Batista: Ex-WWE Champ Set to Make MMA Debut

According to reports by TMZ Sports, ex-WWE champion Batista is slated to make his eagerly awaited MMA debut for CES MMA on Oct. 6 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, RI.

The 6’6” and 290-pound behemoth will lock horns with a fellow named Rashid Evans (not to be mistaken for UFC resident “Suga” Rashad).

Batista, aka David Michael Bautista Jr., was on course to make his first foray into the world of professional mixed martial arts back in 2010 with the San Jose-based outfit Strikeforce, but negotiations came to a halt after Zuffa’s acquisition of the promotion.

At the ripe old age of 43, the Washington, D.C. native is set to test the murky waters of the steel cage, which is in stark contrast to the scripted world of the WWE.

With that in mind, “The Animal” has his detractors, none more so than former wrestling rival and current WWE star Booker T, who believes the six-time world champion is in for a baptism of fire once he takes that plunge.

On another note, the former bodybuilder has been accused of using anabolic steroids in the past, and at one time was implicated in an ongoing investigation regarding Signature of Orlando—an online pharmacy that was alleged to have filed illegal prescription drugs to a number of WWE clientele, Batista being one of them.

To date, Batista has starred in several film, and his new flick The Man with the Iron Fists, which features Russell Crowe (Gladiator and American Gangster) and Lucy Liu (Kill Bill Volume l and Lucky Number Slevin) is set to hit the silver screens on Nov. 2.

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