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Lashley trades wrestling for shot at MMA glory

By WTOP Staff

DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer

Bobby Lashley has shaved Vince McMahon bald and speared a guy named Samoa Joe.

He can surely entertain in mixed martial arts.

With his debut for Bellator looming, Lashley wants to show he’s just as dominant when the competition is for real inside an MMA cage.

Lashley has been a professional wrestling fixture for most of the last decade. He has mixed it up with McMahon at WrestleMania and currently stands tall as the TNA Wrestling heavyweight champion.

But that’s sports entertainment. Lashley, 6-foot-2, 265 pounds, is up for sport and he turned to Bellator to get his fix. Lashley fights Josh Burns in a heavyweight feature bout at Bellator 123 on Friday.

Lashley is no Brock Lesnar, another wrestler-turned-fighter. But he just might be the first fighter to win televised fights in two different promotions in the same week.

“TNA has been really good with me and they really understand the importance of me fighting,” Lashley said. “It’s been a smooth transition.”

Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran defends against Brazilian striker Patricio Pitbull in the main event of the Spike TV card held at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Casino, just a few miles down the road from UFC’s competing Fight Night 50 card at Foxwoods Resort Casino on Fox Sports 1.

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and Cheick Kongo also have a spot on perhaps Bellator’s biggest card of the year.

It also goes kick-to-kick against UFC in a primetime showdown between the MMA promotions.

“I don’t know if we’re competing with the UFC,” Lawal said. “I think we should just compete with ourselves, just build and do things that can make the organization grow. We’re just trying to fight for respect. We want to be respected and it’s going to happen.”

TNA and Bellator have maintained a loose affiliation through their TV deal with Spike TV and Lashley, Lawal, Jackson, and Tito Ortiz have all fought — for real and for entertainment — in some fashion for both organizations.

“I’m focused on fighting right now. But if I have time to wrestle, I will,” Lawal said. “Pro wrestling is easier on the body, man. Pro wrestling is more fun.”

Lashley won his title match against Samoa Joe on a taped “Impact Wrestling” on Wednesday night. He also has a 10-2 mixed martial arts record fighting in smaller promotions.

“I will do everything I can to make sure I’m successful in my title run,” Lashley said.

TNA morphed into WWE-lite for a spell, believing signing castoffs like Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Mick Foley and Kevin Nash would boost ratings and give the second-tier organization some needed credibility. It’s now at a crossroads with its TV deal in limbo and no domestic live events scheduled after Sep. 19.

Bellator has taken the same gamble — which flopped for TNA — that signing former big UFC names like Ortiz, Jackson and Stephan Bonnar can puff up mainstream media attention and earn more slots on pay-per-view.

Bellator has pinned its resurgent hopes on former Strikeforce founder Scott Coker. Coker took over for Bjorn Rebney in June during a management shakeup and has steered Bellator away from a tournament-based organization into one with a more traditional, big-fight model.

Lawal, a former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, was so enthused by the management switch that he signed a long-term contract extension with Bellator last month.

Lawal said he would not have signed had Rebney been in charge because Coker has more credibility and respect in the MMA community.

WWE and UFC are the dominant organizations in their respective fields, and both TNA and Bellator are playing catch up. Lashley has built a solid career, but the bar from cross-promotional success was set by Lesnar, who has headlined major UFC and WWE pay-per-views as champion. Lashley’s championship reign could be short lived if he loses Friday and TNA decides to take his belt heading into their “Bound For Glory” PPV.

Lashley starred in WWE for a time and was involved in a “Battle of the Billionaires” match at WrestleMania in 2007, representing Donald Trump in a match that resulted in McMahon being shaved bald. His lone regret? Not saving some of McMahon’s hair as a souvenir.

“I could have put it on eBay,” he said.

Less than a year later, he was gone from WWE and started chasing an MMA career.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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