Retired professional wrestler CM Punk made it official last night at the UFC 181 event in Las Vegas: The former World Champion for the World Wrestling Entertainment corporation has signed a multi-fight deal to fight in the UFC starting in 2015.
For the UFC, this is a blatant attempt at publicity, as Punk has been one of the top attractions for the WWE during his run there. Plus, he has a great personality and microphone control, so he has a real cult type of following that will almost certainly translate into pay per view buys.
The question of whether he can fight or not will be answered, and he will answer it under more critiques and scrutiny than anyone in the history of MMA. What you can be sure of is that he has proven to be one of this era’s most dedicated wrestlers, a true student of the craft, and he will bring that mindset and dedication to this sport.
But the UFC is going to have to be careful. They could look to use him on the reality show in some capacity as it would provide a document of his preparation for all to see. Taking him and sticking him in with Georges St Pierre or Anderson Silva would be a way to pull in money, but the loss of credibility would balance that out a bit for the UFC. What they have to understand is that most fighters have 10-12 fights before getting into the UFC; and Punk can fast track that process, but he will be asked to win a couple of build up fights against reasonable competition.
CM Punk is a bright man, and one of the reasons for his departure from the WWE was creative differences, and he will want to exert some control over how his fights are presented. He has not announced what team or alliance he will be training with, but once that selection is made, it could be a good indication of where things are going.
Check out the highlights from the UFC Channel – this is Phillip Brooks, aka CM Punk facing the press for the first time as a UFC fighter:
