It has been a long road for the former WWE superstar and current TNA wrestler in his mixed martial arts career. Though Bobby Lashley said in the past that he is a wrestler first, he now says that he does not consider himself to be either one of them as he has changed his method of identifying himself.

“I did some pretty big things in main events and Wrestlemania history, so a lot of people are going to know me from pro-wrestling. Then some people have no knowledge of pro-wrestling beforehand and see me fight and they’re going to know me as a fighter,” says Lashley to Last Word on Sports.

Despite the rarity of his time as both a wrestler and a fighter, there is one man in the main stream media who shares a similar career path, or will so soon. When it comes to fellow former WWE superstar CM Punk, or Phil Brooks, Lashley fully expects a successful run in the UFC.

“I think Punk’s going to go to the UFC and kick somebody’s ass, and everybody’s going to be mad and give him the respect that he deserves” says Lashley, who does not deny the difficult road Punk has ahead.

“There’s so many guys that come into Mixed Martial Arts without any kind of background. I think right now, it is kind of hard just because he’s coming in with zero fights in the UFC, so they’re going have to bring in somebody who is 0-0 or he’s going to have to fight somebody that’s been in there and it’s going to be a little difficult.”

However, in the end, Lashley has belief in the former WWE champion due to how well he knows Punk as a person and as a performer.

“Punk was extremely successful in pro-wrestling. He knows what it takes to be successful and he’s going to apply that same theory and that same mentality that gives him motivation. So when he goes over to fight in the UFC, he’s going to do very well because he’s going to use that same success tactic that he has used before.”

Lashley has had quite the run of success himself, and will look to continue being successful this Friday. At Bellator 138, the MMA fighter and pro wrestler hybrid steps into the octagon with late replacement Dan Charles. It will be the third fight in Lashley’s Bellator tenure, part of a run that currently sees him on a five fight winning streak, tying for a career best.

“What do I think it means? For me it means that I’m moving in the right direction, and that’s the only thing that’s really important. I think Bellator’s a good thing for me. The title’s wide open for any heavyweight who wants to step up.”

Lashely says he is coming into this current run of fights with more focus. He says that he has upped everything from his cardio to his sparring in order to avoid a “terrible fight overall” like the last loss on his record, a unanimous decision to James Thompson (who he was supposed to fight again Friday before an injury forced Thompson to withdraw). The revived focus he is feeling in his career has caused him to look at his training in a more intelligent manner.

“It’s hard for me because I wake up every morning and I’m like: I got to do something I got to go I got to go, and even those days where I’m just beat to shreds from head to toe and just exhausted. It’s hard, being a little older those rest days are a little more important.”

“When I go out and fight, of course I don’t want to go out and just make it a brawl, just going crazy and winning with my hands up and bleeding from every inch of my body. No, I want to be a more sensible fighter.”

Fighting intelligently is necessary for Lashley because it helps him to achieve what he wants in his career. According to Lashley, his aspirations for his career are simple but high.

“For me, I don’t really need to achieve anything. There’s something that I want, I want to go for the Bellator title. I want to stay around a little bit longer and make some good money to be able to retire comfortably and provide for my kids, it’s more want for me. And then step away from it without any lasting injuries or any lasting damages.”

Bellator 138 will take place this Friday night, with the main card starting at 9pm EST on Spike TV. The card is headlined by Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock, with the main card featuring a featherweight title fight between Patricio “Pitbull” Preire and Daniel Weichel.

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