Dave Bautista Interview Highlights

Former WWE Superstar turned MMA Fighter Dave Bautista spoke with MMAJunkie after his victory over Vince Lucero Saturday Night. Here are some highlights. On training with Stephan Bonnar: “I don’t know if [working with me] energized him, but the day he got the call for Anderson Silva, he came to practice the next day, and he beat the living hell out of me. And I think it’s because he put his game face on. It was a different Stephan Bonnar.” On his performance: “I think Stephan Bonnar is going to be a little disappointed. He called me, and the two things he said was, ‘Keep your hands up and your chin down.’ And I did neither of those things. I think I was so nervous. … I was terrified walking out there.” On his MMA career so far: “My head coach, Josh Rafferty, said, ‘We’re all so proud of you, you went through a two-month camp, you never bi###ed, you never complained, you showed up for every practice, you never asked for a practice off, you never asked for a round off, and you gave everything you have.’ And that meant more to me than getting my hand raised tonight.” On Lucero taking the fight on short notice: “You’ve got to respect a guy for that,” Lucero said. “I had nothing to lose, and he had everything to lose, putting his name out there. How can you not respect that?” On what he hopes to get out of his career: “Nothing. I do it because I love it. I have no ulterior motives. I think it’s obvious after tonight that I won’t be a world champion.”

MMA Star to Make Wrestling Debut

MMA fighter Kimbo Slice will make his pro wrestling debut on February 5th for WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki's IGF promotion in Japan.




Slice will be taking on Shinichi Suzukawa in an "IGF Championship" match, says their website. That show will also feature Shane Helms and Josh Barnett

Batista First MMA Fight Update

It is expected that former WWE star Dave Bautista will make his MMA debut for Strikeforce in the second quarter of 2011. On today's MMA hour talk show with Ariel Helwani, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said that "there's still dialogue" with Bautista, but they expect him to fight for the company between April and June in 2011.




Bautista, 41, reportedly wants a three-fight deal with Strikeforce and is continually training for his first MMA fight.