Bobby Lashley: Is he Black Lesnar or Bob Sapp 2: Electric Boogaloo?

Sink or swim. Sh*t or get off the pot. Put up or shut up. The clichés are endless and yet, they all mean the same thing and they all apply to Franklin Lashley. Ok, Bob Sapp might be too much of an extreme for Lashley, but it makes my point. In what direction is Lashley headed? Will he thrive and be a champion of the world like Brock Lesnar or will be just become an infamous footnote in MMA history like Bobby Sapp? The way that Strikeforce is handling Mr. Lashley may be the determining factor in all of this.

On Saturday August 21st from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, Strikeforce heavyweight and former WWE star Bobby Lashley is again set to step in the cage. This time, he is scheduled against 7-1 former IFL fighter Chad Griggs. Mr. Griggs (I must confess, I have not seen any of his fights) may well be a great fighter, but he seems to be another in a long line of handpicked opponents for Lashley, in addition to the fact that Griggs hasn't fought in 16 months. Strikeforce has gone out of its way to avoid pairing Lashley up with top talent or even blossoming prospects. At one point, Showtime (the true Strikeforce pimp) outright rejected a match with undefeated Shane Del Rosario. At 5-0 in MMA, when will Lashley step it up in competition?

There's nothing wrong with taking slow steps with a fighter especially in early fights. Another similarly late in life convert to MMA Shane Carwin also built himself up among journeyman fighters in his first matches. However he did it the proper way, he wasn't on the main card of big name MMA promotion cards, he was in the smaller promotions, working hard, fighting whoever and whenever to get his name and status built. Lashley doesn't have the luxury of the unknown that Carwin has. His former WWE star status makes him too expensive a talent to be afforded by smaller promotions and too valuable a draw to waste on Strikeforce Challengers cards. It's that WWE past that makes the natural inclination to compare Lashley to Brock Lesnar grow stronger.

Both Lashley and Lesnar rose to fame in the world of the "male soap opera" called the WWE. Lesnar came first during a period when the business was better and drew more money. His quick desertion of the WWE left them clamoring to fill the void, which led to Bobby Lashley. Jokingly referred to as "Black Lesnar" by many fans and even his contemporaries, Lashley was never able to reach the heights of fame that his predecessor but he still had a following. After leaving the WWE due to conflicts with management over racial harassment, Lashley turned to follow Lesnar into MMA. Both men excelled at amateur wrestling; Lesnar was more prolific at the collegiate level while Lashley had an extensive resume during his post-college years. While not possessing some of the physical gifts Lesnar had, many MMA fans were intrigued as to how he would fare in MMA compared to Lesnar who was already the UFC Champion by the time Lashley had stepped in his first match.

Lashley's MMA career has been nothing special, a tough win over Jason Guida and other wins over Bob Sapp, Wes Sims, and Mike Cook. After Chad Griggs, Lashley will be in his 3rd fight with Strikeforce, Lesnar was in a title fight in his 3rd fight with the UFC. I don't think Lashley has the desire to commit himself to this sport the way that you need to commit to be a great MMA fighter. I believe that Lashley is primarily in the sport for a paycheck (yes I understand all fighters are in it to get paid) and is willing to fight whomever he is told. I do not think he is responsible for choosing to fight what appear to be lackluster matches; I put that squarely on his management and Showtime/Strikeforce's shoulders. They are looking to protect what they perceive is one of their only draws. I can't say that I blame them in that approach, but at some point the fans are going to get tired of seeing Lashley beat upon "jobbers"; this is not pro wrestling. People want to see the best fight the best.

So the question remains, in which way will Lashley go? Skillset-wise, Lashley can go places. Is he at a championship level right now? Probably not, but you could say the same thing for Brock Lesnar when he beat Randy Couture back in 2008. Lashley's wrestling base is strong and great wrestling can carry you far in MMA. He has time to learn the intricacies of the sport. However, he's just not their mentally. Lashley doesn't have that drive to better himself that other fighters do. He didn't display it during his short pro wrestling career and he hasn't, and won't, display it in his MMA career. Promotionally, I believe this is the last chance that the fans will give Showtime and Strikeforce to book Lashley in a match with someone who isn't a very talented fighter. I'm talking someone on the level of Andrei Arlovski, Shane Del Rosario, Antonio Silva, etc. Like Brock Lesnar said when Dana White told him he won't get any easy fights in the UFC, "You're either good at this or you aren't". Six fights into Lashley's career are enough of a timeframe to coddle him, it's time to drop him in the shank tark and see if he can survive.

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