WWE’S Batista debuts against Rashid Evans
By: Daniel Kendrick
“She’ll be jumping when she comes!”
On October 6th, another famous name will look to make his debut in the fastest growing sport in the world. Following in the footsteps of Bobby Lashley & Brock Lesnar is Dave Bautista. If you don’t recognizen’ on the bandwagon
Bautista, or for those who know him better-“Batista,” has courted the idea of MMA, apparently, since 2010, & was apparently close to signing a deal with Strikeforce before the company was purchased by Zuffa (the parent company of the UFC), with whom president, Dana White, has been famous, among other things, for not condoning “sideshow attractions.” As expected, those initial plans bottomed out & left “Batista” without a veritable fight contract until his recently announced October 6th debut.
Training under the world renowned name of Gracie with such names as the notorious Diaz brothers, Bautista has even opened his own Cesar Gracie gym in Tampa, FL. From the “outside looking in” this looks to be a heartfelt & undubitable, but from the examples of bandwagon jumpers such as Johnnie Morton, Michael Westbrook, Bob Sapp, Herschell Walker, & the queen mother of them all (ALL pun intended), Brock Lesnar. These guys saw a chance for rejuvination, redemption, or whatever other incentive reason for trying to make the jump into the complex sport & in common they all have failure. Yes, Lesnar held the UFC title, but consider who he won it against. No offense to “Cpt. America”, but Couture was a natural LHW. There was easily a 60 lb weight difference in that fight and Randy was coming off a long layoff to boot.
Sapp’s greatest feat in combat sports was against the legendary Ernesto Hoost in K-1. Aside from that, he’s had a career comprised of “freak show” attention instead of legit interest, as has been for all the other aforementioned names.
Having named the detriments, let’s consider what his name value brings to the table of the growing sport: More will pay attention to it…maybe. More will grow an interest in it…hopefully, but from this, likely not…at least not outside of the Gracie gym he’s funded. On to the next then; more will hear of the news & come to the sport; once again, maybe, but not likely & for the percentage considered, not commodius enough. Once again. not to blame someone for having goals, but someone of absolutely NO background in any combat sport trying to get his start in MMA looks more like a stunt put on by a publicist, especially when the debut opponent’s name is RashID Evans & he has no wins to account for. Perhaps it’s incoincidental, but…..
MMA is at a pennacle where it doesn’t need any excess publicity to fuel it’s engine. It’s a force which has now become a staple in today’s combat sports scene, especially with the corruption continuation in boxing, continued Zuffa domination in MMA, & decline of K-1 kickboxing.
If Bautista wants to pursue an MMA career for his own personal ends, then so be it; if he wants to try to parlay his fame into a new, lower paying career; go for it. If he thinks he can jump on the bandwagon of the fastest growing sport in the world then let me say this: go back to pro wrestling. MMA is here to stay & doesn’t need a sideshow embarassment who’s trying to “modestly” make his debut off an opponents name who’s as creepingly close to a major UFC star’s in the vain attempt to capitlize on the occassion.
In summation, if Batista wants to earn a blackbelt under Cesar Gracie, as he claims, then more power to him, but if he wants to capitalize on the popularity of the sport as some gold-digging former athletes have then let it be. You’re still young enough to enjoy the limelight in pro wrestling. MMA is good the way it is & growing w/o the assistance of sideshow attractions.
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