Former WWE wrestler Bobby Lashley, currently in training for his MMA debut later this year, says he does not want to be seen as another pro wrestler turning to MMA.

Lashley, who is expecting a baby with his girlfriend, who is also a former WWE star, recently signed with the American Fight League after rejecting the opportunity to join another pro wrestling promotion, TNA.

“I’m putting it all together,” Lashley told MMAjunkie.com. “I’m going into this thing not with just overpowering my own style with [wrestling]. I’m actually learning everything else. I’m learning the jiu-jitsu; I’m taking it from the basics. I’m learning my kickboxing, my boxing. I’m getting the whole game tied together. So when I debut, it’s not going to be a wrestler trying to do MMA. It’s going to be a fighter.”

Although Lashley is yet to compete in his first MMA bout, he feels is ready and has been preparing for over a year.

He continued: “I worked out with AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) for a little while. They’ve got a couple of really tough guys out there. More than a couple, they’ve got a handful of really tough guys. … Also Nate Marquardt has a gym up in Denver.

“I got in there a couple times and worked out with them. There’s a Fight Factory in Colorado Springs. I’m heading over to Greg Jackson’s in Albuquerque. H.I.T. Squad — Matt Hughes is a good friend of mine. I’m going to be heading out there and training with those guys. Big Ron Sparks out here in Louisville. I’m going to be hitting everything, you know?

“The past year, I’ve been training pretty hard.”

Comparisions have already been made between Lashley and another former WWE superstar in Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar, who quit WWE after being unable to deal with the hectic travel schedule and turned his back on a lucrative big-money contract, made his UFC debut earlier this year and will fight again in August.

But while Lesnar’s debut was a highly publicised affair, Lashley says he plans to build steadily toward the top.

“Not that anybody did anything wrong, but how I look at it — and I don’t want to use the WWE, but WWE does it real well — you don’t just get in the WWE and you go against Cena or Triple H for the championship,” Lashley explained. “Same thing in the UFC. Like Cain Velasquez, he’s not going out there fighting (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueira right away. … You work your way up.”

Lashley hopes to build steadily, but he is certainly not putting a limit on where he can go in the sport.

“I’m not going to fight anybody that’s a complete slouch,” Lashley said. “I’m going to have formidable opponents, and I’m going to be beating those guys up until we get to the people like the Cain Velasquezs, the Brock (Lesnars), the (Antonio Rodrigo) Nogueiras, the Fedor (Emelianenkos). I’m going to work my way up to that level, but eventually, I’m going to be fighting every one of those guys.”

He added: “Everybody just says ‘Oh, WWE wrestler. Don’t take that fact as everything I did in the past. I have 17 years of wrestling experience — national championships, world titles and everything like that. I’m coming into MMA as a student of the game, and I’m working my way up.

“Don’t look at it as, ‘OK, this is a WWE guy.’ Scratch all that. Say this is a guy that wants to work his way up in the business.

“I’m going to prove myself to everybody, so give me an opportunity. That’s all I hope for, an opportunity.”

Phil Lowe
phil@wwepreview.com