Bobby Lashley says all the right things about wanting to make a successful transition from professional wrestling to mixed martial arts, and about taking his training seriously in an effort to become a star in the cage just like he was in the wrestling ring.
But for fans who have been wondering where Lashley's career is heading, Lashley has posted a message on his Facebook page that suggests he's wondering, too.
"Sorry for the delay in responding to all of you who are eager to see me fight again," Lashley wrote on Facebook. "I will not be on the Strikeforce card in April, but my training is going very well and I'm fully prepared to step into the cage when the time is right. I will let you know as soon as my next fight is set!"
The problem for Lashley is that he's very particular about the kinds of fights he wants. After Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said he hoped to book Lashley against Brett Rogers, Lashley said that fight didn't interest him and instead he'd rather fight Alistair Overeem or Fedor Emelianenko.
But that won't work for Strikeforce, which hopes to pit Overeem against Rogers and Emelianenko against Fabricio Werdum and then, if they both win, Overeem against Emelianenko. Lashley isn't in that mix, and therefore he wants to fight easier opponents until he gets a shot at one of those two.
That might not work for Strikeforce either, however, because Strikeforce doesn't want to pay Lashley the hefty salary that he typically commands if he's only willing to fight easy opponents like he did in his last fight, when he won a first-round TKO over Wes Sims.
And so even if he's fully prepared to return and hoping to be on Strikeforce's May 15 show, Lashley doesn't have a fight scheduled. As a 33-year-old newcomer to the sport, he ought to be fighting frequently, but instead he's on the sidelines.
But for fans who have been wondering where Lashley's career is heading, Lashley has posted a message on his Facebook page that suggests he's wondering, too.
"Sorry for the delay in responding to all of you who are eager to see me fight again," Lashley wrote on Facebook. "I will not be on the Strikeforce card in April, but my training is going very well and I'm fully prepared to step into the cage when the time is right. I will let you know as soon as my next fight is set!"
The problem for Lashley is that he's very particular about the kinds of fights he wants. After Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said he hoped to book Lashley against Brett Rogers, Lashley said that fight didn't interest him and instead he'd rather fight Alistair Overeem or Fedor Emelianenko.
But that won't work for Strikeforce, which hopes to pit Overeem against Rogers and Emelianenko against Fabricio Werdum and then, if they both win, Overeem against Emelianenko. Lashley isn't in that mix, and therefore he wants to fight easier opponents until he gets a shot at one of those two.
That might not work for Strikeforce either, however, because Strikeforce doesn't want to pay Lashley the hefty salary that he typically commands if he's only willing to fight easy opponents like he did in his last fight, when he won a first-round TKO over Wes Sims.
And so even if he's fully prepared to return and hoping to be on Strikeforce's May 15 show, Lashley doesn't have a fight scheduled. As a 33-year-old newcomer to the sport, he ought to be fighting frequently, but instead he's on the sidelines.