Bobby Lashley won his MMA debut Saturday night in Miami, Florida at Mixed Fighting Alliance: There Will Be Blood. The former WWE superstar stopped his opponent, debuting fighter Joshua Franklin, in forty one seconds due to a cut on the forehead above his right eye.
Despite making his debut with Mixed Fighting Alliance (MFA), Lashley remains under contract with the American Fight League. The heavyweight received permission from the AFL in order to make his pro debut.
The AFL had attempted to loan out their fighters to other promotions in joint ventures prior to Lashley fighting on the MFA card. The reason for these rentals come from the AFL’s decision to hold off putting on a card until next Spring.
Tara LaRosa and Roxanne Modafferi were to fight on the Ironheart Crown 12 event on November 8th. While AFL fighter Raphael Assucao did fight on the IC 12 card, the AFL pulled the funding for the LaRosa vs Modafferi rematch and the bout did not go on.
Lashley made the jump from pro wrestling to MMA with the help of the well-respected American Top Team academy in Coconut Creek, Florida. Another ATT heavyweight and UFC veteran came away with a victory as well.
Lashley’s teammate and former UFC heavyweight contender, Jeff ” The Snowman” Monson avenged a 2002 TKO loss to former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez. Monson took home a unanimous decision victory in front of the American Airlines arena crowd.
-Matt De La Rosa
Here’s the video of Bobby Lashley’s MMA debut: