The future of the HW division

[Liquidrob]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l0dXJTN524&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube- DAVE BATISTA TRAINS AT AFFLICTION[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRTPeh6mgRY&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube- Batista - MMA Workout[/ame]

[Kuzzy Powers]

Cant wait to see him tear a bicep during the pre-fight glove tap.

[CrimsonGhost56]

coker already came out and said hes still interested ... nothing more than a freak show but whatever, i like me some freak show fights every once in a while

[SHOGUN]

Batista vs. Minowaman. Make it happen, DREAM.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

LOL.

Dave is going to get destroyed by anyone he fights.

The guy scared nobody in the WWE locker room...not one guy.

He is all look...can't bring it at all.

Booker T whooped that dudes ass.

[SHOGUN]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWP4BBqQTso"]YouTube- Jim Cornette SHOOTS and says "F*** YOU" to WWE's Batista[/ame]

[EmpireWF]

I thought James Toney was the future.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Booker T is a free agent, i'd pay to see him beat Big Dave's ass again.

Supposedly he muay thai clinched him and delivered some knees before it was broken up.

[Liquidrob]

Batista is on another level, doing Kali knife drills, Filipino martial arts are the next wave, all that can be for empty hand fighting, it translates well, I know that because I did Filipino MA's

He is doing hu-bud energy drills, thats next level shit right there

[Liquidrob]

Shit just got real, Batista about to box up and gogo the Strikeforce HW division

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Batista-Training-with-Cesar-Gracie-Camp-25522

Batista Training with Cesar Gracie Camp
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
by Jack Encarnacao (jencarnacao@sherdog.com)

Former World Wrestling Entertainment star Dave Batista started a two-day training stint with the Cesar Gracie camp Wednesday after Strikeforce helped facilitate the connection with the potential signee and the noted California gym.

Gracie told Sherdog.com that Batista arrived this afternoon and is working technique drills with Nick and Nathan Diaz, Jake Shields and Gilbert Melendez in the Cesar Gracie gym in Lodi, Calif.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Gracie said. “If he wants to fight, we’ll get him going.”

Strikeforce is negotiating with the multi-time Wrestlemania headliner to try his hand in MMA. A long-time fan of the sport, who has reportedly trained at the Affliction training facility in Los Angeles, Batista began talks with Strikeforce last month after ending a lucrative eight-year run with the WWE. Batista said in interviews that he had become disillusioned with the industry and has pursued film acting.

Gracie said the connection started with Batista training partner Imani Lee, who fought on the same Dream 14 card as Nick Diaz in May.

“Nick and Imani, they started working, talking and working technique and then Imani expressed his desire to come up,” Gracie said.

Batista and Lee tried to contact Diaz for several days after the event, Gracie said, but were unsuccessful. They went to Strikeforce for help reaching Gracie, and the promotion facilitated the connection.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has said he would be interested to see Batista, 41, tested in the MMA cage, and is particularly interested in matching him with another WWE alumnus in Bobby Lashley.

Gracie said he’s still not sure if Batista will fight, but is more than open to help him figure it out.

“If he wants to fight or not, that’s up to him,” he said. “People want to come in and train with us, then we’re all for it.”

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Larry saying Matt Mitrione is the best HW in the UFC = funny.
Rob saying Dave Batista is the future of MMA = not funny.

[Liquidrob]

This Batista guy, was he a big name in Pro Wrestling? Does he have a fan following and would the wrestling goofballs want to watch him fight?

I was just wondering if its worth it to go after him which it seems like Strikeforce is doing

[EmpireWF]

This Batista guy, was he a big name in Pro Wrestling? Does he have a fan following and would the wrestling goofballs want to watch him fight?

I was just wondering if its worth it to go after him which it seems like Strikeforce is doing

Batista was a main eventer since 2005.

He's not a huge draw and would not bring the same amount of pub that Walker brought.

People would watch for free though. It'd be a fun freakshow.

Plus, we'd get to hear Dana White cut another promo win win

[Warner2BruceTD]

Batista was a bigger wrestling star than Brock or Lashley, by a pretty wide margain.

If he fights Lashley or Walker on TV, it would probably challenge records.

[Liquidrob]

Update on the future of the HW division

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Batistas-a-Natural-Athlete-Says-Gracie-25522

Batista’s a ‘Natural Athlete,’ Says Gracie
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
by Jack Encarnacao (jencarnacao@sherdog.com)

Former World Wrestling Entertainment star Dave Batista started a two-day training stint with the Cesar Gracie camp Wednesday after Strikeforce helped facilitate the connection with the potential signee and the noted California gym.

Gracie told Sherdog.com that Batista arrived this afternoon and worked out with former Strikeforce middleweight champion Jake Shields and rolled with welterweight champion Nick Diaz at the Cesar Gracie gym in Lodi, Calif.

Gracie said that his initial read of the 41-year-old pro wrestler was that he is a “natural athlete.”

“He’s got a lot to learn but his strength alone is impressive,” Gracie told Sherdog.com Wednesday evening. “Obviously he’s a beginner at jiu-jitsu but we can take a guy like that that’s already a strong athlete like that and teach him what to not get caught in.”

Gracie said Batista, who grew up in Washington D.C., wrestled in high school and has some background in traditional martial arts standup fighting.

“He’s a pretty good kicker,” said Gracie. “He hits very hard.”

Gracie said he, Batista, training partner Imani Lee and Strikeforce matchmaker Rich Chou were to meet Wednesday evening to discuss a game plan to get Batista ready for a pro MMA fight.

Strikeforce is negotiating with the multi-time Wrestlemania headliner to try his hand in MMA. A long-time fan of the sport, who has reportedly trained at the Affliction training facility in Los Angeles, Batista began talks with Strikeforce last month after ending a lucrative eight-year run with the WWE. Batista said in interviews that he had become disillusioned with the industry and has recently pursued film acting.

“I did discuss it with him and he told me he was definitely interested in doing an MMA fight, so that’s the game plan and I think what we’re going to discuss is a training schedule and some serious hardcore training,” said Gracie. “I think they realized when they were training with my guys today, they were amazed.”

Gracie said the connection started with Lee, who fought on the same Dream 14 card as Nick Diaz in May.

“Nick and Imani, they started working, talking and working technique and then Imani expressed his desire to come up,” Gracie said.

Batista and Lee tried to contact Diaz for several days after the event, Gracie said, but were unsuccessful. They went to Strikeforce for help reaching Gracie, and the promotion facilitated the connection.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has said he would be interested to see Batista tested in the MMA cage, and is particularly interested in matching him with another WWE alumnus in Bobby Lashley.

Gracie said he can see where promoters would be interested in Batista because he is “very charismatic, very self confident . . . definitely a presence.”

Asked when he thinks Batista would be ready for a pro fight, Gracie said it would depend on who his opponent is.

“You’re talking about a guy who is very powerful, very strong and an extremely hard worker, and if he can put it all together he could be a very formidable force,” he said. “And he’s at the right camp for that… Our camp is known for bringing people with nothing and making them into something. We like to make champs.”

This article was updated Thursday at 12:37 a.m. with information from Cesar Gracie