The previously rumored MMA fight between Lashley and fellow former-WWE Superstar Batista under the Strikeforce banner is now more likely to happen than ever before. Lashley had previously dismissed the possibility of such a bout, claiming the fight would be a step backwards for his career. Prior to Lashley’s unfortunate loss on Saturday night during the Strikeforce card, which aired live on the Showtime premium cable channel, the MMA heavyweight was talking about making some big leaps forward in his fight selection process. Such names as Fedor Emelianenko and Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem were officially on Lashley’s radar, with a win against Griggs moving him that much closer to one of those fights materializing due to the lack of depth in the promotion’s weak heavyweight roster. With the loss, Lashley moves the opposite direction, and a big money fight against Batista, which would be almost a guaranteed win for Lashley, seems like a pretty good move for all parties involved now for a number of reasons.
Lashley wasn’t the only man who suffered his first career loss on Saturday night. The now former light heavyweight champion “King Mo” Lawal lost in brutal fashion to Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante at the 1:14 mark of round three of the Strikeforce: Houston main event. King Mo moves to 7-1 following the loss, while new champion Feijao improves his record to 10-2.
For a complete Strikeforce: Houston recap, click the following link for the detailed round-by-round report from WrestleZone’s official MMA sister-site, Sherdog.com. Also on the Sherdog website is a post-show interview with Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, where he discusses Lashley’s loss and his future in Strikeforce as a result.
