Tag: Bobby Lashley

Rumor: Bobby Lashley in Negotiations to Fight Fedor Emelianenko

Pride legend Fedor Emelianenko is in contract negotiations to face off with former Strikeforce heavyweight Bobby Lashley. “The guy’s got a tremendous amount of fights under his belt…I’d like to fight him,” Lashley said about “The Last Emperor” …

Pride legend Fedor Emelianenko is in contract negotiations to face off with former Strikeforce heavyweight Bobby Lashley.

“The guy’s got a tremendous amount of fights under his belt…I’d like to fight him,” Lashley said about “The Last Emperor” in an interview with Fighters Only.

Lashley says that his name is on a short list of potential opponents, and he likes how he matches up with the fighter who went nearly a decade without losing a fight.

“I think that my wrestling would trump some of the things that he has,” Lashley said.

While he is no spring chicken at 35 years old, the hulking heavyweight still wants to fight the elite opponents MMA has to offer.

“I wanna fight the best, so if I have an opportunity to fight Fedor, let’s do it. If I have an opportunity to fight anyone right now let’s just damn do it.”

“I know he’s a great fighter, but if I fought him then of course I’m going to try and wrestle him down… If it was Dave [Bautista], I’m standing and banging with him. I’ve been doing a lot of boxing,” he added. 

Bautista, Lashley’s fellow former WWE star, has been rumored to be a future MMA opponent of Lashley for some time now. While the fight has yet to materialize, Lashley still expressed interest in the possibility.

“I know a lot of people are looking at that fight and saying I shouldn’t take it, but that’s the entertainment aspect of [MMA]. If the wrestling fans want that then it’s an opportunity for me to have a fight, which will probably warrant a good amount of money… I’ll take that fight, no
problem.”

Lashley made his MMA debut in December of 2008 when he scored a TKO over Joshua Franklin, and has since beefed-up his record to 7-1.

His sole loss came at the hands of Chad “The Grave Digger” Griggs at Strikeforce: Houston in August 2010.

Meanwhile, Emelianenko looked to be on the brink of retirement after dropping three Strikeforce bouts in a row and being cut from the promotion last year.

However, he returned to the independent scene and is riding a two-fight win streak with consecutive victories over Jeff Monson and Satoshi Ishii. 

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Bobby Lashley’s Next MMA Opponent Could Be Either Fedor Emelianenko (Seriously) or Dave Bautista (Seriously)


(“Ha ha ha. But seriously, though? OJ did that shit.”)

After going 2-0 last year following his upset loss to Chad Griggs in Strikeforce, Bobby Lashley is still moving forward with his cage-fighting career. In fact, the former WWE star is weighing some very attractive options right now. One possible scenario is a contract with Bellator, whose heavyweight division is desperate for some star power. And then there’s this (via FightersOnly):

Lashley also spoke about the possibility of a fight with the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. “The guy’s got a tremendous amount of fights under his belt… I’d like to fight him.”

According to Lashley, Fedor’s managers are currently looking for the Russian MMA veteran’s next opponent, and his name is on the list of potential matchups. “I’m going to throw everything at him that I can. Of course, my wrestling’s there, I don’t give a damn what he’s doing. I’d put my wrestling up there with almost anyone right now.”


(“Ha ha ha. But seriously, though? OJ did that shit.”)

After going 2-0 last year following his upset loss to Chad Griggs in Strikeforce, Bobby Lashley is still moving forward with his cage-fighting career. In fact, the former WWE star is weighing some very attractive options right now. One possible scenario is a contract with Bellator, whose heavyweight division is desperate for some star power. And then there’s this (via FightersOnly):

Lashley also spoke about the possibility of a fight with the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. “The guy’s got a tremendous amount of fights under his belt… I’d like to fight him.”

According to Lashley, Fedor’s managers are currently looking for the Russian MMA veteran’s next opponent, and his name is on the list of potential matchups. “I’m going to throw everything at him that I can. Of course, my wrestling’s there, I don’t give a damn what he’s doing. I’d put my wrestling up there with almost anyone right now.”

“I think that my wrestling would trump some of the things that he has. I know he’s a great fighter, but if I fought him then of course I’m going to try and wrestle him down… If it was Dave [Bautista], I’m standing and banging with him. I’ve been doing a lot of boxing.”

A potential bout between Lashley and fellow former WWE star Dave Bautista, aka Batista, is something that has been on the minds of fans and reporters for quite some time now. Though it remains to be seen if that fight will ever happen, the ATT heavyweight is still interested in the idea.

“I know a lot of people are looking at that fight and saying I shouldn’t take it, but that’s the entertainment aspect of [MMA]. If the wrestling fans want that then it’s an opportunity for me to have a fight, which will probably warrant a good amount of money…I’ll take that fight, no problem.”

“I wanna fight the best, so if I have an opportunity to fight Fedor, let’s do it. If I have an opportunity to fight anyone right now let’s just damn do it.”

With Fedor riding back-to-back wins over Jeff Monson and Satoshi Ishii, Bobby Lashley seems like just the kind of high-profile-yet-beatable opponent that Emelianenko’s management would happily book him against for an M-1 event.

As for Bautista…what? Yeah, we know, he’s a respected gym owner who has trained with Cesar Gracie. He’s also 0-0 in MMA, and despite what the Fighters Only report claims, the MMA community has NEVER expressed interest in seeing the two pro wrestlers go toe-to-toe for real. (How could you even trust that they wouldn’t work their fight?) Get Vince McMahon to book the matchup on a WWE pay-per-view, slap on the tights, and leave us out of it.

Chad Griggs Talks UFC Signing: I’ve Got to Prove I Deserve to Be There

Filed under: UFC, StrikeforceChad Griggs was just starting to get comfortable in Strikeforce when the UFC came calling. Or rather, maybe it was Strikeforce that was finally getting comfortable with Griggs.

“I think after the last fight I started to f…

Filed under: ,

Chad GriggsChad Griggs was just starting to get comfortable in Strikeforce when the UFC came calling. Or rather, maybe it was Strikeforce that was finally getting comfortable with Griggs.

“I think after the last fight I started to feel good there,” Griggs told MMA Fighting on Thursday. “They were kind of like, okay, fine. You’re here. We’re giving you some credit now.”

But with Strikeforce’s heavyweight division now going the way of the WEC — and with Griggs’ contract expiring not long after his third consecutive victory in the organization — Griggs and his management were ecstatic about the chance to sign a new deal with the UFC, especially now that his stock is higher than ever.

“We’ve been talking for a while,” said Griggs. “We’ve been throwing numbers back and forth for a little while because my contract was coming close to an end, so we were trying to figure out where I was going from here. I knew they were interested, and it was just a matter of if we could get the numbers right. I think we’re both going to be happy. …I’m excited about it, but now I’ve got to get in there and prove that I deserve to be there. It’s time to put the work in and hopefully it pays off here in a few months.”

Before getting the call to face Bobby Lashley in his Strikeforce debut in August of 2010, Griggs had been toying with the idea of dropping to light heavyweight. He was a bit on the small side for the heavyweight division, he figured, but the chance to face a big name like Lashley was too great an opportunity to turn down, even if he knew what Strikeforce was expecting out of the bout.

“Obviously Strikeforce doesn’t want me to win,” he told us before that fight. “But hey, they gave me the chance and now they’ve got to pay the consequences.”

Griggs not only won that bout, but also notched first-round stoppages in two subsequent fights, including a TKO win in a thrilling brawl with Gian Villante in a Grand Prix reserve bout in February of this year, followed by another quick win over Valentijn Overeem in June. Now that he’s signed a new contract with the UFC, he’s planning to stay at heavyweight for the foreseeable future, he said.

“I’m not going to try and fix anything that’s not broke. If I don’t do well we may try something else…but for now I’ll stay with what I know, and that’s fighting the big boys.”

He has no official date or opponent for his UFC debut, Griggs said, but there have been discussions about slotting him in for an event in March of 2012. Most importantly, he finally feels like he’s in an organization that is interested in him as a fighter rather than as a sacrificial lamb, he said.

“But it’s a plus and a minus. I’m going to a new league, so you’ve got to reestablish yourself and prove that you deserve to be there. It’s like going to a new school, I guess. You want to fit in and do well, but at the same time I think they want to see me do well and they know I put on some good shows, so they’re not sending me into the slaughter. They’re giving me some respect.”

Griggs said he hopes to be able to announce an opponent and date for his first UFC fight in the next couple weeks, and urged fans to “keep an eye out for me.”

“I’m going to try and make some waves,” he added. “Just put my head down and swing.”

And why not? It’s worked out well so far, even if the people signing his checks didn’t always expect it to.

 

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Mike Schiavello on Announcing, Pro Wrestling and Japanese MMA

Mike Schiavello believes he has a gift. For the fans that have tuned into HDNet to see any of the recent Dream MMA or K-1 kickboxing shows, Schiavello has demonstrated a very unique storytelling ability. The Australian native is one of the fastest comm…

Mike Schiavello believes he has a gift.

For the fans that have tuned into HDNet to see any of the recent Dream MMA or K-1 kickboxing shows, Schiavello has demonstrated a very unique storytelling ability.

The Australian native is one of the fastest commentators in MMA history. His color commentators are often heard laughing during the middle of a broadcast.

“God given gift of quick-wit,” Schiavello said. “I’ve been doing this for 16 years—always the same style. It’s a lot of experience.”

Over the past few years, Schiavello has made his name in the U.S. He is the lead announcer for HDNet. He has covered a variety of smaller promotions in the U.S., but his specialty is the Japanese fight scene.

In his career, Schiavello has called over five thousands fights.

“I’ve commentated so many fights it’s hard to pick a favorite,” Schiavello said, when asked for his most memorable matches. “For K-1, I’m going to go with Masato vs. Souwer at Budokhan Hall in 2007. Sammy Schilt vs. Peter Aerts was amazing.”

“For MMA, I love Hatsu Hioki vs. Marlon Sandro in Sengoku’s end of year show last year.”

Unfortunately though, the major Japanese fight scene has not been anywhere near as popular is it was in the early 2000’s. Gone are the massive sell-outs for Pride FC.

“The local shows are flourishing at the moment,” Schiavello said. “The big shows not so much. K-1 is in trouble. They owe a lot of money. On the other hand, Dream has real entertainment.”

 

Schiavello is clearly a big fan of Dream—even though the organization is not drawing anywhere near as well as Pride did. Rumors about Dream’s demise have recently circulated.

“Dream is a great show from a TV perspective,” Schiavello said. “I think there is potential there. I think they will do several more cards.”

The fall from prominence for K-1 is what has caused people to think the same future is on the way for the MMA promotion.

“I don’t think Dream has a problem—It’s FEG,” Schiavello said, referring to the organization that oversees K-1. “Real Entertainment handles Dream. They are still paying their fighters on time. They’re still drawing big crowds.”

As long as Dream is attracting people to the arenas, Schiavello will be the person calling the action for U.S. fight fans.

His somewhat bombastic style of calling the action filled with one-liners has caused many onlookers to believe his style would also be suited for pro wrestling.

Schiavello sees some similarities and some differences.

“They’re both live spectacles,” Schiavello said. “They are both a combat style of entertainment, but the biggest obvious difference is the MMA is real and pro wrestling is not.”

“You can’t schedule anything in mixed martial arts. It’s not pro wrestling. You don’t know the storylines.”

 

Recently, former pro wrestlers Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley have made the switch to the cage. Lesnar credits his past history with World Wrestling Entertainment for teaching him how to be a star.

Schiavello feels that more fighters should follow the former UFC heavyweight champion’s lead.

“MMA fighters can learn from pro wrestling on how to better market themselves,” Schiavello said.

However, for someone to become a successful announcer like Schiavello has, he offers much simpler advice.

“Practice, practice, practice. Pay your dues.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Weekend Results: Bobby Lashley Wins Belt, A. Emelianenko Suffers Quick Loss

Filed under: NewsFormer WWE superstar Bobby Lashley became a titleholder in MMA on Friday, beating Karl Knothe to win the Shark Fights heavyweight title at Shark Fights 21 in Lubbock, Texas.

Lashley, who had to endure four opponent changes for his pro…

Filed under:

Former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley became a titleholder in MMA on Friday, beating Karl Knothe to win the Shark Fights heavyweight title at Shark Fights 21 in Lubbock, Texas.

Lashley, who had to endure four opponent changes for his promotional debut with the Texas organization, won by keylock submission over Knothe (20-7) at three minutes and 44 seconds of the first round.

With the win, Lashley improved to 7-1 and is on a two-fight win streak since losing to Chad Griggs at a Strikeforce event in August 2010. Lashley has two more fights with Shark Fights.

In addition to the historic UFC on FOX event on Saturday, other MMA action took place over the weekend and we’ll take a look at some notable fights after the jump.

— PRIDE veteran Aleksander Emelianenko was knocked out in 23 seconds by Magomed Malikov (4-1) on Saturday in the main event of M-1 Challenge 28 in Russia. In his first punch of the fight, Malikov timed an overhand right to level Emelianenko against the ropes.

The setback put Emelianenko (17-5) in a position of back-to-back losses for the first time in his eight-year career.

Aleksander’s older brother Fedor, 35, fights this Saturday against Jeff Monson in Moscow.

— On Saturday, Douglas Lima earned a title shot against Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren by stopping Ben Saunders in the second round with strikes at Bellator 57 in Rama, Ontario, Canada.

At the same Bellator event, Alexander Shlemenko won this season’s Bellator middleweight tournament and will rematch Bellator champion Hector Lombard at a later date. Shlemenko on Saturday took a unanimous decision over Vitor Vianna.

— UFC veteran Rich Clementi bounced back from his May loss to Shinya Aoki in DREAM by defeating Ronnie Rogers Saturday at a Victory Promotions event in Lowell, Mass. The 34-year-old Clementi won with a rear-naked choke in the second round.

 

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MMA: Bellator Purchased, KenFlo Not Done, Anik to UFC & the Week’s Biggest News

The landscape of the MMA world changed this week as the Bellator promotion was purchased by its broadcast partner, Viacom.  As part of the deal, the promotion will leave MTV2 for Spike TV in 2013.Recent UFC featherweight title challenger Kenny Flo…

The landscape of the MMA world changed this week as the Bellator promotion was purchased by its broadcast partner, Viacom.  As part of the deal, the promotion will leave MTV2 for Spike TV in 2013.

Recent UFC featherweight title challenger Kenny Florian has announced that he will not retire despite his third failed attempt at UFC gold.  The catch?  He’ll be returning to the lightweight division.

Also of note, MMA Live host Jon Anik will be leaving ESPN to join the UFC as a member of its broadcast team.

 

Rob Tatum is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at TheMMACorner.com.  For anything related to MMA, you can follow Rob on Twitter   @RobTatumMMA.

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