Bobby Lashley And Opponent Talk About Upcoming Fight

Strikeforce officially announced that former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley (5-0) will square off against fellow undefeated Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) heavyweight Ron "The Monster" Sparks (5-0) at Strikeforce: Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 16.

The 33-year-old Lashley was overwhelmingly victorious in his Strikeforcedebut on Jan. 30, stopping Wes Sims with an onslaught of punches in the first round (2:06) at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla. In his outing before last on June 27, 2009, Lashley scored an impressive first-round (3:17) TKO over 6-foot-5 inch, 350-plus-pound goliath Bob "The Beast" Sapp in Biloxi, Miss.

"I'm excited about fighting again," Lashley said. "I've been working very hard and I am continuing to learn. The guy I am fighting is huge. This will be a great fight."

The 35-year old, 6-foot-5 Sparks, of Louisville, Ky., is a tough guy with freakish girth and power who brings it each and every time. An equally imposing physical specimen who has been pummeling opponents, Sparks is coming off a unanimous four-round decision over Johnathan Ivey in his last effort on June 3, 2009.

Until then, only one of Sparks' fights had lasted more than a minute. The total elapsed time in Sparks' previous triumphs, all of which he won by knockout, was 184 seconds. He won in 1:07, 0:36, 0:24 and 0:17, respectively.

"I like to get in and get the job done," said the hard-hitting Sparks. "My last fight went all four rounds, but there is nothing I enjoy more than knocking a person out."

Sparks, who has been seeking a major fight against a "name" opponent, is looking forward to June 16.

"Trust me, we're going to go down swinging," he said. "There will be no tap-outs. I am grateful of the opportunity STRIKEFORCE is giving me and I am very confident of a victory."