<! mediaid=3898979 J Pat Carter, AP: img align="right" alt="" src="" />Bobby Lashley, the former WWE wrestler who dabbles in mixed martial arts, will step into the cage again next week for the first time since suffering the first loss of his MMA career in a Strikeforce fight last year. And in case there's any doubt that Lashley's promoters, Titan Fighting Championship, are setting Lashley up for an easy win, here's what you need to know about Lashley's opponent: He's a middleweight with an 8-7 professional record.
Lashley's opponent was originally supposed to be a guy named James Jack, but Jack has dropped out of the fight and been replaced by a guy named John Ott. In his last fight, a unanimous decision victory over Brian Imes at Bellator 26, Ott weighed in at 184.75 pounds.
Yes, that's right: Lashley, who's 246 pounds of chiseled muscle, is going to fight a guy who's been fighting 185 pounders, and losing to them almost as often as beating them.
Titan Fighting is trying to put its best spin on the matchup, releasing a statement describing Ott as "an amateur body builder" who "is currently walking at 225 lbs."
"John might be a little heavy for the fight but the extra weight he is carrying is all muscle," said Titan Fighting CEO Joe Kelly. "From a pure strength standpoint, he will be able to go in and compete with Bobby. His strong amateur wrestling credentials will also potentially allow him to neutralize Bobby's takedowns and force the fight to stay on the feet."
The Titan Fighting card, which takes place March 25 on HDNet, is actually not a bad one by the standards of smaller MMA promotions. But if you're looking for a competitive main event, you'll need to look for something other than Ott vs. Lashley.
Lashley's opponent was originally supposed to be a guy named James Jack, but Jack has dropped out of the fight and been replaced by a guy named John Ott. In his last fight, a unanimous decision victory over Brian Imes at Bellator 26, Ott weighed in at 184.75 pounds.
Yes, that's right: Lashley, who's 246 pounds of chiseled muscle, is going to fight a guy who's been fighting 185 pounders, and losing to them almost as often as beating them.
Titan Fighting is trying to put its best spin on the matchup, releasing a statement describing Ott as "an amateur body builder" who "is currently walking at 225 lbs."
"John might be a little heavy for the fight but the extra weight he is carrying is all muscle," said Titan Fighting CEO Joe Kelly. "From a pure strength standpoint, he will be able to go in and compete with Bobby. His strong amateur wrestling credentials will also potentially allow him to neutralize Bobby's takedowns and force the fight to stay on the feet."
The Titan Fighting card, which takes place March 25 on HDNet, is actually not a bad one by the standards of smaller MMA promotions. But if you're looking for a competitive main event, you'll need to look for something other than Ott vs. Lashley.