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).

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.

Batista trains with Cesar Gracie through Strikeforce

Sherdog.com posted a great read about former WWE champ Dave Batista, who trained with Cesar Gracie for two days in California. The arrangement was facilitated by Strikeforce, according to the story.

“He’s got a lot to learn but his strength alone is impressive,” Gracie told the site. “Obviously he’s a beginner at jiu-jitsu but we can take a guy like that that’s already a strong athlete like that and teach him what to not get caught in.

“He’s a pretty good kicker,” said Gracie. “He hits very hard.”

Batista hit the mats with former Strikeforce middleweight champ Jake Shields – who is rumored to be signing a UFC deal soon – as well as welterweight Nick Diaz.

You can read the full story by clicking here.

Strikeforce: “Why not Batista?”

Scott Coker, CEO of the MMA group, Strikeforce, was a guest on Sherdog’s “Beatdown” show where he discussed the possibility of former WWE star Batista joining the promotion.

Batista told TMZ.com a few weeks back that he had signed with Strikeforce, but there were later reports that he did not sign with the company.

“Is he signed right now? No. But is he somebody we’d like to see in the cage in the future fighting for Strikeforce? It’s a possibility.” Coker said. “Just like we did with Herschel [Walker], we’d have to put him into a gym. It doesn’t matter what gym, as long as it’s a reputable mixed martial arts academy. He has to go in there and train because if he didn’t, we’d probably have a short relationship.

Coker was asked about a possibility of a Batista-Bobby Lashley fight; Lashley also wrestled for WWE.

“That would just be a fun fight to watch,” Coker said. “We’re not the guys that are putting all the circus fights on, but in all fairness, look at Brock Lesnar. He made the crossover. Why not Batista?”

UFC: Lesnar says Batista wouldn’t want to fight him

TMZ caught up with UFC champ Brock Lesnar as he prepares for Saturday’s heavyweight title defense against Shane Carwin at UFC 116. Among a lot of nonsensical questions about Lindsay Lohan and Brittany Spears, the TMZ cameraman asked about former WWE start Dave Batista possibly entering the world of MMA under the Strikeforce banner.

“Good for him, good luck!” Lesnar said. “I would fight him, but I don’t think he would want to fight me though.”

Batista told TMZ cameramen that he had signed with Strikeforce on June 21, but the company has yet to confirm.

Batista last wrestled for WWE on May’s Over the Edge pay-per-view card and subsequently “quit” in a storyline the following night. In reality, his contract expired.

Batista said he left WWE because he did not agree with the direction the company was headed and he would “not be returning anytime soon.”

What is Fedor’s legacy after loss to Fabricio Werdum?

Does Fedor Emelianenko‘s legacy change at all after losing to Fabric Werdum on Saturday’s Strikeforce show in San Jose?

Tough to say.

Fedor has long been considered the best in the business when it comes to MMA. But, his unwillingness to to sign with UFC and a loss to Werdum, a UFC vet who went 2-2 in the promotion, may prove that he’s just another heavyweight.

Before Saturday’s loss, Fedor knocked out Brett Rodgers, but Rodgers landed some heavy shots on Fedor and not only won the first round of the fight, but nearly knocked out Fedor in the first round.

How would Fedor fare against Brock Lesnar or even a polished Randy Couture? Frank Mir? Shane Carwin?

Unless he decides to fight the best in the world, we’ll never know.

But maybe Fedor’s shyness to UFC is to protect the aura that has been created. Until Saturday, he was invincible – his only other loss was a DQ due to illegal elbows.

If he weren’t to succeed in UFC – and right now he’s fighting heavyweights that Dana White doesn’t want – the legacy is tarnished forever.

Report: Batista’s Strikeforce deal not done yet

According to a report by TMZ.com, former WWE champ Batista jumped the gun earlier this week when he told the site that he had signed a deal with Strikeforce and would soon make his debut with the MMA company.

TMZ reports today that the deal, while mostly finalized, has not yet been sized due to a monetary dispute, as well as some scheduling problems.

Apparently the big hangup is still Batista’s salary. Also, he’s been booked heavily with potential television and movie deals since his WWE contract expired.

Batista presumably has a 90-day no-compete clause written into his WWE deal like nearly all of their talent does. It’s not known whether or not that clause prevents Batista from participating in other forms of entertainment (MMA) or just professional wrestling.

Report: Batista to fight for Strikeforce

TMZ caught former WWE star Batista over the weekend where the former WWE Champion said he will fight for MMA company Strikeforce.

Bobby Lashley, another former WWE talent, also fights for Strikeforce while former WWE champion Brock Lesnar is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion.

Batsita implied that his first fight has already been lined up, but he wouldn’t name an opponent.