Bobby Lashley, the "other" former WWE star to make the jump to Mixed Martial Arts, continued his recent MMA winning streak Friday, moving to 2-0 in Bellator MMA and 12-2 overall in his professional MMA career with a win at Bellator 130 over the previously undefeated English heavyweight Karl Etherington. For Lashley, it marks his fifth straight win since a May 2012 loss to heavyweight vet James Thompson under the SFL (Super Fight League) banner. Etherington entered the bout with a decidedly odd stratedgy, claiming he would come right at the hulking Lashley and outmuscle him. True to his word, the English fighter attempted to do just that, only to find himself tied up against the Bellator cage by the American Top Team fighter. After Etherington threw a clear low blow (a knee to the groin), Lashley had the option to take up to five minutes of recovery time, but made the dubious decision to decline and immediately return to action. It turned out to be the right move: with the fighters engaging again, Etherington slipped while attempting a judo toss and found himself face down on the canvas with Lashley on top, raining down blow after blow from above. Unable to offer anything in the way of a remotely intelligent defence, Etherington tapped, and Lashley took home the victory by way of submission to strikes. It's a big win for Lashley, as Etherington was a legit prospect, and equally as imposing as the TNA star himself. It gives Lashley two straight wins in a weak Bellator heavyweight division, and could set him up with a title eliminator, if not a title fight itself. Expect to see Lashley taking a big spot on one of Bellator's 2015 cards, as the promotion moves away from the weekly format and goes to monthly events. The name Cheick Kongo has been floated around since Lashley came to Bellator, and that, or a rematch against Thompson, who is also now employed by Bellator, could be a solid draw. Depending on the status of Bellator heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov, who has apparently entered a couple of side careers (politics, acting), he could even be fast-tracked right to a title shot, though former champion Alexander Volkov is pencilled in for the next title fight, which is not currently scheduled. Either way, it has been a very successful 2014 for Bobby Lashley.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
