Strikeforce has signed former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley to a multiyear deal. The monstrous Lashley will make his debut for the organization on January 30. Here’s the press release and we’ve got some analysis:

NEW YORK (December 10, 2009)–Former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) heavyweight champion and undefeated mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Bobby Lashley has signed a multi-year agreement with STRIKEFORCE and will make his debut for the world championship MMA promotion at BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida on Saturday, January 30.

The 6 foot 3 inch, 250 pound Lashley, also a former collegiate wrestling star for Missouri Valley College and member of The United States Army, will face an opponent that has not yet been determined during the live, SHOWTIME® telecast of STRIKEFORCE: Miami, the historic, first-ever STRIKEFORCE event in the state of Florida.

In his last MMA start on June 27, 2009, the 33-year-old pulverized and scored a first round (3:17) TKO on 6 foot 5 inch, 350 plus pound goliath Bob “The Beast” Sapp with a barrage of punches in Biloxi, Mississippi. The win brought Lashley’s overall MMA record to 4-0.

“I’m looking forward to fighting for STRIKEFORCE and challenging myself by taking on some of the top heavyweights in MMA,” said Lashley, a native of Junction City, Kansas and resident of Denver, Colorado.

After getting his feet wet with several matches in both the WWE Raw and SmackDown! shows in 2005 and 2006, Lashley captured the WWE United States Championship by defeating rival competitor “JBL.” During this stint with the league and another in 2007, Lashley wrestled several top superstars, including The Big Show and John Cena.

Lashley made his MMA debut on December 13, 2008, earning a 41 second TKO over Joshua Franklin after Franklin sustained a cut that would not allow him to continue their fight.

Earlier this year, Lashley joined Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling. In his first appearance with the league on July 30, he helped tag team matchup partner Mick Foley defeat superstars Kurt Angle and Kevin Nash.

Tickets for STRIKEFORCE: Miami officially go on-sale tomorrow/Friday, December 11 at the BankAtlantic Center ticket office as well as online at www.Ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800)745-3000.

Doors at BankAtlantic Center open at 7 p.m. The first non-televised, preliminary card fight will begin at 8 p.m.

Several sources suggest that Lashley will be winding down his pro wrestling career to concentrate full time on MMA. His ‘I’m going to do both sports’ stance made some sense when he was a ‘free agent’ but now that he’s signed with a major promotion there seems to be a vested interest from all concerned to have him focus on shootfighting. There’s also reportedly some concern on Lashley’s part about how he’d be used in TNA going forward with Hulk Hogan set to join the fray (and likely get considerable ‘booking’ and personnel power behind the scenes). There’s also some talk that Lashley might still entertain pro wrestling bookings in Japan.

Bobby Lashley signs with Strikeforce @ Strikeforce.com