If Bobby Lashley defeats James Thompson at Bellator 145 on Friday night, he will gain a measure of redemption for a contentious decision defeat suffered at the hands of “The Colossus” at Super Fight League 3 in May 2012.
What Lashley might not get is any type of clarity regarding his standing in the promotion’s heavyweight title scene. That’s because its reigning champion, Vitaly Minakov, hasn’t competed in Bellator MMA since dispatching Cheick Kongo on April 4, 2014. The 30-year-old Russian hasn’t been entirely on hiatus, however, as he has posted a pair of victories under the Eurasia Fight Nights banner thus far in 2015.