Hyden's Take
HYDEN BLOG: Batista Going To Strikeforce Will Probably Be A Mistake
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Jun 23, 2010 - 9:36:14 AM

By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Columnist

We all saw the video on TMZ where Dave Batista said he was going to fight for Strikeforce. Later reports indicated that this was premature, but that there's a possibility of Strikeforce signing him. This is a huge mistake on several levels.

For one, Batista is 41 years old. Most fighters are retired by that age, not beginning their career. Secondly, Batista doesn't have a fighting background to fall back on to help him in MMA. It takes talent and skill to be a professional wrestler, but it's a different kind of talent and skill than it takes to be a MMA fighter. The two are not interchangeable, and the skill sets don't mix.

Another reason this is a mistake is that Batista is injury-prone, having torn his triceps a few times. Pro wrestling puts a heavy emphasis on looks and size, and big muscles go over well. However, in MMA those same big muscles could be your downfall.

I don't care if Batista used PEDs before, or if he still uses them, big muscles don't help you get ahead in MMA in the same fashion that they do in pro wrestling. Sure, strength helps, but you also lose quickness and flexibility. Batista is not the physical freak that Brock Lesnar is, at least in the way that Brock has an amazing amount of speed for a man his size. Batista is a great specimen, but he's all power.

I came out strongly opposed to the UFC signing James Toney, a 41 year old former boxing champion. I still think that was a bad idea, but at least Toney has a fighting background that will help him in MMA. If Strikeforce tries to use Batista's popularity to increase recognition for their company, they need to be smart about it. They can use him as a special attraction, but they need to be upfront about things.

If they try to play this off as Batista being a viable competitor in the heavyweight division most people are going to just point and laugh. It's the same way with Kimbo Slice. I was always a big Kimbo fan, but I never thought that he was ever going to fight for the Heavyweight title. I was content to watch Kimbo fight the Tank Abbots of the world in barroom-style brawls. Then the companies had to mess it up by trying to have Kimbo fight MMA fighters instead of brawlers.

It's the same thing with the car world. You don't go to a car show, or read car magazines, to see the hot girls on the hoods. Instead, that's a bonus. The reason it's a bonus is that you can see hot girls anywhere and everywhere. This is the internet age, after all. You want information about the cars, something you're interested in, being able to see hot girls is just the cherry on top of the sundae. It's the same reason fighting sports employ ring girls. Nobody watches MMA for the ring girls, but they're sure a nice bonus.

If Strikeforce signs Dave Batista, and uses him solely as a way to lure in potential viewers, the signing would be less ridiculous. However, if one person even discusses the idea of Batista challenging one of the top fighters in the company, it becomes a sideshow. There's too many good things in Strikeforce to have to resort to cheap carny tricks to try to get ahead. Strikeforce needs to go the route that WEC is going, and focus solely on the fights and putting on the best fighting shows they possibly can. There's no magic recipe for instant ratings and huge paydays. You have to grow yourself slowly, but that also generally leads to being stronger in the long run.

Comments and suggestion can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com

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