The Bellator 138 card scheduled for June 19 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. has added the heavyweight fight between Bobby Lashley and James Thompson to the main card. The main event features the much talked about showdown between Ken Shamrock and Kimbo Slice.
It is fitting that Lashley is added to this card, as his appearance in Bellator is a gimmick that adds to his pro-wrestling persona. The network has attempted cross-promotion between the two brands on several occasions. Some of those attempts, like having Eddie Alvarez assist the broadcast team, were never followed up on, and attempts at MMA fighters such as Quinton Jackson, Tito Ortiz and “King” Mo Lawal have ranged from the mediocre to the down right embarrassing.
Lashley is a physical specimen who is almost 40 years old and has been working hard on his pro wrestling career. This bout, which is a rematch of a May 2012 meeting, was already postponed once because of Lashley’s wrestling calendar. Though on limited activity, Thompson has mildly rehabilitated his record to 20-14 overall as he has not lost since September of 2010, winning five fights and one No Contest. Thompson has actually improved a bit, while it remains to be seen what Lashley will bring to the table. Though he looks great on a poster, his MMA career (12-2) has been a non-starter where he has faced hand picked opposition and failed to produce any highlights.
Taking up the slack for the fans that like real competition are the two other fights announced, which feature Patricio Freire (23-2) taking on Georgi Krakhanyan in a featherweight title bout. In the other fight, two-time lightweight title-holder Michael Chandler (12-3) faces Derek Campos (15-4). Freire held off the challenge of Daniel Straus in January and is now making his second title defense, while Karakhanyan has been on a 10-1 run to earn this title shot. Chandler has now dropped three fights in a row but will still be favored over Campos, who has quietly gone (4-1) in his last five Bellator fights.
