Interview With Bobby Lashley

From MMANews.com:

After making a name for himself in the world of professional wrestling, Bobby Lashley is now ready to test himself in the confines of the MMA world. At 6'3" and 250 lbs, this monster of force brings a wrestling background with him that has seen him capture 3 national titles and also have the honor of being a four time All American.

With his first fight on the horizon, Lashley talks to Chris Howie about how his training has gone and where he wants to see himself in this sport in this MMANews.com exclusive interview.

Chris Howie with MMANews.com: How has your transition into the MMA world been working out for you?

Bobby Lashley: I'll tell you what man, it's been going very well. Things have been going very smoothly. I've been training at different place but most recently I've been at American Top Team and running the gauntlet down there. When I am home in Denver I have been training my jiu-jitsu with people here. I wrestled for several years so the transition wasn't too bad because I was familiar with that level of training. Things have been working out really well.

MMANews.com: How have you adapted to adding striking and jiu-jitsu to your arsenal?

Bobby Lashley: From my evaluation at ATT I think it showed I have adapted very well. Wrestling and jiu-jitsu, to me, kind of goes hand in hand. If you have a good wrestling background, going to jiu-jitsu is not the most difficult thing to do. There is a level of learning the submissions which I have been working on but I think it has come along well. I have been working on my striking for about 7 months now, so that is coming along very well also. I'm pretty comfortable with where I am at now but I know there is another level that I can go to. But right now I am comfortable with what I have learned and comfortable with where I am going.

MMANews.com: You have been training with ATT, which is one of the best teams in North America, how have things been going for you there?

Bobby Lashley: I love it down there man. The trainers are really hands on. Marcus "Conan" Silveira has kind of taken me under his wing down there and been like a personal mentor of mine. He really has been showing me a lot and working with me on every aspect of the game. He really wants to see me do well. He was one of the first people to evaluate me down there. He liked what he saw and seen a tremendous amount of potential so that is not a bad person to have as a mentor. It's a great place to be with a great group of guys. Everybody is rooting for you to do well down there.

MMANews.com: What are the plans for your first fight?

Bobby Lashley: It's looking like December 13th will be the date. We have the contract on hand right now and we are just working out all the details but December 13th will be the date.

MMANews.com: Which organization will it be with?

Bobby Lashley: I am originally signed with the AFL but as everyone knows they have been going through some troubles right now in getting everything together and I have been waiting and put on the back burner a little bit. It will be in Miami, FL with one of the bigger MMA promotions there. Not one of the real big organizations like the UFC, EXC, or Strikeforce but it will be held at the American Airlines Arena so I can tell you that if it is being held at a venue like that it will be a big show.

MMANews.com: Are there any opponents lined up for you yet?

Bobby Lashley: It is all in the works right now. I have the contract but am waiting for approval from the AFL. We should have the approval today and then we will sign the contract.

MMANews.com: With the AFL running into the problems that they have along the way, which has meant your MMA debut would be put on hold, did you find that situation disappointing or was it a blessing in disguise so that you could continue to train more and learn new skills?

Bobby Lashley: Yeah it was good to be able to work on things a little bit more. I have no ego coming into this sport and I am a student of the game. I have a wrestling background which is my martial art but I have so much that I can learn. Like Brock (Lesnar) who had a name from being in a different business, there will be a lot of people coming around to watch me fight, when I do fight, so it is going to be harder for me to work my way up. I'm going to be pushed harder and higher a little quicker than a normal person coming into MMA. Getting to train for six more months was a blessing.

MMANews.com: What are your thoughts on the crowd atmosphere you will experience? You have been in front of huge crowds during wrestling events like Wrestlemania but do you think the MMA crowd will be different than that of pro wrestling?

Bobby Lashley: I'm sure the crowds will be a little different. When I was in the WWE I loved being in front of the crowds, the bigger the better. At Wrestlemania I was in front of 85,000 people and at my first WWE match I was in front of 17,000 so I'm sure things will be different but being in front of the crowd isn’t something I will be nervous about.

MMANews.com: What does have you nervous going into your first fight?

Bobby Lashley: Just the competition. I wrestled for 18 years and there is a level of nerves that go into every match. My coaches always told me if you are not nervous you are not ready. So, I'm completely confident going into the fight but there are going to be some nerves. It will be my first MMA match and it's not going to be just wrestling it is going to be everything. There will be a lot of pressure on me as well because a lot of people will be watching saying "Oh this is Bobby Lashley, will he sink or will he swim?" So, that is in the back of my mind but I welcome all of this and I am really confident because of the training I am getting. So I will be a little nervous but after I get in there and throw a couple punches and get fired up a little bit and get some contact those nerves will be gone and I will be in the right mind frame.

MMANews.com: Does the pressure of having a name coming into a sport like MMA get to your head?

Bobby Lashley: Yeah I definitely think I have some pressure but that comes with the territory and I knew that coming into it. I knew that with the wrestling background a lot of the fans I had with the WWE are going to want to see what I can do and I know that the MMA fans are going to question me because I do have the pro wrestling background. I don't mind it. I am going into this as a MMA fighter so there will be wins and losses and I know that is going to happen. What I am going to do is prepare myself for this and I am going to be ready for every fight that I have.

MMANews.com: What is your amateur wrestling background?

Bobby Lashley: In High School I won the High School Championships. When I went to college I was a three time National Champion and a four time All-American. Afterwards I went to the Olympic Training Center and I trained there for a little while. I wrestled on the Army team and I was an Armed Forces Champion a couple times. I also went to the World Championships and won a silver medal there.

MMANews.com: So you got game..

Bobby Lashley: I am bringing a tremendous amount of thunder.

MMANews.com: What are your goals in MMA?

Bobby Lashley: I want to hold the title and be a champion. Everyone knows the UFC is the elite of MMA and if that is where I end up that is where I want to be a champion. I see myself with the athletic ability I have and the mind frame that I have and everything I else I bring to this sport I think that I am going to be there and I will be one of the top guys in the sport at heavyweight no matter what organization I am in.

MMANews.com: How big will you be coming into your fights?

Bobby Lashley: Well my weight has been fluctuating because of my training but right now I am around 255 lbs. The lightest I will come in at is 250 lbs and the heaviest will be around 260 lbs.

MMANews.com: So cutting weight will not be an issue for you?

Bobby Lashley: No not at all. That was one thing I did kind of think about when I started going in and training because my training has been really tough. I'm the type of person to over train. I do my boxing and kickboxing and my grappling and then I am doing my cardio and watching submission tournaments and MMA at the same time so I am always training. When I got into it I thought about making it down to 205 lbs because I used to wrestle at 211 lbs and that wasn't a hard cut for me. Right now I'm eating everything in site to stay at 250 lbs but I feel comfortable at heavyweight because I feel I am strong enough and I am quick enough for heavyweight. If weight does keep shedding off me than I may possibly look at 205 lbs.

MMANews.com: Do you feel that with the credentials you do have people should not be overlooking you because of your WWE background?

Bobby Lashley: Some of the hardcore MMA fans, and I don't want to bad mouth anyone but they can be kind of…I don't know, ignorant. Sure, I took my time and I went to the WWE but would I take that back? No because I made a lot of money and was able to do a lot of things for my family that I never thought I would be able to do. I think the MMA fans are not realizing what I did before that. I busted my ass for years in wrestling and have accomplished things that not a lot of people have accomplished in the sport of wrestling and they can't take that away from me. Some of the MMA fans go and take a jiu-jitsu class and they think they have more credibility than someone that spent there life around a sport like wrestling. I think with me going to ATT I am showing the dedication I have to this sport and when I start fighting I will show people that I am not just a WWE pro wrestler coming to this sport and that I am actually a student of the game trying to win titles.

MMANews.com: Is Brock Lesnar helping to change people's perception on a former WWE wrestler making the transition to MMA with a solid amateur wrestling background?

Bobby Lashley: I think Brock is just that kind of guy and you have to respect him for it. He came in there and knew he had the WWE stigma on his back but he took on tough competition right off the bat and I think people are starting to realize that. Yeah he is a big guy, but he is learning and doing really well and with this title fight against Randy Couture he has another chance to prove himself.

MMANews.com:Who do you see winning that fight?

Bobby Lashley: Brock is a big dude man. Randy is a really really great fighter but if he comes in at around 220 lbs you are looking at a 60 lbs different. That is hard to even out. It is going to be hard to beat Brock if you are that small. Brock is an athlete and he isn't a slouch. You are facing a 280 lbs athlete when you fight Brock.

MMANews.com: With a couple of solid victories on the independent shows, do you feel the UFC could come calling?

Bobby Lashley: The UFC won't come calling me, I will come for the UFC. I am going to prove myself and I am going to show them what I can do. If they want me that is where I will be going.

MMANews.com: Great Bobby, I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me today and I am looking forward to your MMA debut.

Bobby Lashley: Thank You.