Former WWE Star Dave Bautista Finally Set For MMA Debut On October 6
Dave Bautista has been teasing his MMA debut ever since he left the WWE in May of 2010. Finally, the 43-year-old is scheduled for his first fight when he faces Vince Lucero at “CES MMA: Bautista vs. Lucero” on October 6 which takes place at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. Bautista’s original opponent Rashid Evans was scratched from the card after he was arrested last week for violating his parole. A quick search landed journeyman Lucero (22-22-1) as a fill in opponent for the card that will air on DirecTV pay-per-view and stream on www.BatistaMMA.com for $29.95.
According to MMAFighting.com, Evans was being promoted for the card despite being incarcerated. Evans had yet to have a professional fight and his stint in jail kept him from training. However, he was released recently to train but was pulled over for driving without a license and subsequently landing back behind bars. A New Jersey fighter by the name of Bruno McKee was slated briefly but pulled out of the fight because he felt he didn’t have enough time to prepare. Promoters scrambled to find a last minute replacement when they found the 40-year-old Lucero.
The 13-year veteran recently fought on April 13 at a Rage in the Cage show and defeated Mike Martinez via split decision. His resume features losses to the likes of Roy Nelson, Lavar Johnson and Tim Sylvia. His lone notable win was against over TUF participant Josh Haynes back in 2004.
For Bautista, this is his long awaited MMA debut. At the age of 43, the former WWE champion has no illusions of becoming a world champion in MMA and will likely take the route of former NFL star Herschel Walker as he will do it just to remain active and to give fighting a chance. He initially was linked to Strikeforce back in 2011 but those negotiations fell through once Zuffa, LLC purchased the organization.
