Opponent For Bobby Lashley’s Strikeforce Return Confirmed

Steve Pratt from Strikeforce sent along the following to WrestleZone.com:

SAN JOSE, Calif. (July 16, 2010) – Unbeaten and rising heavyweight star Bobby Lashley gets back to business when he takes on Mixed Martial Arts veteran and Tucson firefighter Chad Griggs in a featured, televised bout during STRIKEFORCE: Houston, on Saturday, Aug. 21 from Houston’s Toyota Center and live on SHOWTIME (10p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).

Lashley vs. Griggs will be a prelude to a World Championship Doubleheader when STRIKEFORCE World Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Champion “King” Mo Lawal makes the first defense of his belt against devastating striker Rafael “Feijao’’ Cavalcante in the main event. The co-main event will feature Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Tim Kennedy in a battle for the vacant STRIKEFORCE Middleweight (185 pounds) title.

The former International Fighting League’s Griggs, originally from Phoenix , Ariz. , is 32-years-old and currently works for the Tucson Fire Department. He has an 8-1 record with some very early finishes, including six of his eight wins ending in the first round with seven of eight coming by way of knockout.

In his last fight on April 25, 2009, he knocked out Jon Alexander with elbows in the first round. He fought four times in 2007, the same year he suffered his first career loss as a professional. That loss came on April 13 in Connecticut he was submitted by Shane Ott in the first round at 1:09.

A father of two, Griggs said he’s excited about the opportunity to face Lashley. “Of course I am. It’s really a dream come true,” said Griggs, who works out with Joey Rivera at APEX MMA gym in Tucson . “MMA is something I got involved with by walking into a gym. Once I did I fell in love with the sport.”

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Lashley (5-0) is a former collegiate wrestling star for Missouri Valley College and member of The United States Army. He made his MMA debut in December of 2008.

In his last fight and STRIKEFORCE debut, Lashley, 33, scored a first round TKO over Wes Sims at STRIKEFORCE: Miami on Jan. 30, 2010. Prior to that, the former wrestling star pulverized the 6-foot-5, 350-plus pound goliath Bob Sapp.

Lashley’s WWE and TNA wrestling career has helped make him a well-known figure in the sports and entertainment world.

Tickets are on sale at www.ToyotaCenterTix.com, by phone at 1-866-4-HOU-TIX, at select Houston area Randalls locations, and at www.strikeforce.com. Tickets will also be available beginning on Monday at the Toyota Center box office.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE (www.strikeforce.com) is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its “Shamrock vs. Gracie” event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history. The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose ‘s HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265. Since 1995, STRIKEFORCE, sanctioned by ISKA, has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts (MMA) series with “Shamrock vs. Gracie.” In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose . In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement with SHOWTIME® to stage live events on the premium cable television network. The promotion has since also produced two live, primetime events on the CBS Television Network.