On Wednesday, former professional wrestler Dave Batista began a two-day training camp at Cesar Gracie‘s California facility. Batista has been negotiating with Strikeforce, and the promotion was instrumental is setting up the training experience.

Batista walked away from the WWE after working for the company for eight years. There he was pushed as one of the industry’s top stars and headlined some of their biggest shows. Like many professional wrestlers turning to MMA, he reportedly became disillusioned with the business and the grueling touring schedule.

Gracie told Sherdog.com that Batista’s training partner Imani Lee wished to train with the camp after fighting on Dream 14 with Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz. Ultimately, Strikeforce made the connection and allowed the two to train with the camp. Also in the Sherdog report, Gracie described Batista as a “natural athlete” and says “if he can put it all together he could be a very formidable force.”

Former WWE stars have recently made an impact in the MMA world. Current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was once one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling. Another WWE star, Bobby Lashley he fought multiple times for Strikeforce.

Batista training at the Affliction training facility

5 thoughts on “WWE veteran Batista trains with Cesar Gracie”
  1. damn, that site straight up ripped off ur article (see comment above)… anyways… Batista… hmmm
    I don’t know what to think. He’ll get killed by any quality opponent. Whatever…

  2. Baptista might be one hell of a strong fighter but he lacks the technique, he will need years of training to reach a pro level in MMA.

  3. I admire his spirit, but his kicks look terrible. It’s going to take a while to get his technique to a pro MMA level.

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