Just a day after Shark Fights announced King of the Cage vet Mark Martinez (4-0) as the opponent for WWE star Bobby Lashley (6-1), the Texas based the promotion has had to find yet another fighter to step into the cage against Lashley.
On Tuesday, Shark Fights was informed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation that Mark Martinez was unable to compete at the Nov. 11 event due to expired blood work.
Stepping in as Lashley’s fourth opponent for the Shark Fights title will be Karl Knothe (17-5).
Shark Fights 21 is scheduled to take place this Friday, Nov. 11, at Fair Park Coliseum in Lubbock, Texas. The event will air on FUEL TV via tape delay on Dec. 23.
Knothe replaces Martinez, who replaced Dave Huckaba, who replaced former Shark Fights champ Darrill Schoonover. To add to all of that, there was a mysterious Tweet that had named Canadian heavyweight Tim Hague as Schoonover’s replacement but was quickly denied by the promotion.
“Karl has wanted to fight Bobby Lashley for a while,” noted Knothe’s manager, Gavin Rydell. “He’s had some offers before to fight Bobby, but it always fell apart. Karl is excited that not only does he get to fight Bobby Lashley, but it’s also for the Shark Fights Heavyweight Title.”
Knothe is listed as a light-heavyweight fighter who is currently on a twelve-fight win streak, but has yet to fight in 2011. ‘The Original Son of Punishment’ has earned eight wins by (T)KO, eleven by submission, and one by decision over his career.
If Knothe and Lashley do meet in the cage, it will mark the second straight fight that the WWE star has faced an opponent who normally competes at 205 lbs.
The expected card for Shark Fights 21 appears as follows:
Shark Fights 21 will take place on Friday, November 11, 2011 at The Fair Park Coliseum in Lubbock, Texas and will be broadcast via tape delay on FUEL TV beginning December 23, 2011. Doors Open at 6:00pm CST. Fights start at 7pm CST. Tickets for Shark Fights 21 are on sale now at www.selectaseatlubbock.com. Tickets are priced at $20, $30, $40, $55, $65, $75, and $100. For more information, or current Shark Fights news, please visit www.sharkfights.com or www.facebook.com/sharkfights. Fight card subject to change.
Main Event:
-Bobby Lashley (6-1) vs. Karl Knothe (20-6)
Co-Main Event:
-Tony Bonello (15-1-1) vs. Dave Roberts (4-7)
Main Card:
-Cody Pfister (5-3) vs. Isais Martinez (6-3)
-Willie Parks (3-1) vs. Anselmo Martinez (7-5)
-Gabe Vasquez (4-4) vs. Zach Haney (3-5)
Preliminary Bout:
-Daniel Almeida (6-0) vs. John King (2-2)
-Cody East (0-0) vs. Adenilson Clementino (1-0)
-Matt Hobar (3-0) vs. Donnie Frye (3-10)
-Jeremiah Castillo (3-13) vs. Zavier Garcia (0-1)
-Brian Joseph (1-0) vs. Marcus Baldivia (0-1)