Over the last few years, former WWE star Bobby Lashley (14-2) has quietly emerged as one of Bellator’s top heavyweight talents. At Bellator 162, which will go down on October 21 in Memphis, Lashley will attempt to continue his march toward Bellator title contention when he takes on Josh Appelt (12-5). The two will meet in the evening’s co-main event, while middleweights Alexander Shlemenko and Kendall Grove will get headlining honors.

Lashley will enter the fight with seven straight wins behind him, including four consecutive stoppages under the Bellator banner. Appelt, meanwhile, will walk onto the canvas on a two-fight streak, though that streak was preceded by three straight losses.

If Appelt wins, he’ll likely remain some distance from a Bellator heavyweight shot. If Lashley wins, meanwhile, it’ll be hard to deny him a shot at the organization’s heavyweight throne, which was left vacant when former champion Vitaly Minakov was stripped for inactivity.

Should a victorious Lashley be given a shot at heavyweight gold, it would likely be opposite the winner of Cheick Kongo and Tony Ferguson, who fight in the main event of Bellator 161 on September 16.