Former WWE star Batista training for MMA (Photos)

TMZ.com has obtained photos of former WWE champ Batista training for what he hopes will be a jump into the realm of MMA. According to reports, which Batista has helped fuel, he’s working on coming to agreement with Strikeforce for a fight contract.

Rumors have have fighting another former WWE star – Bobby Lashley – who is undefeated.

Batista has been training with Cesar Gracie as well as new UFC fighter James Shields (as seen in the photos).

MMA: The fastest knockout in history

Love the Coolio song playing during the replay … “Been spending most your life, livin’ in a gansta’s paradise!!!!”

UFC gives Boston fans a chance to train

Fans in the Boston area would probably love the opportunity to learn how to throw a fastball like Red Sox star pitcher Josh Beckett. They’d be equally excited to shoot from beyond the arc with Celtics’ sniper Ray Allen too. Well, at this summer’s UFC FAN EXPO, the opportunity to learn strategy and techniques from the most influential figures in mixed martial arts presents itself. The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced today that the UFC Fan Expo Boston will feature five Training & Development sessions sure to thrill UFC fans.

On Friday, Aug. 27, former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin heads to Boston to teach an intense session starting at 4pm. Former UFC light heavyweight champion, Tito Ortiz, will also lead a Training & Development session sure to reflect The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’s aggressive ground and pound style, as well as renowned coach Shawn Tompkins.

The action continues on Saturday, Aug. 28 with Training & Development sessions featuring UFC lightweight star Clay Guida and former World Extreme Cagefighting® featherweight champion Urijah Faber. With five of the sport’s most respected individuals offering Training & Development sessions, the UFC Fan Expo Boston continues to become the can’t miss fan event in the Northeast this summer.

“Fans have watched guys like Tito and Forrest coach on The Ultimate Fighter and now this is their chance to train with them,” White said. “Whether you have been training for a long time or just beginning the sport, there is something for everyone at these Training and Development Sessions. Each one of these guys brings something unique to the table and it makes this a cool experience for fans.”

Tickets for UFC FAN EXPO and Training & Development sessions are on sale now and can be bought exclusively at UFCFanExpo.com. Please note that tickets for each Training & Development Session are limited; the cost to participate in a session is $100 per person, per session.

Training & Development Session Schedule
(All Times Eastern)

Friday, Aug. 27
10am-12pm – Tito Ortiz
1pm-3pm – Shawn Tompkins
4pm-6pm – Forrest Griffin

Saturday, Aug. 28
10am-12pm – Clay Guida
2pm-4pm – Urijah Faber

UFC: Subpoenas issued to streaming companies

Zuffa, LLC, (“Zuffa”), the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®), announced today that it has served subpoenas on two streaming video websites, commanding them to reveal the identities of users who have uploaded video of live Pay-Per-View UFC events.

The websites, Justin.tv and Ustream.tv, enable anyone with an Internet connection to broadcast live streaming video to an unlimited audience. Although originally developed to bring user-generated content to a large live audience, these sites have been exploited by some users to broadcast illegally uploaded content, including UFC events.

UFC: Boston weigh-ins for UFC 118 set for Aug. 27

The TD Garden will host the UFC 118 weigh-ins on Aug. 27, the night before the company debuts in Massachusetts. The doors open at 6 p.m. with the first fighters taking the scales at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The event is headlined by Frankie Edgar defending his title against BJ Penn, who he upset earlier this year. James Toney will look to silence critics when he faces UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture and Boston’s own Kenny Florian will face Gray Maynard.

UFC: Toney-Couture garnering heavy local interest

We’re based out of Boston, home of UFC 118 next month at the TD Garden. Among the MMA community, there is obvious excitement for the debut of the world’s biggest MMA company right in our backyard.

At least I assumed that the masses would be looking forward to the rematch between BJ Penn and Frankie Edgard after their knockout, dragout brawl earlier this year. If not, maybe it would be Kenny Florian, the hometown kid, who fights Gray Maynard in what could prove to be a No. 1 contender’s bout for the Edgar-Penn winner.

But all the talk around here seems to be focused on a tubby boxer with a big mouth and a UFC Hall of Famer.

James Toney and Randy Couture – if you weren’t an MMA fan – is what you would think the main event is.

This whole fight has a very “pro-wrestling” feel to it. The build up between Toney and Dana White has been fabulous, with each side getting their jabs, White even going so far as to mention Toney at the UFC 116 presser.

Locally, there have been articles in newspapers and Boston-based websites hyping the event, and it all seems to focus on Toney-Couture.

Strikeforce: Undefeated Lashley returns to the cage

Undefeated heavyweight Bobby Lashley will fight Chad Griggs on the Aug. 21 Strikeforce card, the company confirmed to MMAJunkie.com

Lashley, a former WWE champ, is 5-0 in his career with four finishes. Griggs, whose record sits at 8-1, will be fighting for the first time since April 2009. His lone loss came to Shane Ott.

The show, televised on Showtime, will be held at the Toyota Center in Houston, Tex.

UFC: Jake Shields signs with UFC

After about two weeks worth of negotiations, Jake Shields has inked a deal with UFC and is expected to return to the welterweight division after finishing his Strikeforce career as a middleweight.

“Jake Shields will be debuting at the 170-pound weight division in the UFC,” read an announcement on GracieFighter.com, a website owned by Cesar Gracie, Shields’ trainer. “After careful consideration and consulting with UFC representatives it was determined Jake would be finally going back to his original fighting weight.

“Jake’s opponent is one of the UFC’s top contenders and will be announced shortly.”

Shields, who holds a 25-4-1 MMA record, is on a 14-fight win streak that dates back to 2005. Sources indicated to TheSteelCage.net during the week leading up to UFC 116 that Shields was in negotiations with the company.

On MMA: Where is Carwin’s belt?

The following is a re-print my of my weekly “On MMA” column in The Eagle Tribune

If Saturday’s fight followed precedence, Shane Carwin would be walking around with the UFC heavyweight belt around his waist.

He’s not, but he should be.

And I blame the Nevada State Athletic commission.

Referee Josh Rosenthal called a great fight at UFC 116 last Saturday, not stopping the fight despite a first-round barrage by Carwin that saw 57 punches crash into champion Brock Lesnar’s skull.

Lesnar wasn’t mounting any offense, but he was active in defending himself. There was no reason for the fight to be stopped.

But that’s not what we’ve grown accustomed to with Nevada officials. If the fight were called with the precedence set by nearly every other official under the governing body, Carwin would have taken the fight via first round TKO.

UFC: Lesnar-Velasquez will meet at UFC 121

Cain Velasquez will get his shot at Brock Lesnar and the UFC heavyweight championship.

Dana White said during the buildup to last week’s UFC 116 that the winner of the Lesnar-Shane Carwin fight would face Velasquez for the title. The bout was rumored to main event UFC 119, but plans later changed.

Velasquez will now get his chance at Lesnar at UFC 121 in Anaheim on Oct. 23.

The American Kickboxing Academy rising star has a perfect 8-0 record, finishing seven of his opponents (5 inside the first round), including an impressive stoppage of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria inside of two minutes at UFC 110 in February.

The 27-year-old has six UFC fights on his resume, beating the likes of Nogueria, Ben Rothwell, and Cheick Kongo.