Women's MMA pioneer Shayna Baszler discusses transition to WWE for women's tournament

Speculation of WWE star Brock Lesnar’s return to the UFC is running rampant, but there’s an MMA veteran who has moved the other way, and she’s about to get the biggest opportunity of her career.

Women’s MMA pioneer Shayna Baszler (15-11 MMA, 0-2 UFC) has had just one MMA fight in more than two years. She’s been focusing on her career as a pro wrestler. She’s had some solid success so far, but later this month can elevate her stature to the next level.

Baszler makes her WWE debut as part of the Mae Young Classic, which is 32-woman tournament set to stream on the WWE Network beginning Aug. 28.

Watch the video below to hear Baszler discuss the transition from fighting to pro wrestling (via Twitter):

Baszler, 36, is a good friend and former training partner of former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. It’s possible Rousey could get involved with Baszler’s wrestling career at some point; she’s already appeared ringside at a recent WWE event.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, visit the UFC Rumors section of the site.

The Blue Corner is MMAjunkie‘s official blog and is edited by Mike Bohn.