA is a natural progression for the championship level athlete. He attended Missouri Valley College where he was a three-time National Amateur Wrestling Champion and four-time All-American. Lashley went on to join the United States Army where he continued to wrestle and was a two-time Armed Forces Champion and a 2002 Silver Medalist at the Military World Championships. In November 2003, Lashley began a career with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where he stayed until early 2008. Lashleys athleticism, magnetic personality and commanding presence quickly placed him as one of the WWEs most popular wrestlers, garnering him a loyal worldwide fan base. He defeated numerous wrestling stars and earned two pro wrestling heavyweight titles. Well this is going to be interesting!
Well he does have alot of atheltic ability thats the only thing he had going for him in pro wrestling plus he seems to have a decent amateur background like you said this is intresting.
I wonder why Dana didn't scoop him up. I guess he didn't want to become the retirement home for WWE retirees. Anybody have Lashley's amateur wrestling record?
You beat me to it. It would be the first ever MMA fight between two ex-WWE champions. WTF? The world must be coming to an end.:nut
I think he was a good Division II wrestler, not sure though. I do know he was way under 200lbs in college though. He's now about the same size as Lesnar, though Lesnar is probably a naturally bigger guy.
IMO his size does not look as natural as Lesnar's. I woulsdn't be surprised if he was on gear during his WWE stint. He seemed to be a gifted athlete and with could probably rack up some wins.
That's true, though it doesn't necarsarily preclude him from having a lot of success; I'm guessing he's probably naturally as big as Coleman or Kerr (who I believe were both under 200lbs in college) - he does look to be pretty athletic even with all that extra muscle mass. As for his wrestling credentials, well the best wrestlers can't always transfer their skills into MMA; Mike van Arsdale was an exceptional wrestler, mediocre fighter. Then you get some avg. wrestler like Rampage, Diego Sanchez etc who end up as very good fighters.
Talented yes. On gear most certainly. When he wrestled i believe he was around 180lbs. He`s billed WWE weight was around 270lbs. Looking at his size thats probably quite accurate.
I forgot to type with training he could rack up a few wins. Hope for his sake he stays away from the Hammer House.
