FORMER WWE WRESTLER BOBBY LASHLEY VERSUS K1 AND MMA VETERAN BOB THE BEAST SAPP
Bob 'The Beast' Sapp
Former World Wrestling Entertainment star and up-and-coming mixed-martial-arts heavyweight fighter Bobby Lashley (2-0) will fight former NFL lineman and kickboxer Bob Sapp (10-3-1) on June 27.
Lashley, an American Top Team fighter, announced the super-heavyweight fight with a Monday Twitter posting.
Lashley, who defeated Joshua Franklin and Jason Guida in his first two pro bouts, will now take on a competitor who will surely sell some tickets but likely to do little to help him mover up the MMA ladder.
The fight takes place at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Miss., for an upstart (and currently unnamed) MMA promotion.
While a victory over Sapp will likely do little to help Lashley’s reputation in the industry, the K-1 kickboxer does present a legitimate challenge based on his size alone. The approximately 350-pound Sapp will likely outweigh Lashley by 100 pounds on fight night, and his 6-foot-5 frame should give him a reach advantage.
Sapp is 5-1 in his past six MMA fights. He last competed at the Dec. 31 K-1 Dynamite!! show in Japan, where he defeated Akihito Tanaka (who was dressed as a cartoon character) with a first-round TKO.
- Coming from a background as a fan of pro wrestling personally I can’t wait for this one having followed both fighters. It is these type of fights that draw in the casual fan and keep it interesting. Brock Lesnar versus Sapp most likely will never happen due to the weight restrictions in the UFC but this fight will be the nearest match up to it.
Also worthy of note Lashley appeared for wrestling promotion TNA last weekend for their annual Lockdown PPV. Will the MMA world take Lashley seriously if he chooses to do both worked pro wrestling and real mixed martial arts competition?
MMA blog by Dynamite Duane
www.myspace.com/dynamite_duane