“This picture had to be taken within the opening seconds, he still has one of his hands up.”

Normally, when I watch regional promotions I have to do so with my laptop on mute. Otherwise, I get so agitated by the announcers trying to hype their minor league talent as “the best in the sport” that I can’t enjoy myself. So when Titan FC 17 kicked off this ridiculously busy weekend for MMA last night in Kansas City, I can’t help but feel that the biggest winners of the evening were Frank Trigg and Michael Schiavello. While lesser announcers would hype Phil Baroni like he’s still in his prime and talk about Bobby Lashley slamming a natural middleweight like he’s ready for Cain Velasquez, Schiavello and Trigg were brutally honest critiquing the action. That’s got to be worth something, right?

It’s certainly worth more than the effort Bobby Lashley put in against James Jack John Ott. Last night was Bobby Lashley’s first chance to silence his critics after a humbling loss to Chad Griggs. John Ott, asdie from being a middleweight stepping in as a late replacement, is also a wrestler with sub-par striking. If I didn’t know that you all come to Cage Potato for responsible journalism, I’d recklessly hypothesize that John Ott was brought in to lose in dramatic fashion. Naturally, Bobby Lashley capitolized on this opportunity by putting in just enough effort to grind out a unanimous decision.

(“…so you see, my client couldn’t have *possibly* committed these murders.” Hey that’s two OJ jokes in the same day! Good times! / Lots more photos and videos from the Titan weigh-ins at BJJinMMA.com)

Seven months after his unexpected loss to Chad Griggs at Strikeforce: Houston, WWE-star-turned-MMA-fighter Bobby Lashley will return to action tonight in the main event of Titan Fighting Championships 17 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. Though Lashley was originally supposed to face off against James Jack, Jack mysteriously went M.I.A. and has been replaced with an equally-obscure fighter named John Ott, an 8-7 journeyman who has primarily competed at middleweight and light-heavyweight. Yesterday, Ott weighed in at 215.4 pounds for the heavyweight contest, against Lashley’s 252.4. It is what it is.

Also on the card, Phil Baroni will look to break a three-fight losing streak against the comparatively unseasoned Nick Nolte, while Abe “Sylvia Killer” Wagner clashes with Strikeforce/Bellator vet Aaron Rosa. The event will be broadcast tonight on HDNet starting at 10 p.m., following “The Voice vs. Wanderlei Silva” at 8 p.m. and Inside MMA at 9. Here’s the Titan FC 17 televised lineup, according to their Facebook page:

(In an alternate universe, Lashley gets the TKO against Chad Griggs, enters the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament, and defeats Fedor Emelianenko by flying armbar in the quarterfinals. Shane Del Rosario still goes on to win the whole thing. / Photo courtesy of Showtime)

We haven’t heard much from Bobby Lashley since he quit on the stool against Chad Griggs at Strikeforce: Houston last August. But a press release sent out this morning by Kansas City-based promotion Titan Fighting Championships has answered an important question — Bobby’s days of real fighting aren’t quite over yet.

Now 5-1 in MMA, Lashley will return to action in the headlining bout of Titan FC 17, which will go down March 25th at the Historic Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas. His opponent will be James Jack, a heavyweight out of Missouri who’s either 6-2-1 or 5-4-1, depending on who you ask. In the press release, Titan Fighting CEO Joe Kelly did his best to explain why you should care: