5 Reasons Kurt Angle Could Jump To MMA (And 5 Reasons It Won't Happen)

4. Bellator Loves The Wrestling Connection

The wrestling connection with Bellator pre-dates current CEO Scott Coker, and really started with the promotion's signing of King Mo Lawal. King Mo signed a deal with TNA Wrestling at the same time, and had intended to pursue a pro wrestling career right alongside his MMA one. After that, Bellator fighters like Rampage Jackson and Tito Ortiz also signed with TNA, though none of them made an impact (pun fully intended). However, while things didn't work out for the fighters involved, Bellator definitely saw what the added eyeballs from the wrestling crossover brought them. When Scott Coker took over at Bellator after founder Bjorn Rebney was ousted last year, he continued the connection, but with a different wrinkle: he signed up Bobby Lashley, who had fought for Strikeforce years earlier and was toiling in the regional scene at the time, and built him up slowly into a star. Lashley is now 4-0 in Bellator and poised for either a title shot or a big fight with Kimbo Slice, assuming Slice gets past the virtually unknown Dada 5000 in February. In any case, the Lashley signing has been a success for Bellator, and it led to them jumping into the Alberto Del Rio sweepstakes, along with the Brock Lesnar sweepstakes, only to lose out on both. Angle would be a great consolation prize, however, and they would absolutely build him into an MMA star.