With just eight days to go, Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley finally has a confirmed opponent for his Strikeforce debut at Strikeforce: Miami on January 30th. The undefeated Lashley will battle three-time UFC veteran Wes “A Whole Show” Sims in a featured heavyweight bout. The promotion confirmed the news today.
Sims was last seen as a contestant on Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, but he was defeated in the preliminary rounds. The bout with Lashley will be Sims’s first pro fight in over a year.
Sims (22-12-1, 2 NC) has totalled all 22 of his career victories inside the scheduled distance and holds a near-equal number of knockouts and submissions. The always colourful Sims debuted in the UFC back in 2003 and was famously disqualified for kicking opponent Frank Mir in the face on the ground. He would fall short in two more bouts inside the Octagon – including a knockout loss to Mir in their rematch – but has since found moderate success competing in smaller shows. Taking the fight with Lashley on very short notice, Sims has little to lose and everything to gain in his Strikeforce debut.
Lashley (4-0-0) has gone through a string of opponents for his promotional debut. He was most recently scheduled to face journeyman veteran Jimmy “The Titan” Ambriz, but the fight fell through and the pro wrestling star will now face an equally experienced veteran in Sims. Lashley has yet to taste defeat in mixed martial arts and has stopped three of his opponents thus far. He is coming off of a first-round victory over Bob “The Beast” Sapp in late June.
Strikeforce: Miami is headlined a pair of title bouts. DREAM Welterweight Champion Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis will take on Nick Diaz to crown the first Strikeforce Welterweight Champion and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos will defend her Strikeforce Women’s Lightweight (145-Pound) Championship against Marloes Coenen. The event takes place on January 30th at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida and airs live on Showtime and Super Channel.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)