AFL Signs Bobby Lashley To Multi Fight Deal
Former wrestling megastar announces his long anticipated entrance into MMA
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. Bobby’s 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.
“I’ve been looking to switch to MMA for quite some time but wanted to make sure the move was with the right organization. It wasn’t 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 AFL’s vision. They aren’t 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.â€
American Fight League CEO BJ Santiago could not be more pleased with the Lashley signing. “There’s 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.â€
Joining the AFL will mark Lashley’s 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. Lashley’s athleticism, magnetic personality and commanding presence quickly placed him as one of the WWE’s most popular wrestlers, garnering him a loyal worldwide fan base. He defeated numerous wrestling stars and earned two pro wrestling heavyweight titles.
Tags: Bobby Lashley
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Good luck lashley.. hope you take it seriously and go far..
I think Bobby Lashley will be a really good MMA fighter. He has always taken everything that he did seriously; I mean REALLY seriously. I think he’s more athletic than Brock Lesnar and might be ahead of the curve for a beginner in his striking because of his experience in the Army. I was hoping the UFC would sign him.
bobby is a beast i hope he does well, but he will face alot of stick from mma fans just like lesnar did and still does.
I think the major problem with Lesnar is he didn’t have enough time outside of the UFC to build up a real name for himself. He is using his college wrestling and WWE status to say he is the best MMA fighter in the world, and we saw with Frank Mir that he just isn’t yet. I think Lashley needs to stay outside the UFC and get some experience against good guys but not nessisarily top guys, and after he has a name for himself try bigger shows. Otherwise he looses 2 or 3 fights and he’s out to smaller shows trying to rebuild his name anyways, only with a smaller fan base
I agree Brandon! Hope Lashley does well and becomes a HUGE star in this sport!
Lesnar deserves “the stick” he gets. He’s big. He’s a college wrestler. He’s a beast. Don’t get me wrong. BUT his WWE matches were scripted.
I’m sure Brock can lay out many, many people. But this isn’t the WWE….this is MMA. You need to have some all around game, or you’re bound to have your ass handed to you pretty quickly. I’m sure that Lesnar will improve his game. I’m sure we’ll see many more decisions his way.
He seems like a natural like Lesnar.