How did Dave Bautista manage to lose so much weight? Know the secret to his dramatic transformation

Dave Bautista's old interview gives an insight into how the actor and former WWE wrestler managed his dramatic weight loss transformaion.

Former WWE wrestler Dave Bautista has been in the news for the past couple of days because of his dramatic weight loss. The 55-year-old actor, who plays Drax in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, surprised fans with his extremely slim look at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Fans have been wondering how he achieved the feat.

Dave Bautista's dramatic weight loss transformation. (Instagram, AFP)

How did Dave Bautista lose weight?

In an old interview on LIVE with Kelly and Mark, Dave Bautista talked about his weight loss journey and the struggles. The actor revealed that he gained a lot of weight for his role in Knock at the Cabin. And to become fit and avoid being typecast into roles similar to Drax, he turned to jiu-jitsu when he decided to lose weight. “It’s the way I lose weight. I put on all this weight for Knock at the Cabin. I was really big, like over 300 lbs (approximately 136 kgs),” he said.

Dave Bautista gained weight for his role in Knock At The Cabin.

But then he decided to train. “I was struggling to lose the weight, so I brought a trainer — my buddy Jason Manly — over to Budapest with me while I was filming Dune,” Bautista revealed.

The actor added that he and his trainer “did nothing but grapple, like for hours.” He added, “And so I started shedding the weight off, and I figured ‘I’ll just stick with it so I’ll get my brown belt’.” According to the actor, he managed to lose 50 lbs (22.67 kgs) because of the martial arts training.

“I’ve sacrificed a lot of muscle, but I’m okay with it”

When Kelly Ripa stated that a lot of Bautista's weight is actually muscle weight because ‘muscle weighs more than fat’, the actor replied, "I was trimming down, and I’ve sacrificed a lot of muscle. But I’m okay with it because I just feel more comfortable.”