When I think of the current rumors concerning former World Wrestling Entertainment performer Dave Batista (known in the WWE as simply Batista) breaking into the world of Mixed Martial Arts via the Strikeforce promotion, the phrase “whatever it takes to succeed” comes to mind. Let’s not mince words here: Batista fighting in Strikeforce would be a “freak show” in every sense of the word, no matter who his opponent would be. The silver lining in this is the simple fact that a good “freak show fight” manages to overcome the stigma and stereotypes surrounding it. Promoters may draw the ire of the MMA faithful, but the boost in ratings and viewership from the relative newcomers tuning in just to see their favorite performer in a new setting ends up being worth the scorn. So what does Dave Bautista bring to Strikeforce? To put it simply: lots of name value and very little skill.
Now, let’s clear the air right off the bat: I’m not saying that because he’s a former professional wrestler. For the longest time I considered myself a hardcore wrestling fan, so I have a huge amount of respect for the physical trauma pro wrestlers put themselves through on a daily basis. And if you look a little further back than current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, there’s actually a long history of pro wrestlers turning to MMA and even MMA stars turning to pro wrestling. No less than Josh Barnett, Ken Shamrock, Don Frye, and a host of others have all dabbled in the world of pro wrestling.
There are several non-wrestling reasons why Batista just won’t cut it in the sport’s second-best promotion. One of Batista’s main stumbling blocks will be his age. Even though Batista has the look of a 30-something, the man is actually 41 years old. It’s become a bit of an urban legend amongst MMA fans and journalists that 40 is the cut-off date for professional Mixed Martial Artists. Once an MMA star reaches forty, it’s practically assumed that his attributes will begin to fail and that he’s only a few years from retirement. Batista would enter the sport at an age where most are leaving it, and unless your name is Randy Couture, few pro MMA athletes have proven that they can still hang past that dreaded fortieth birthday.
But the biggest reason Batista would fail in Strikeforce is the simple fact that he has no prior combat experience outside of the WWE. As many have stated in the past, Brock Lesnar was a highly successful amateur wrestler before he went into the WWE. Even fellow pro wrestling cast-off Bobby Lashley was a decorated “real” wrestler before he turned to pro wrestling. Batista’s credentials are non-existent; he would have to learn MMA from the ground up with no prior experience in any sort of real-life combat sport whatsoever.
With all that said, the following statement may shock my readers: I think Strikeforce should sign Batista. They’ll get eaten alive by the press and MMA faithful, but I can see legions of pro wrestling fans turning on their televisions in droves and setting the channel to Showtime or CBS to get a glimpse of a former world champion competing in MMA. Batista may never be successful in Strikeforce, but he’s good for one big ratings boost before someone utterly destroys him. A fight with Lashley has dollar signs written all over it. Batista’s stint in Strikeforce would probably only last for that one fight, but it would be a guilty pleasure that I think many fans (both of MMA and of pro wrestling) would not be able to pass up.
So what do you think, fans and friends? Is Batista doomed to failure if he signs with Strikeforce? Should he even sign with them at all? And how do you feel about more and more professional wrestlers considering MMA as an alternative once they leave pro wrestling?
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Comments
I think it couldn’t hurt. He could probably beat most low level HWs based soley on his size and strength and he could be a can for young guys on their way up. And for the millionth time, in Japan most Pro Wrestlers also fight in legit MMA bouts and vice versa. Why do we as Americans care if some one is soley one or the other? If some big muscley guy want to step in the cage with Roy Nelson and get his ass kicked by a fat, but very tough Martial Artist let him do it.
I have been reading, and keeping updates in regarding Dave Batista’s professional career, and his future choice to be with, and possibly join the heavyweight divisions, for him to continue competing, and I’d like to say that I completely support Dave’s decision.
I think Batista will do fine. He maybe 41 but he can keep up with the game. I can’t wait to see him in action.
Batista is just as good as Lesnar. Lesnar sucks in mma skills but he is strong and fast.
lol You have got to be kidding me! Batista will get his face punched by any of the low level HW’s. I hope he does come to MMA, it will be similar to Jose Canseco’s fights. This is a joke, it’s got to be. Lesnar is a legit wrestling stud. Lesnar is a naturally brilliant athlete, steroids or no steroids. Plus, Lesnar started the transition to MMA in his late 20′s, not 41 lol Sorry, no disrespect to the above comments, but this is hilarious.
he is going to get his ass kicked
i think everyone deserves a chance,all i gotta say is you better be a bad mother fu**er to take on dave
look i’m a wrestling fan and i didn’t mine batista. but know i would pretty much like to see him get beat up by a mma fighter. i don’t think he has wat it takes to even come close to becoming a mma fighter. sorry batista it’s just the truth.
Please don’t forget also that Batista has suffered many serious injuries in the past with WWE that is a big minus againce him not to he had no skills in WWE he was just the big freak guy is going to get destroyed in MMA….sorry Batista stay out of there you are going to get very hurt leave it to the proffesionals.
@ricky sitzes
GOOD LUCK BATISTA
Lmaoooo! Thats so truee lol i agree with ricky, and i dont know why people just wont support him! i think he knows he is 41 and he is starting late in the game obviously he must be real confident that he has a chance in mma. i think he will get beat up a lil but hes big and strong he will f*&% someone up real quick, i support him in anything he does weather its wwe or mma
@Texas
wow yes he has had many injuries but yu gotta remember jumping off top ropes and running around the ring for 10mins is tiring and theres dangerous stunts, its only the same in mma in very few ways, usually mma fights are a couple mins not even that batista will get in there knock someone out or vice versa and it will be done with i think he has a great chance in this buisness
@chris
LMAOOO! you would get your ass beat,
I think batista being 41 is not so much a downside as he is an athlete which is big and strong. He is still fast and 1 punch knockouts can come from such a person.
Can he actually wrestle?, we don’t know what the heck he has done all his life, but i would assume he has some type of wrestling xpertise and i don’t mean the FAKE WWF/WWE crap.
I am sure he has had street fights in his life growing up.
He can and will be a great fighter in MMA, will he always win = NO, but i am willing to beat he will kick some serious ass and put some fighters into retirement and i mean this with all seriousness.
i just wanna see him pop someones head off with a choke hold haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
let him fight kimbo slice! i think batista could beat that guy who’s just a street brawler. it would be, like you said, a freak show but a sell-out freak show. kimbo is known plus batista has a good chance of winning. bring it on!
@Patquinn
Batista could beat kimbo slice who’s a low level HW. bring the freak show on!
This is typically the move a promotion does when it’s struggling to find relavence in the sport. I label it as a “kimbo slice move”. I’m mean let’s face it Strikeforce really hasn’t had a good turn out in a lot of recent even’t from a promotional standpoint. Jake shields up and left after defeating Dan Henderson which was an ablsolute lose\lose situation for the company. Fedor suffered his first stunning loss in a match he’s wasn’t supposed to lose. Now Bobby Lashley has been defeated and King Mo lost his title. Having several of your main draws lose and Champions vacate their titles is a very bad thing for the pocketbooks. Batista is a 0/0 fighter who as no combat sport experience. While these may seem like a quick money maker for the company it’s really a bad move. He’s 41 has a battered body from pro wrestling and once again never been in any sort of an amature or professional fight of any sort. If the man wants to fight fine let him fight, but go fight some nobody over in Japan or something to get your feet wet first. Strikeforce is trying to find it’s ground and promoting a potential quick loss for batista would be bad for business, and certainly has no place of relavance in the mma world at this point. I know people can point fingers at the ufc as well via Couture vs. James Toney, ect… but they certainly have the largest portion of the world class talent so there is a balancing effect. Sure I’d like to see the guy in a fight and don’t mind Strikeforce bringing him on, but I do think it’s a bad move for Strikeforce. It’s seems all #2 companies in this sport seem to all fall to the UFC. While I’m not saying thats the case here. It could very well be coming around the pike…
The only combat experience Kimbo had was some videos on youtube and we all love Kimbo, Batista was a bouncer in clubs in Washington years before appearing on the WWE, only stopping being a bouncer as he was arrested for beating 2 guys up and thats just 1 incident that we all know about, i for 1 wouldnt want to be the 1 to say he had no combat experience apart from the WWE, hes a street fighter and we all love the street fighters, (ROCKY BALBOA).
I would love to see the 1st fight between Batista and Kimbo, as for a fight between Lashley and Batista i couldnt see that happening as it would be the same as a lot of MMA camps, they dont fight their own.
It would be a great deal for Strikeforce if they were to sign Batista, this would be huge for them as having Bastista on any fight card would sell PPV’s and sell out any arena.
Batista has been doin mauy thai boxing for a long time so if anything at least he will be able to kick someones head off! give him a chance!
I like it when actors get beat up, it’s pretty funny.
batista comes from a tough back ground that should board well for him plus…..look at him!
guys we have the right to choose.batista is a good fighter.he is big,smart and powerful.im a big fan of him.i know he may be old for strikeforce but let us respect his decision.i wish him success and i love to see him back in wwe and also acting.
LOVE U DAVE
Why not ???
If he feels confident enough to try out…….then let him do so.
Even though I’m a hard core MMA fan and do practice BJJ full time, I wouldn’t personally step in the octagon agaisnt him. He can sure hurt someone bad with a single well connected swing and has the size and strength to choke a professional MMA HW. Let alone his endurance out of training and fighting in WWE full time.
Let him have a go……..
Goo Daaavvveee!! Yeeeaaaa
If he wants to fight, then let him fight. The only way for us to know if he can make it to the MMA is to see him fight in MMA. God bless.