Bobby Lashley Gets Josh Appelt in Bellator 162 Co-Headliner on Oct. 21

Former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Bobby Lashley will square off with Josh Appelt in the Bellator 162 co-main event on Oct. 21 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee. Bellator MMA officials on Monday announced the heavyweight pairing.

Lashley, 40, will enter the cage on a seven-fight winning streak. The Junction City, Kansas, native last appeared at Bellator 145 on Nov. 6, when he avenged one of his two career defeats by stopping Pride Fighting Championships veteran James Thompson with first-round punches. Lashley, 4-0 since arriving in Bellator a little less than two years ago, needed just 54 seconds to get the job done. He wrestled collegiately at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri, where he was a four-time NAIA All-American and three-time national champion.

Appelt returns to Bellator on the strength of back-to-back victories. The 33-year-old last competed on Jan. 23, when he captured the vacant West Coast Fighting Championship heavyweight title with a second-round stoppage against Roy Boughton. Appelt has secured 10 of his 12 career wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

Bellator 162 will be headlined by the return of former middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko, as he takes on “The Ultimate Fighter 3” winner Kendall Grove.