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MAJOR UPDATE ON DAVE BAUTISTA'S MMA DEBUT

Former WWE World champion Dave Bautista has been thrown a curve ball in advance of his 10/6 MMA debut in Providence, Rhode Island - he doesn't have an opponent. Bautista's opposition, Rashid Evans, pulled out due to an injury in training. A new opponent will be announced tomorrow.

The following press release tells the complete tale:

Six-time WWE champ Bautista set to face new foe in next weekend’s MMA debut

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Oct. 1, 2012) – Rashid Evans won’t be standing toe-to-toe with “The Animal” on Saturday night, but former six-time World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion Dave Bautista will still make his long-awaited professional mixed martial arts debut this weekend at The Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

Upon learning Evans would be unable to fight, matchmaker Patrick Sullivan worked in conjunction with Bautista’s team to secure a new opponent within 48 hours. Further details on the main event for Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012 will be announced Tuesday morning. The show, titled “Real Pain,” is presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports in association with June Entertainment and 4zero1 Entertainment Group.

“This is going to be a dynamite event,” Burchfield said. “Dave Bautista’s loyal fans have waited years to see him cross over into mixed martial arts and they will get their money’s worth on Saturday night. Dave has been working incredibly hard since this fight was announced. He’s in tremendous shape and ready to fight.

“He’s going to show the entire MMA world what he’s capable of inside the cage.”

Tickets are priced at $20.00, $35.00, $55.00, $75.00, $125.00 and $250.00 and can be purchased at www.cesmma.com or www.ticketmaster.com. The show will also air live on DirecTV Pay Per View for $29.95 ($39.95 in high definition) – available now – beginning at 8 p.m., or through Livestream via www.bautistamma.com in high definition.

Bautista, 43, who will fight in Saturday’s main event, is also the star of the motion picture The Man With The Iron Fists, which will be released in theaters worldwide on Nov. 2. He is currently training at his Gracie Fighter Jiu-Jitsu facility in Tampa with Matheus Andre, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, and Josh Rafferty, a contestant on the debut season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series.

“Real Pain” features 14 bouts, including four former Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) contenders – John “Doomsday” Howard of Boston; Marc Stevens of Lorraine, N.Y.; Chad Reiner of Omaha, Neb.; and Montreal native David Loiseau, who fought for the UFC middleweight title in 2006

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