"I always thought that wrestling was always the hardest thing I have ever done until I did this. It's like wrestling takes a toll on you throughout the years, but this is like all of that torture and punishment piled into a 6 to 8 week training span (laughing). This is the hardest thing I have ever done, man... This is the experience that I wanted. This is what I wanted for years to go through this experience of a professional fight camp, and it's been that, so it's like a dream come true," stated former WWE star turned mixed martial artist Dave Bautista, who talked about his upcoming MMA debut on October 6 when he faces Rashid Evans. You don't want to miss what else he had to say. Check it out!
PC: How is everything going big man?
DB: It's going real good (laughing); could be better, could be worse. I only have 2 weeks out from the fight, so I'm a little beat up, man. Just ready to get this training over with.
PC: Obviously you have always kept yourself in great shape. But what has it been like to prepare for a fight?
DB: I always thought that wrestling was always the hardest thing I have ever done until I did this. It's like wrestling takes a toll on you throughout the years, but this is like all of that torture and punishment piled into a 6 to 8 week training span (laughing). This is the hardest thing I have ever done, man.
PC: At one point, you were training with Cesar Gracie and the Diaz Brothers, and now I know you got some work in with Stephan Bonnar. Who else have you been training with and how helpful have those guys I named been for you?
DB: The thing about me is I came into this with an open mind as a student and kind of just wanted to learn, so I always pushed my ego aside and it's really been fun. It's been a great learning experience. But as far as the guys I have gotten a chance to work with, because of my career in professional wrestling, I have been fortunate enough to meet some really talented fighters along the way, and they knew a little bit about me from my days of wrestling, so I have been really lucky. Like you said, I started off working with Cesar Gracie and had access to Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Jake Shields and Gilbert Melendez. My friend that is running my camp now is Josh Rafferty and he was on The Ultimate Fighter Season 1, so he brought in a bunch of guys from Season 1, like Stephan Bonnar and Alex Scheonauer, in my camp to work with. I have been working with Rob Bradford, who is Rich Franklin's boxing coach, and Eric Albarracin, who is the Nogueira's head wrestling coach in Rio, so I have a bunch of studs in my camp (laughing). I have been really, really fortunate. This is the experience that I wanted. This is what I wanted for years to go through this experience of a professional fight camp, and it's been that, so it's like a dream come true.
PC: You are a very strong guy and you have the wrestling background, but what has been the toughest thing to transition too? Striking, taking kicks? What has been the toughest thing to get used to for you?
DB: It's really the conditioning thing. It's really hard going from striking to grappling to Jiu Jitsu; up and down. It's just such hard conditioning. I believe that MMA fighters gotta be some of the best conditioned athletes in the world. It's something that you really have to experience to appreciate how conditioned these guys are. When you watch them on TV and you see a guy get tired and he's on the ground, it's like, "Get up
just get up!" You think it looks easy because they make a lot of stuff look easy, but it's the hardest thing in the world, man, to go a 5-minute round of up and down and punching and kicking and grappling. So I would have to say the conditioning is the hardest part.
PC: We have grown used to seeing the monster that is Batista, but these MMA camps, you literally watch guys sweat away. Physically, how can we expect you to look and about how much will you weigh-in at?
DB: I stay about 265; that's just my natural body weight that I walk around at. I will probably weigh-in between 262 and 265. Most people who see me that remember me from wrestling, the way they make it sound as if I look anorexic. It's like, "God, you have gotten so small." But I'm 6'4" and 265 pounds. I don't know how people could consider that small, but I guess by wrestling standards it is. But that's where I will be at; 6'4" about 265 pounds the day of the fight.
PC: Your name draws a lot of attention, so anyone you face, you are probably gonna get their best. Is that your mindset going into this fight?
DB: Yeah, for sure. It's one of those things where I think you just have to go into this and try to be one of the best fighters that you can be. It is always gonna be somebody thinks they are better, stronger, and has more experience, but all you can do if you are gonna throw your hat in the cage is go to training camp and train as hard as you can and train to be the best fighter that you can be. And that's all I can do. And if people expect more than that, I can't make any promises. All I can do is train as hard as I can and with the best people that I can train with, and show up and fight as hard as I can. That's all I can do and that's what I will do.
PC: I don't know what your relationship is like with Brock Lesnar, but is he someone you reached out to for a little advice in the process or no?
DB: No, not so much, man, because Brock and I
I haven't talked to him in years. He went his route, his personal route, and I'm going my route. I'm doing this thing my way. I train with the best people and I don't think I'm gonna be the type of fighter that Brock was. I have really focused on my stand-up a lot and I don't think Brock ever really tried to be a well-rounded martial artist, which is what I consider myself as. So Brock and I weren't that close in the WWE and we definitely weren't that close when he left, so it would be pointless for me to try and hit him up and get advice from him at this point. I respect his career, but we are in it for totally different reasons and that's why we are going totally different routes. I'm not trying to be the UFC heavyweight champion of the world and I'm not trying to be a multi-millionaire from this. If anything, I always tell people I walked away from multi-million dollar deals. I'm doing this because this is a dream for me.
PC: And you are not getting into this thing as a 25-year-old man or anything like that. You have been very honest in saying you are not a spring chicken. How long do you see yourself doing this for?
DB: Oh, not long. I said I was gonna leave the WWE and go straight into a fight, but this was a few years ago. I always felt I had 3 fights maybe tops. The training just takes it out of you, and like you said, I'm not a young guy and I realize that. I'm a realist and I didn't want to be 60 years old wishing that I had done it. I want to go in the cage at 43; even if it means getting my ass beat, at least I can look back and say I gave it a shot and I just didn't talk about giving it a shot.
PC: You are a huge guy and I wouldn't know how to approach a fight with you. How do you think Rashid Evans is going to approach you? Do you think he will attempt to take you down or test your standup?
DB: What I have seen of him is he does both, and that's why I like this guy because he is a tough guy, and my first fight out, I didn't want to fight a cupcake. I wanted to fight someone who brings it a little bit. This kid is a big dude. I don't have a big size advantage. He throws a lot with his hands and they are impressive, and he shoots a lot too. So he does all of the above, so
I think Bruce Lee said it best, man. Be like water. I'm just going to go with the flow and whatever comes my way, I'm just going to go with it. That's what I prepare for and that's why I have practiced all of these different types of martial arts to develop all of the different aspects of my game.
PC: I know you are good friends with Manny Pacquiao. What do you think of him fighting Juan Manuel Marquez again for a fourth time?
DB: You know, honestly, I don't want to see the fight again. I don't think Marquez is a good fight for Manny. I think you are gonna see the same thing you saw the first three times (laughing). Manny is going to be real aggressive and Marquez is gonna be counter-punching. It's not a fight that I really wanna see again and I love Manny to death. He is my favorite fighter in the world by far, but I don't want to see him fight Marquez again. It's just not a good matchup.
PC: I appreciate the interview. It was a pleasure speaking to you my man. I wish you the best of luck on October 6th against Rashid Evans. Is there anything you want to say in closing before I let you go?
DB: I'm looking forward to it. I'm really ready to get this over with, and hopefully I will be making another movie shortly afterwards. I just look forward to sitting in a trailer (laughing) and not getting punched in the face all day.
[WRITER'S NOTE: Bautista vs. Evans is live on October 6, 2012 at 8pm EST at Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence Rhode Island. You can purchase tickets www.ticketmaster.com, order on DirectTV Pay-Per-View, or watch on worldwide livestream at www.bautistamma.com. Also catch Dave as "The Brass Body" in the movie The Man With The Iron Fists, in theatres November 2nd. The Man With The Iron Fists is fully supporting Dave's first MMA fight, and you will see their logo in the ring, on the jumbotron, movie clips on the livestream web site. There's also a brass body contest, where you can tweet Dave https://twitter.com/DaveBautista a photo or video with hashtag #brassbody AND #ironfists and each week, he will pick a winner that will be sent prizes.]
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]