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Lashley bringing
out “The Beast” in Sapp
BILOXI, Miss. (May 15, 2009)
– Styles make fights and the June 27th main event match-up
between contrasting MMA fighters, kick-boxer Bob “The Beast” Sapp
and wrestler Bobby Lashley, features a potential instant
classic of pure entertainment on the “Ultimate Chaos” pay-per-view event
live from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi.
The imposing 6-4, 350-pound Sapp
(10-3-1), who played in the NFL for four years before becoming an iconic
combat fighter in Japan, wants to brawl on his feet while the chiseled 6-3,
265-pound former WWE star Lashley (2-0), 3-time NCAA champion (1996-98) and
4-time All-America wrestler at Missouri Valley College, prefers to ground
and pound.
“Ultimate Chaos,” presented by Prize Fight Promotions and Fight Force
International, in association with the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum,
Treasure Bay Casino and Budweiser, is being produced and distributed by
Gotham MMA and Integrated Sports at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in the United States
on cable and satellite via iNDemand, TVN and
DirecTV
for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.
Sapp starred as an offensive lineman
on the University of Washington’s football team, winning the prestigious
Morris Award, and he was selected in the third round of the NFL draft in
1997 by the Chicago Bears. Bob turned to pro wrestling after football and
was later recruited by PRIDE in Japan, where his incredible size, strength
and bull-rush style made him an instant fan favorite. He went on to star in
K-1 as well as become an actor, playing roles in movies like The Longest
Yard and Elektra.
“This fight is what fight fans want
to see,” Sapp said. “It’s intriguing and will be very entertaining. Bobby is
bringing ‘The Beast’ out in me- I want to brawl. I’m the last person to say
I’m a submission artist. I want to box. I’m a brawler. I’m going to come at
him with my long arms and legs, punching and kicking. He’s going to come
strong at me, trying to take me off balance, but I’ll come back with a
straight right knee to his jaw and follow with a left hook. He’s never been
hit by anybody like me. He’s new on the MMA scene. Bobby’s more or less a
grounder and pounder who wants to slam me and hold me down. He’ll throw in
some elbows and maybe some new, slick MMA moves. What’s left?
“I’m a huge test for him, which says
a lot about Bobby. He has no fear of getting cracked real hard. It could be
a flash knockdown or an accumulation of punches, which does worse damage and
is tougher to get over. Bobby’s powerful, his slams are strong and he does
have some pro wrestling moves. But I’ll be faster than he imagines. If he
wants to be a star in MMA, he needs a more entertaining style of fighting,
one that I’ve built by career on. I’m more of an entertaining fighter than
typical MMA guy.”
After graduating from Missouri
Valley College, Lashley joined the U.S. Army and was a 2-time Armed Forces
Champion and 2002 Military Games Championship silver medalist. Two years
ago, Lashley became a WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) superstar, joining
Donald Trump at Wrestlemania 23 in a bet against WWE president
Vince McMahon. Lashley won the match
and helped Trump shave McMahon’s head in the ring. Bobby made his MMA debut
last December 13, stopping Joshua Franklin only 0.41 into the opening round,
and March 21 he won a 3-round decision versus 37-fight veteran Jason Guida
in Pensacola (FL).
“This fight is going to let fans in
the U.S. know that Bob’s still around,” Sapp added. “I’ve been fighting for
organizations all over the world, in a ring, not a cage. I want to go at it
and make all my fights exciting. I’ll be training 20 days in a Judo center
in Japan (for a DREAM show there in late May) and it’ll be the first time
that I’m only training for an MMA fight – no movies, no television, just
training everyday. It’s a great opportunity for me and American fans are
going to see the real Beast.”
In a co-feature that could be the
main event on most cards, former UFC title challenger and feared Brazilian
striker, Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo (16-8-0), takes on
controversial Dutch heavyweight Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel
(35-13-3).
Dangerous lightweight Din
“Dinyero” Thomas (24-8-0), star of The Ultimate Fighter 4,
faces former KOTC and Gladiator Challenge champion Javier “Showtime”
Vasquez; Canadian lightweight sensation Chris “The Polish
Hammer” Horodecki (12-1-0) meets dangerous William “The Bull”
Sriyapai (12-4-0).
Also fighting on the card are
welterweights Brett Cooper (8-4-0) vs. Waachiim “Native
Warrior” Spirit Wolf (5-4), Affliction vice president Tom Atencio
(1-0) vs. lightweight Randy Hedderick, middleweight James Orso
(3-2-0) vs. Colby McMahan (1-0-0), middleweight Danny Abbadi
(3-4-0) vs. Lance Thomson (1-0-0), and welterweight Eric Bradley
(2-1-0) vs. Colin McKee (3-2-0). All fights and fighters are
subject to change.
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