Bobby Lashley’s Gold Rush

---

He has already held titles in professional wrestling, and Bobby Lashley now has his sights set on championship gold in mixed martial arts.

Lashley looks to take the next step in his quest on Friday, when he faces Dan Charles at Bellator 138 “Unfinished Business.” The Lashley-Charles heavyweight feature will help buoy the main card of an event headlined by a heavyweight grudge match between Ken Shamrock and Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson. The event will originate from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, with the featured bouts kicking off at 9 p.m. ET.

The 38-year-old Lashley has his eyes on all Bellator MMA heavyweights and will be paying particular attention to the forthcoming clash between Cheick Kongo and Alexander Volkov.

“At one point in my career, I was just taking fights for the sake of taking fights,” he told Sherdog.com. “Now, it’s not just about winning, but how I win. A win would move me closer to a title shot, but I don’t know how much closer. If I win in impressive fashion, I’ll move lot closer and maybe only be one or two fights away. If I win by decision, I might be two or three fights away. The key is to keep winning.

“There’s two other heavyweights fighting the week after me, and they could be in line for a shot; or if I win, I could face one of them next,” Lashley added. “I really have no idea where I’m going to go next if I win. I just have to stay ready and stay healthy.”

A three-time national champion and four-time All-American wrestler in college, Lashley is still under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and makes frequent appearances on the promotion’s weekly television show, “Impact,” which airs Wednesdays on Destination America. Lashley claims juggling pro wrestling and MMA training has not been nearly as hard as you might expect and the training for the two is not as different as you might think.

“Right now, it’s easier when you have two organizations that will work with each other,” he said. “The guys at Bellator are great to work for, and TNA makes things easier. Wrestling with TNA is a very light schedule. We tape a lot of shows in one night, so I only have to work about once per month. TNA’s next taping is the week after my fight; then they’re off for a month and half. Then I’ll decide about my next fight after taking a little vacation. The way my contract reads is that I have a set amount of days before fights where I can do no pro wrestling. It gives me time to rest and focus completely on fighting. TNA has no house shows right now, so outside of tapings, we’re free. I stay at home and train and do a show here or there if I want to. It’s great for me and great for my career.

“Pro wrestling is completely different now,” Lashley added. “Pro wrestling now doesn’t have the giants from five, 10 or 15 years ago. Guys are training a whole different way, doing things like CrossFit. I train for fighting, but my body is going to look a certain way no matter what. I strictly train for MMA, and I actually do the same warmup for MMA as I do for wrestling. If I ever feel like I have to put on weight, I just up my calories. I just keep my training the same.”

Lashley, who trains at an American Top Team affiliate in Colorado, is 2-0 in Bellator MMA and has won his last five fights dating back to June 2013. He debuted in Bellator with a second-round submission of Josh Burns at Bellator 123 in September and just over a month later took just 91 seconds to stop Karl Etherington at Bellator 130. He was originally scheduled to fight James Thompson in February in a rematch of a 2012 fight that Thompson won -- it was Lashley’s last loss and his only defeat in his last eight outings -- but an injury to “The Dominator” scrapped the proposed bout. The two were re-scheduled for Bellator 138, but an injury to Thompson again postponed a second fight between the two. Instead, Charles has stepped in on a week’s notice to face Lashley.

“When I fought Thompson, he fought me at my worst,” Lashley said. “I just wasn’t training. Fighting just wasn’t on my mind. I was going through a separation and became a single father, which is a lot of things to have thrusted on me. I was working out when I could and just spending time with my kids. I wasn’t fight training. I wasn’t ready for it. I only watched that fight once in the last three years. The way I fought and the decision all disgusts me. I didn’t look at it as a rematch.”

The loss to Thompson served as motivation for Lashley, who has finished four of his five opponents since the defeat.

“Camp has been great,” said Lashley, who signed a long-term contract extension with Bellator earlier this year. “I feel good. I’ve had some grueling training sessions, but I’m finishing them with a big smile. In camp, I just want to stay healthy and have good sparring sessions and make sure everything’s right. I’m just feeling good. I don’t know how to explain it. Sometimes people have insecurities and wonder about their training, but I’ve been busting my butt. Right now isn’t the time for a break. I’m ready for it.”

Lashley will face a late substitute in Charles, who is making his fourth appearance under the Bellator banner. Charles will enter the cage on a two-fight winning streak. A Phoenix native, he has finished seven of his nine professional victories. Lashley admits he is more focused on himself than what Charles brings to the table.

“I’m 100 percent thinking on what I want to do,” he said. “I want to continue to have good showings. I have to take into consideration what he did in his last fight and what he tries to do. We’re going to take that into consideration, but my whole thing is not to worry as much on him. I don’t want to have to reinvent myself every single time I fight.”