For Lashley, this will be his opportunity to show the world that he’s more than just a fake-wrestling guy. As a former WWE and present TNA wrestling star, this 6-foot-3, 265-pound monster comes in with an extensive collegiate amateur wrestling background.
Lashley captured three national amateur wrestling championships (1996-98) while attending Missouri Valley College. In 1997 and 1998, “The Dominator” became the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Wrestling Champion.
Lashley joined the army shortly thereafter, where he continued to refine his wrestling skills. While training to compete in the 2004 Olympic Games, Lashley suffered a knee injury, which ended his hopes of representing his country in Athens, Greece. From there, Lashley went on to compete in pro wrestling.
As we all know, fighters that come with a wrestling-base usually do very well in Mixed Martial Arts, especially with a guy of the stature of a Bobby Lashley. Thus, the former “United States Champion” and a 2-time “World Heavyweight Champion” was picked up by one of the best MMA camps in the country.
Currently training at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL, under the direct supervision of Grande Mestre, Ricardo Liborio, the 33-year-old Lashley is expected to crush the former UFC veteran tonight, and the odds backup that notion. ATT is the home of many professional fighters competing in different promotions all around the world. Apart from Lashley, some of the most prominent ATT pros include: Thiago “Pittbull” Alves, Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson, Thiago Silva, Danillo & Yuri Villefort (ATT DORAL), among many others.
The 47-year-old Walker and the 26-year-old Nagy heavyweights will highlight a night of MMA fights in Miami that include the Strikeforce debut of pro-wrestling’s Bobby Lashley vs Wes Sims as well as Cris “Cyborg” Santos first title defense vs Marloes Coenen. For a complete list of MMA Strikeforce Miami Odds please visit SPORTSBOOK.com.
After an illustrious football career that includes a Heisman Trophy (1982), two Pro Bowls (1987-88) and many other accomplishments, the former running back is trying to defy the odds and begin a professional MMA career at almost 50 years old. Some people have called it a circus while others have said its ridiculous, but for Walker it’s all about the love for the sport and the experience.
Walker has been training with Bob Cook at American Kickboxing Academy in California and has been grappling with guys like UFC heavyweight title-contender Cain Velasquez. Other UFC guys training at AKA include Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, and Jon Fitch, as well as former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson and middleweight king Cung Le.
“I’m not saying I’m not going to be nervous when I enter that locker room and as I’m walking down to that cage I might get a little but nervous there,” Herschel said in a recent interview. “I think as soon as that door close, I know then it’s time to get it on and that’s what I gotta do.”
Brock Lesnar Returns to Face Winner of Frank Mir vs Shane Carwin at UFC 111: It’s official ladies and gentleman, on Wednesday’s edition of ESPN's SportsCenter, UFC heavyweight champion (4-1) Brock Lesnar formally announced his return to the Octagon after what he referred to as “miracle” occurred with his health condition. Lesnar and UFC President Dana White appeared on ESPN this morning, divulging the news that the “Next Big Thing” will be indeed returning to the UFC to defend his title in the summer of 2010.
“It’s been a crazy ride,” said White. “Forget about the career side. He was looking at a different quality of life if he needed this surgery. Basically the doctors said he got a lottery ticket. It’s a miracle.”
Lesnar was suspected to be fighting a battle with diverticulitis, which appeared to threaten his MMA career and well-being. This was the same condition that disabled the former NCAA Division I champ from defending his title against fellow wrestler, Shane Carwin back in November.
“I was just feeling sick for the longest time,” said Lesnar. “My camp wasn’t going well. I missed almost three weeks, I kept going to the doctor and couldn’t find out what the problem was. Finally I said to my trainers, I can’t do this fight.”
Lesnar was initially diagnosed with Mononucleosis, after he reportedly collapsed during a hunting trip in Canada, at which time his condition worsened.
“I had a lot of stomach pain,” the champ added. “One night I woke up and I was in severe shock. I had a 104 degree fever and I felt like I was shot in the guts.”
The 6-foot-3, Lesnar immediately return home for treatment, where doctors found him to have a severe case of diverticulitis. The then-285 pound champ was immediately put on antibiotics and pain medication, avoiding initial surgery and his body began to heal. After 11 days of laying on a bed without food or water, Lesnar lost 40 pounds before being released.
After a January 5th visit to the Mayo Clinic, where surgery to remove his colon was initially suggested, doctors found that the 32-year-old champion was back at full strength.
After a visit to the Mayo Clinic where surgery to remove his colon was recommended, Lesnar still held out hope to avoid the procedure, and after returning to the gym and putting 30 pounds back on, a January 5th checkup revealed that the champion was back to full strength. “It’s just a miracle,” Lesnar said. “They were dumbfounded. They couldn’t find signs of anything wrong with my stomach. It’s just a miracle to me.”
Still in disbelief, Lesnar had another CT scan on his stomach on Tuesday, revealing the same results: there was no hole in his stomach or any signs of there ever being one. “I’ve had three or four different opinions and colonoscopies and CT scans,” he said. “There’s literally no sign of anything even existing in there.”
Now clear and having regained 30 pounds back, White officially announced that Lesnar would face the winner between the UFC 111 bout between Frank Mir vs Shane Carwin. “Let’s make it clear,” said Lesnar with a smile. “I still am the UFC heavyweight champion.”
Brock Lesnar Announces Return to UFC on ESPN? As time has gone by, the fighting status of UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has slowly been more optimistic. Now, the UFC heavyweight champ is apparently ready to announce his return to the Octagon, finally putting to rest of the speculation that his professional MMA career was over. According to various reports, Lesnar is expected and scheduled to appear on ESPN on Wednesday (January 19, 2010) morning to discuss what happened since cancelling the November 21 title fight with Shane Carwin because of diverticulitis and a possible timetable for his return to the cage.
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise for Brock Lesnar fans, as some of his trainers and peers have been hinting at the big man’s return since last week. "Brock Lesnar is definitely coming back to fight. He's just kind of coming up slowly, trying to get his body ready and being smart with his recovery," Greg Nelson said last week. "He's been going in to the doctor and making sure everything's going well for him. "He'll continue to go in for a couple more tests to make sure he's 100 percent ready to train when he starts up."
Even former UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture had something to say about the return of the man that took his belt. “I spoke with Brock, I don't think his career is over,” Couture stated. “I think they've got the issues he's been having under control, and he's back training. I think he will be back in the octagon this spring, and ready to fight again.”
With Carwin and Frank Mir meeting on March 27th for the interim UFC heavyweight title, speculation is that the winner of that match would face Lesnar perhaps in late 2010. “I really do hope that Brock Lesnar is healthy, he's a father. I wish no ill will on him,” Mir said after his destruction of Cheick Kongo at UFC 107. “That being said, get healthy so I can redeem myself and face you. I will hurt you and that will be the last of it.”
Hey, check out these great upcoming UFC Betting Odds provided by our friends at SPORTSBOOK.com:
UFC 109 Betting Odds:
Randy "The Natural" Couture [-500 ML] vs Mark "The Hammer" Coleman [+300 ML]
Matt "The Terror" Serra [-150 ML] vs Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg [+120 ML]
UFC 110 Betting Odds:
Joe "Daddy" Stevenson [-280 ML] vs George Sotiropoulos [+220 ML]
Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira [-140 ML] vs Cain Velasquez [+110 ML]
Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva [-160 ML] vs Michael "The Count" Bisping [+130 ML]
Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine [+130 ML] vs Ryan "Darth" Bader [-160 ML]
Kimbo Slice vs Matt Mitrione Slated for UFC 113? The wait is finally over, as backyard brawler turned MMA fighter, (4-1) Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson gets set to make his anticipated Pay-Per-View debut with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. According to various reports, Kimbo Slice will need to have his passport ready, as UFC President Dana White has his eye set on the former TUF 10 cast-member participating in UFC 113’s main card in Montreal, Canada.
This UFC 113 match would be in the heavyweight division, as Kimbo Slice would be taking on former house-mate and TUF 10 villain, (1-0) Matt “Meathead” Mitrione. UFC 113 is scheduled to take place at the Bell Centre on May 1st. On that same night, the UFC light heavyweight championship will be settled once and for all. It will be an all-Brazilian war between No.1 contender, (18-4-0) Mauricio “Shogun” Rua taking on undefeated champion, (16-0) Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida.
Other fights expected to fill the UFC 113 card include: Paul Daley vs. Josh Koscheck, Marcus Davis vs. Jonathan Goulet, Alan Belcher vs. Patrick Cote, Jeremy Stephens vs. Sam Stout and T.J. Grant vs. Johny Hendricks.
Kimbo Slice is coming off an impressive performance against the now-departed Houston Alexander in The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale. Not only did Alexander embarrass himself with a poor showing, but Slice also displayed some of the new skills he has acquired since joining MMA powerhouse gym, American Top Team in South Florida.
It's almost hard to believe that in just seven years, American Top Team has become the, "Number one source for Florida MMA, BJJ, self-defense, fitness and Martial Arts”. UFC commentator Joe Rogan went on to say that "American Top Team is the best MMA camp in the country!"
We’ve all witnessed what ATT has done for guys like Kimbo Slice -- who went from fighting in the gutter backyards of South Florida, to center stage on the world famous UFC Octagon -- as well as Thiago “Pitbull” Alves, Thiago Silva and so many more.
With their newest location in South Florida, Danillo “Indio” Villefort’s ATT DORAL, becoming an instant success, American Top Team promises to continue to expand as one of the elite MMA camps in the world. "There are probably four or five great teams that are capable of putting out world champions, and American Top Team is one of them," UFC President Dana White.
Kimbo's projected opponent, simply known as "Meathead", is also coming off a pretty nice victory. The 31-year-old, Mitrione knocked out sports betting odds favorite and fellow, former NFL player, Marcus "The Darkness" Jones at just 10 seconds of the second round. This week, Mitrione addressed the rumors on his Facebook account: “The rumors are NOT true. I have not been contacted by anyone about fighting anyone. I’d love for it to be true, but its not."
Check out these great upcoming UFC Betting Odds provided by our good friends at BODOG.com:
UFC 109 Betting Odds
Randy "The Natural" Couture [-500 ML] vs Mark "The Hammer" Coleman [+300 ML]
Matt "The Terror" Serra [-150 ML] vs Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg [+120 ML]
UFC 110 Betting Odds
Joe "Daddy" Stevenson [-280 ML] vs George Sotiropoulos [+220 ML]
Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira [-140 ML] vs Cain Velasquez [+110 ML]
Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva [-160 ML] vs Michael "The Count" Bisping [+130 ML]
Keith "The Dean of Mean" Jardine [+130 ML] vs Ryan "Darth" Bader [-160 ML]
For Lashley, this will be his opportunity to show the world that he’s more than just a fake-wrestling guy. As a former WWE and present TNA wrestling star, this 6-foot-3, 265-pound monster comes in with an extensive collegiate amateur wrestling background. 
vs Wes Sims
“It’s been a crazy ride,” said White. “Forget about the career side. He was looking at a different quality of life if he needed this surgery. Basically the doctors said he got a lottery ticket. It’s a miracle.” 
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise for Brock Lesnar fans, as some of his trainers and peers have been hinting at the big man’s return since last week. "Brock Lesnar is definitely coming back to fight. He's just kind of coming up slowly, trying to get his body ready and being smart with his recovery," 
This UFC 113 match would be in the heavyweight division, as Kimbo Slice would be taking on former house-mate and TUF 10 villain, (1-0) Matt “Meathead” Mitrione. UFC 113 is scheduled to take place at the Bell Centre on May 1st. On that same night, the UFC light heavyweight championship will be settled once and for all. It will be an all-Brazilian war between No.1 contender,