WOW... WWE Stars Who DESTROYED MMA Fighters!

Hey guys, it's Fiflow. There have been quite a few pro wrestlers from WWE who publicly expressed interest in stepping into MMA. I mean, even The Rock once flirted with the idea. He talked about going through a full 2-year MMA training camp ahead of a possible debut, but it never happened. He openly admitted, "I hate being punched in the face." Fair enough. This sports definitely isn't for everyone. Talking about is one thing, but actually stepping into the cage, especially when you already have a successful career in WWE where you're not getting punched or kicked in the face for real, that takes a completely different mentality. You need to have a real savage within. But of course, there were a few others besides the most famous one, Brock Lesnar, who made the jump from WWE to MMA and actually did pretty well. So, no more BS. Let's get straight into it. Who were these fighters and what did some of their fights look like? A lot of movement early on here from Double Leg Lashley. >> Let's start with a guy who's a true hard worker, someone who conquered not only the pro wrestling but also made a big name for himself in Hollywood, Dave Batista. In June 2010, after leaving WWE, Batista showed up at Strike Force and revealed his intention to embark on MMA career and he knew it wasn't going to match his WWE earnings. He said, "I just want experience. I don't have any motive to build a solid MMA career. I just want to do it because I love it so much. Batista had been training in various martial arts for years, even during his wrestling days, and said his interest in MMA grew naturally over time. And they proved he wasn't just talking. He made his MMA debut in 2012. His opponent, Vince Lucero, a legit MMA journeyman with over 40 professional fights under his belt. Sure, maybe not UFC level competition, but let's be real. Lucero was an experienced veteran. Don't be deceived by his chubby appearance. The guy wasn't there to collect a paycheck. He came to win. Bautista came out hot, confident, focused, surrounded by a big crew of cornermen, probably hyping him up. Let's go, bro. It's your time. You're going to smash this fool. Easy work. Then we go celebrate real hard. Dave's demeanor. No BS. No smiles. This guy came for war. And just look at him. 260 lbs of pure muscle. It doesn't get much scarier than that if the guy knows how to fight. >> And for many, many different reasons, not only the physical contact, but what you ask your body to do in Tampa training with Josh Rafi, who was a contestant on the debut season of the Ultimate Fighter. So, he's got the right people in his ear. >> But Vince Elaro Lucero, he looked confident, too. In his mind, he was the man that day. Probably thinking, "Those muscles won't save you, boy. I might be out of shape, but don't let the belly fool you. I've got that savage in me. When that bell rings, I turn into a beast. This is my world, Dave. I've got 40 plus fights under my belt. You're about to find out what that means. Both guys were pretty respectful toward each other during the face off. Vince seemed a bit too relaxed. Like, yeah, just another day at the office for me. But deep down, I think he knew this is my shot. The whole world is watching this fight because it's day freaking Bautista. This is my time to prove I'm ready for the big leagues. Dana White is going to have to sign me to the UFC after this one. Dave, on the other hand, looked locked in and focused with only one thing on his mind. Nothing to prove. I came here to have fun and smash this guy. As soon as the fight started, Vince actually brought it to him. Landed some solid punches that even rock. Dave got his hands up high. Short right hand. >> Sarah comes in right away with a right hand and another right. >> Another right hand. >> He lands two big rights. >> He's land two or three big right with the knee. >> Third and a fourth. Well, Sarah just let out the top. >> So, yeah, like I said, don't let the looks deceive you. Vince came to show the difference between an MMA veteran and a guy making his pro debut. From the start, they felt what it's like to get punched for real, not just some scripted hype show. >> Straight left hand. Another left hand. >> Big right and left by Lucer. He's landing. >> Right kick. >> Another big left hand from Lucer. He's throwing great kicks. There's a right hand by Batista. Left hook, right cross. Another left hook, right cross. Baptista looks to clinch up. >> But Dave wasn't going down that easy. After some clinching and dirty boxing near the cage, Dave probably thought, "All right, I'm not a striker here. Let's go back to what I do best." He went for the takedown. And from there, it was time to see what he could do on the ground. >> Interestingly enough, he shoots right in for the taked down, and he gets it. >> Big take down by Dave Batista. And on the ground, that's where it was Dave's world. Vince was probably thinking, "Holy crap, this guy's made of steel. I can't get this dude off me." So, he just tried to survive. From that point on, it was fullon beatd down until the end of the round. Dave unleashed some heavy ground and pound and Vince was like, "All right, that's it for me today. Another loss. No big deal." Ref peel the savage off me. And the ref did. >> Now he's throwing punches to a couple of those answer. These punches are coming in from both sides. going to stop the fight if this keeps up. >> This might not last much long. >> Two or three more punches that'll be it. >> Right after the stoppage at the end of the first round, Dave actually looked pissed. Like, that's it. Come on. I was just getting started. Can we go another round? But the ref was like, "Nah, man. It's over." Then Winch tried to protest like, "Hey, bro, why do you hit me in the back of the head?" But honestly, out of that whole barrage of punches, maybe two or three clipped the back of the head. And let's be real, that's kind of on you, bro. Why get into a position where your head's exposed like that and expect nothing to land back there? Out of nowhere, Vince started acting like he was Tyson or something. Started yelling stuff like, "You ain't man enough to with me." But the reality, he just embarrassed himself even more after the beatdown he just taken. Yeah, Dana White's definitely not calling him anytime soon after that. Anyway, after things cooled off, Vince did shake Dave's hand and was like, "All right, it's all good. You got me." And in postfight interview, Dave actually said he's willing to fight again, which honestly after that performance doesn't sound like a bad idea. >> Uh, so so when do you think you want to fight again? You know, something you want to do right away or wait a little bit or what do you think? >> No, I want to fight again for sure. I think, you know, it was a matter of getting this first one out of the way. You know, the guys will tell you I was just so nervous. I had so many butterflies coming out, but you know, I think he got the best of me a little bit. I >> I think he handled butterflies pretty well. >> Better than last show for me. Sadly though, that ended up being his first and last MMA fight. After that, he went on an absolute tier in Hollywood, landing roles in some epic movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, Bladeunner, and Dune. So, yeah, good for him. Honestly, I think if his acting career hadn't taken off the way it did, we might have seen him step into the cage again. Still, in my opinion, he's a legend just for stepping into a real fight. No gimmicks, no scripts, just for the pure love of the sport. So, hats off to him. Now, the second guy we'll take a look at was much more serious about his transition from WWE to MMA. Bobby Lashley made a calculated and strategic move rooted in his legitimate athletic background, including amateur wrestling, military experience, and a strong desire to be taken seriously as a real combat sports athlete. And he actually put together a solid MMA record with 15 wins and only two losses. So, let's take a look at some of Bobby Lashley's performances to understand just how legit this guy really was. One of Bobby Lashley's early MMA fights was against a pretty cocky dude, Mike Cook. I mean, just listen to what this guy said before the fight. My fighting style is boxing/submission fighting and fighting Bobby Lashley. I know he was on TV as a wrestler. That's fine. He will his pants once he gets hit. And it's going to be very fast. It's going to be tap tap tap on his chin and it's going to go straight to the ground and he's going to be on his back. I'll be raising my hand. I will finish this fight in one of two ways. I will either make him tap out from punches. I will knock him out or I I'll throw a third one in for you guys and I'll submit him. >> Bobby, on the other hand, was pretty humble. He definitely wasn't a big trash talker, which might surprise people who only knew him from WWE. >> My name is Bobby Lashley. fighting style is ground and pound. Well, I know he's going to brawl, so I'm going to bring it to him the same way he's going to bring it to me. It's going to be very intense fight. We're just going to battle, brawl, and someone's going to drop. This fight means everything for my career. Every fight that I have means a tremendous amount for my career. I have to keep moving forward. I have to keep winning, and I got to keep uh moving up the ladder. Bobby looked like an action figure, 250 lbs of pure muscle. Meanwhile, Mike was eyeing him like a predator eyes its prey. This guy had 10 amateur fights and seven wins. And he was probably thinking, "Yeah, I'll show the world the difference between a real savage and some pro wrestling guy." But Lashley wasn't having any of that trash talk. Right before the fight, he refused to touch gloves. And Cook immediately reacted like, "What's up with that, bro? Come at me then." >> Question for you, Bobby. You want to touch gloves, touch a mountain? Let's get it on. No touching gloves from Bobby Lashley. >> And he did. Just look at how fast Lashley took him out. >> Bobby Lashley and Mike Cook in this heavyweight battle. And right away he's going for a guillotine. >> Lashley going for a guillotine. He let it go. Oh, look at that. Look at this. Bobby Lashley coming out. Mike Cook was in total disbelief like this guy really cooked me fast. Yeah, he definitely wasn't ready for someone way stronger than his 155 pounds sparring partners. In the postfight interview, Bobby made it clear, don't make fun of me. I'm not your typical pro wrestler with a funny gimmick. I'm as real as it gets. Talk a little bit about there is no handtapping. Uh you seem pretty annoyed by the mask that Mike Cook was wearing. >> Well, yeah. You know, I'm I'm I'm here for business. Everybody comes out there with this wrestling thing and tries to make fun of the wrestling thing. I'm real. I'm coming out here to fight. If they don't want to fight me, they can play around. If they play around, I'm going to knock him out or choke him out. And that's what I did today. Choked him out, made him pay. Now I can go put back on the mask and have fun with himself. >> Probably the most memorable fight of Bobby Lashley's May career was against former K1 fighter Bob Sap. On paper, it looked like a clash between two absolute monsters. But honestly, there was only one real monster in that cage that night, and it was Bobby Lashley. Bob Sap, despite his intimidating appearance, was never much of a threat to legit fighters who knew how to deal with raw brute strength. And Lashley proved that once again, as soon as the first round began, Lashley took Sab down with ease and started unloading heavy ground and pound. There's Sab coming at Lashley. Lashley shoots, tries to pick him up and down. He gets it down on the canvas. Bob Sap holds a head in and there's Lassie going to cracking him with the right hand. Now the left hand's come down. How about this? He takes him right down where he doesn't want to be. >> It didn't take long. Just 3 minutes in. Bob Sap tapped out from strikes. >> What? What he's got to do? >> The crowd would be much happier if they got up on their feet and just blasted the daylights out of each other. Very [Applause] good. See it. Yeah, I think he just >> Let's see how much more punishment. Now he's had enough. >> Now in MMA, tapping from strikes is often seen as a weak move. But for Bob Sap, it was nothing new. That's kind of his signature exit. Next, let's take a look at Bobby Lashley's fight against John. By that point, Lashley already had six professional fights under his belt. So, yeah, he wasn't just a pro wrestler dabbling in MMA anymore. He was becoming a real fighter with some legit experience behind him. As soon as the fight started, Bobby came out and did what he does best, a crazy brutal slam that shook the cage. >> A lot of movement early on here from a double leg. >> And you could tell right away Bobby really wanted to finish this guy. It almost felt personal like art owed him money or something because the ground and pound that followed was pure unfiltered brutality. Popping out like a Christmas tree on the back there. Big right hand from Lashley. Oh, it's been caught now. Curry the entire time. Watch the clean forearm and another one to the side of the left eye. Bobby Lashley is unleashing hell and again a tough popping elbow. That was the story of the first round. Bobby unleashing the beast within and absolutely gorilla pounding O on the canvas. You could almost hear our thinking, damn, is the ref going to stand this up or is he just going to let me die here? >> Just taking incredible punishment. This is hard to watch. I'm trying to move his head. Throws up the hands. >> But the referee, he looked like he was enjoying the beatdown just as much as the crowd. So yeah, first round was all Bobby Lashley. Total domination. No real offense from Art, just survival mode. >> Lashley has just pictured up the face here of Jon, but Jon somehow still surviving. Cut, bruised, blasted. Oh, that could be it now. I'm taking punishment. >> In the second round, Lashley was visibly tired. All that muscle came at a cost and it started the show. Meanwhile, Jonath looked like he was ready to take another beating. Almost like he was thinking, "All right, man. Just take me down and go off on me. Maybe the ref will have mercy and stop this thing." But Lashley was hesitant. After going full savage in round one, he didn't have the same explosive energy in the second. The power was still there, but he wasn't as quick to pull the trigger. Still, around the 2-minute mark, Bobby got the takedown. And once again, it was all Lashley from that point on. He smothered out on the ground, slicing him up at nasty elbows. bludgeoned and bruised and puffed up. He's in a bad position now because let he let Lassie get the north south which leaves your head wide open. So unless you got a really good submission game from here or or hold a guy down there and hit him when he doesn't want to be held down and doesn't want to be hit. >> That's said Frank [Applause] going for a submission from here. He's got a top side arm bar. He's got a reverse. He's got a kam American on the other side. He really gets crafted and rolling a knee bar from this position. They weren't as thunderous as in round one, but trust me, you still wouldn't want to be John A in that second round either. Now, the third round is where things got interesting. Lashley was completely exhausted. He went for another taked down, but this time it got stopped by John. He's hitting and moving on. And Lashley looks a little confused. Yes, I've got some game. So they were forced to trade on the feet and for the first time in the fight, Jon actually landed some strikes. He didn't look like a helpless wrestling dummy anymore. He was finally getting his moment over and scores. No, don't get sucked into the double leg. And he backs out. This guy came. He can throw these big hay makers at him one time. Knock him down again with flash knockout. They've got to know that Lashley is right for the pick in here. Still, by the middle of the third round, Bobby managed to drag odd down again. But at that point, Lashley was basically just laying and praying. His gas tank was on empty, and it showed. In the end, Bobby Lashley walked away with a decision win. But it was clear he definitely wasn't a full three- round fighter, at least not with that much muscle on him. Still pretty impressive performance overall, especially that first round, which was pure domination. In his next fight, Bobby Lashley made the decision to come in a bit leaner, aiming to improve his stamina and avoid gassing out so quickly. >> Bobby, how you feeling for this fight? And uh obviously you've taken some weight off also. And uh tell tell us the reasoning behind getting the weight off. >> Well, you know, I just I just went through a different different kind of training camp this time. I wanted to be a little bit leaner and I'm actually going to make my way down to 205. So, here's the process starting. I mean, I think I weighed in a little bit under 240 today. Um, I'm moving quicker, moving faster, um, a little bit more cardio, so I feel good. >> His opponent was Kevin Aspund. As the fight began, Bobby did what he does best. He went for a successful takedown right away. >> Strong individuals here. Lashley shoots in for a single, gets that take down. >> But Aspont wasn't as easy to handle as he looked. He used the cage effectively to get back to his feet, showing some solid awareness and technique. been working some subs with Josh Bonnet >> as Boon gets back to his stage >> walking up that cage. Smart move. >> Still, Bobby was relentless. He took him down again and started unloading heavy ground and pound for the rest of the first round. >> Trying to trap that arm with his shin. That is a big strong man to have on top of you. Pounding away. Still inside control. Bobby Lashley. 1 minute 45 remaining in this first round set for three. Ascal bragged a lot about his jaw, but uh he's truly getting tested. Lashley just thunderous big booming meat hooks hands like car batteries. >> By the end of the round, Aspoon's face was already a bloody mess. In the second round, Bobby wasted no time, securing another takedown without hesitation. >> Down for a single. Bobby Lashley wants the takedown. He'll get the takedown there all day. >> This time though, the more experienced Lashley showed off a different side of his game. Rather than just pounding away, he transitioned smoothly and locked in a key lock submission, forcing to tap out. Couple of cuts on the forehead of Ashlin. >> Bobby goes that far again. Look at the tappy milk. He does so. Kevin taps out. Second round, Bobby Lashley with a victory. >> Give it up for Bobby Lashley. That's about it, guys. Hope you enjoyed this breakdown of successful WWE stars in MMA. Be sure to subscribe to the best fight on YouTube. As always, stay safe, God bless, and I'm