Bobby Lashley To Rematch James Thompson As Part Of Bellator's "British Invasion"

Bellator 131 took place Saturday night in California, and while the action was going down, Bellator CEO Scott Coker made a huge announcement: 2015 will see an event the company is calling the "British Invasion" which will include the return to the Bellator cage of pro wrestling standout and former WWE star Bobby Lashley. Lashley has gone 2-0 since arriving in Bellator, and title fight talk has come hot and heavy as a result. Cheick Kongo was rumored as a potential opponent, and Lashley reacted favorably to the fight, but Bellator match-makers have gone another direction, and lined up Lashley for the first rematch of his career, against England's James Thompson. If there has been a knock on Lashley, who started late in the MMA game, it has been his level of competition: each time he has tried to make a step up, he has been knocked back. He met Thompson. a longtime MMA vet, in 2012 at SFL (Super Fight League) 3, and suffered the second loss of his pro MMA career, as Thompson picked up a unanimous decision. Lashley has not lost since, while Thompson would fight only twice since then, with both bouts coming in 2014. He has one win so far under the Bellator banner, and this fight will mark both fighter's biggest challenge to date in Bellator MMA. Should Lashley win, title shot talk for the pro wrestling star will reach critical mass. Elsewhere on the card, light heavyweight champ Emanuel Newton will take on highly touted challenger Liam McGreary, Paul Daley will face Douglas Lima for the welterweight title, and Sokoudjou will face Linton Vassell. All eight men appeared in the cage at Bellator 131 to participate in staredowns to promote the event, which will take place February 27th, 2015.