According to the former WWE star turned professional fighter, Bobby Lashley is more serious about his MMA career than ever before, and he has every intention of making the most of what’s likely his last chance.

Lashley (10-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), like most, has encountered his fair share of peaks and valleys during his time as a pro fighter. However, he believes his situation has never been as close to perfect as it is right now, and he wants to capitalize on it.

“I want to swing for the fences and go after some of the bigger names,” Lashley told MMAjunkie. “This is my last run, so I don’t want to make it gradual. Some of these next few fights, there’s some guys I really want to get in the cage with.”

The first run

For the first time in his six-year, Lashley feels like he truly belongs as an MMA fighter. Early in his career, which he launched in 2008 after fellow WWE vet Brock Lesnar made the move to MMA, he was still more “pro wrestler” than MMA fighter. And the notoriety pushed him to a level of fighting he wasn’t close to ready for.

Lashley signed with the now-defunct Strikeforce organization for just his fifth fight. He was first matched against Wes Sims, a 13-year veteran with nearly 30 more fights on his record. Lashley won that fight, but his momentum stopped there.

He was next pitted against Chad Griggs. He’s no world-beater, but he was competent enough to batter and stop the 2010 version of Lashley.

In hindsight, Lashley said he wishes he had never signed with Strikeforce. The level of opposition was more than he was ready for, but the paydays were hard to pass up.

“I didn’t have to (sign with Strikeforce), and I wish I didn’t do it,” Lashley said. “I don’t think there are too many fighters who started their career and went straight to a major promotion like I did. It’s a double-edged sword.

“Me, coming from a wrestling background, of course everyone wants to throw me up there because – the promoters were like, ‘If we’re going to pay you more, you’ve got to fight on a bigger stage so we can get something out of you.’”

Taking a timeout

Following the loss to Griggs, Lashley never again returned to the Strikeforce cage. The loss – his first – made Lashley realize he needed to go back to the drawing board.

He was in a position where he was clearly out of his depth, and while the paydays helped him support his two children, Lashley would have traded the money for a victory, he said. It’s a reason Lashley now encourages young fighters to focus on gradual development.

“Most fighters don’t just go straight pro then face guys with 30 or 40 fights under their belt in their first fight,” Lashley said. “It’s something I had to do for whatever reasons. I would never tell anyone to go pro right away. I would advise guys to do a lot of muay Thai fights, jiu-jitsu tournaments and amateur fights before so they can get more experience. I didn’t have that.”

Following the April 2010 loss to Griggs, Lashley career prospects dimmed. He took off seven months and returned and then returned to regional scene in the U.S. His post-Strikeforce journey consisted of six fights over the past four years. He won five, with the lone defeat coming to big-show vet James Thompson via controversial decision.

Back on the big stage

Lashley is the first to admit his commitment to MMA has wavered over the past several years. In order to support two children, the single father took a few one-off fights and dabbled back in the world of pro wrestling.

That’s until this Friday, when Lashley makes his Bellator MMA debut against heavyweight Josh Burns (8-7 MMA, 0-2 BMMA) on the Spike TV-televised main card of Bellator 123 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

With a strong support system to help raise his children, Lashley thought now was the time to put all his eggs in one basket and commit to another shot at MMA success.

He believes the six fights since his Strikeforce departure have adequately helped him build the needed experience to compete on MMA’s bigger stages.

“I decided to sit back and fight in smaller promotions and just have some fights under my belt without the pressure and the spotlight on it,” Lashley said. “I stepped back a little bit before because I became a single father, and I really had to take some time away for my kids. That was the time away I’ve had in the last couple years and didn’t have the opportunity to really train the way I wanted to.

“Now I have everything back together, I have more support at home, and now it’s an opportunity to step back on a major stage. Bellator is great, so I think this is the best thing for me right now.”

A last stand

Lashley insists his current dedication to the sport is unlike anything he’s attempted in the past. He trained for his Bellator debut at the world-renowned American Top Team academy in Florida, and he has future plans to relocate permanently so he can work full-time at a high-level training facility.

“I know a lot more than I did when I first started, so the natural progression is me being more prepared,” Lashley said. “I’ve had the opportunity to do some things I haven’t done before. I’m in great shape right now, and I’m in better shape than I have been in a long time.

“I feel more mentally focused to compete in this sport. I’m more confident than I have been for a while.”

While the sport sees fighters excel at all different ages, Lashley, now 38, knows he has limited time to leave his mark. That’s why he’s given everything he has to prepare for Friday’s contest.

Judging from his record, Burns isn’t the most challenging opponent Lashley has encountered in his MMA career. With seven losses to his name, all by stoppage, the odds are stacked in Lashley’s favor ahead of his first bout since November.

Lashley is aware he needs to put an exclamation mark on his performance if he’s going to be taken seriously with the new-look Bellator.

“Now is a good opportunity to make this one last stand and go for it,” Lashley said. “Let’s just be real. I can’t stay here and spin my wheels. I just really want to go out there and make a statement. I want to go out there and do well and look good.”

For more on Bellator 123, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.