I have been critical at times at Bobby Lashley’s choice of opponent but his next one offers no room for criticism. Lashley is reportedly in talks to fight Fedor Emelianenko on an M-1 Global event. This would undoubtedly be the biggest test for the former WWE star gone MMA fighter yet.

Fighters Only Magazine broke the news with quotes from Lashley. According to the article, M-1 are currently in talks with several potential opponents for Fedor’s next fight. However, it is the name of the former WrestleMania star that has people talking.

Lashley left the WWE and entered the MMA business a few years back. Since making his fight debut in 2008, Lashley has gone 8-1. While the record may seem impressive, Lashley has been criticiszed for taking easy opponents (on paper anyway) and not evolving his fight game. Lashley is coming off a first round submission over Karl Knothe which wrangled him Shark Fights heavyweight championship.

Lashley is no fool and is fully aware of the leap he will be taking from fighting Knothe to Fedor. Lashley thinks his amateur wrestling background and skills give him the edge over the Last Emperor.

“I think that my wrestling would trump some of the things that he has. I know he’s a great fighter, but if I fought him then of course I’m going to try and wrestle him down… If it was Dave [Bautista], I’m standing and banging with him. I’ve been doing a lot of boxing.”

Lashley also understands that the time is now to start testing himself against better opponents and squash any criticism that speculates Lashley isn’t taking his MMA career seriously.

“I wanna fight the best, so if I have an opportunity to fight Fedor, let’s do it. If I have an opportunity to fight anyone right now let’s just damn do it.”

Lashley would certainly not be an easy mark for Fedor. Fedor would be coming into the fight on his first two-win fight strike since 2009. Fedor made easy work of Satoshi Ishii via KO back on New Year’s Eve. However, his previous win over Jeff Monson was what I would describe as alarming. Fedor dominated Monson for 3 full rounds but could not put him away, thus going to a decision. The old Fedor would have clocked Monson but the older Fedor looks like he may have lost some of that finishing power.

I look at Lashley as a younger, faster, stronger, inexperienced Monson. Lashley could take this thing if he can ground and pound Fedor in the first round. Unfortunately Lashley’s biggest issue here would be his conditioning. Lashley is a fast starter but is often exhausted by the end of the fight. Someone like Fedor is smart enough to know this and could pick him apart if the fight went past the first round. However, surviving an early-fight onslaught by Lashley may be easier said than done at this stageof the game for Fedor.

Lashley and his team are in the initial stages of talks. He will be a huge underdog going into the fight if it happens but he may just be one of those underdogs worth putitng a couple of bucks on if I were a betting man….which I am not.

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