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PRO WRESTLING TO MMA: THE FIGHTERS THAT YOU PROBABLY MISSED

Time and time again, we see sportsmen and women competing in more than one sport and nowhere do we see this more than in professional wrestling and MMA. There are countless numbers of wrestlers that dabble in mixed martial arts, and equally as high volumes of MMA fighters turning to WWE. Here, we’re taking a deeper look into just a few.

Dave Bautista 

Dave Bautista left WWE in 2010, but that wasn’t the end of his fighting career. Initially, he made efforts to join Strikeforce: Los Angeles, however the company was bought out by another promotion, leading the deal to fall through. As a result, he turned his focus to training up for MMA and earned a purple belt in jiu-jitsu for his efforts.

The preparation took him through to training for the heavyweight division, and he was soon signing on in October 2012 for a fight with Rashid Evans. In the end, Bautista ended up entering the ring not with Evans, but against Vince Lucero, after Evans found himself back in prison following the violation of his probation. Bautista won the first fight of his career, securing a TKO when he pummelled Lucero to knock out, but it wasn’t without criticism. Lucero was seen as a weak opponent compared to Bautista, despite securing 22 wins in his time in MMA – more than Bautista has even fought. Even with that winning streak and Bautista’s lack of experience, it was a major MMA event that had an easy-to-call outcome.

Sonya Deville 

Sonya Deville’s performance in the ring plays homage to her MMA history, though not without criticism. Her stint of three MMA fights was short-lived, but she currently holds a 2-1 record that saw one knockout, and one submission, with the only loss coming via unanimous decision from judges. Fellow WWE star, Ronda Rousey, took ‘shots’ at Deville’s background earlier this year, commenting “I don’t know if you can really call two amateur fights an MMA background. She was never really a professional, she dabbled in it. She seems like more of a hobbyist to me.”

These comments, of course, earned a fire back, with Deville tweeting:

Deville moved from her stint in MMA to WWE’s Tough Enough series back in 2015, coming 11th in the competition and going on to grow from strength to strength and even secure her spot on the longest running television show in history.

Brock Lesnar

Not only did Brock Lesnar move from professional wrestling to MMA, but he then moved back again in 2012. Lesnar has developed a reputation in both sports for his intimidating nature, standing tall at 6’3 and weighing an incredible 266 pounds. His career began in pro wrestling, joining the WWE in 2000 and it wasn’t long before his size, skill and intimidation tactics rocketed him up through the rankings. He even became the youngest WWE champion ever at just 25.

In 2004, however, he left the company to wrestle in Japan for a few years, eventually starting his MMA career when he joined the UFC in 2007. He immediately moved into the heavyweight league, securing a win at the UFC Heavyweight Championships. Despite a 5-3-0 record, he returned to WWE in 2012.

Shayna Baszler

Shayna Baszler has long been known as one of the “four Horsewomen” of MMA, but has turned her attention to WWE recently after a losing streaks that saw her released from the UFC promotion. During the height of her UFC/MMA career, Baszler was one of the most accomplished fighters around. She trained under Josh Barnett, a legend in the world of mixed martial arts, and took part in a total of 26 fights throughout her time.

Compared to some MMA professionals, 26 may not seem like much but compared to Brock Lesnar (9 fights) and Ronda Rousey (14), she is one of the most experienced MMA fighters now competing in wrestling. Holding a 15-11 record, she’s been a member of a number of promotions, including Elite XC, Strikeforce, Invicta FC and the UFC.

Her downfall in MMA, however, came about when she faced a four-fight losing streak. In February 2017, her last fight saw her lose by unanimous vote, and the UFC then released her and caused her to set her sights elsewhere.

While not every wrestling professional has dabbled in other fighting styles, MMA seems to have attracted and produced a significant number of incredibly talented wrestlers. Who’ll be next to make the switch? Only time will tell.

 

 

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