CM Punk to fight in UFC next year

http://www.buzzfeed.com/nicholaswray/cm-punk-ufc?s=mobile

Words in there, discussion in here, me tired

I think its a good move for him, and will definatly annoy McMahon. I dont think he'll have as immediate an impact as Lesnar did but he should do well in his weight.

'Vince, my body's in pain, I can't go on with this'
'Vince, that nasty Ryback actually tried to hurt me'

Signs for a company where people will legitimately try to hurt him.

He'll get one fight against a bum where he will get his head kicked in.

Lesnar started MMA when he was 6 years younger than punk and had a stellar amateur wrestling pedigree.

He was bigger and stronger than everyone in the UFC and still got absolutely demolished when he went up against genuine top level MMA fighters.

Some publicity stunt this.

Hasn't Punk been training with the Gracies for years?
He always wore a Royce Gracie hoody to the ring,so this comes as no surprise.
I've never heard any tales about him being legitimately tough.
If he wants to do a Batista and just try it once then good luck to him.

However I'd want him to get paid far less than the guys that have been doing it all their life,just so he doesn't seem a hypocrite

But it's not about the money remember.

Brilliant_yep wrote:Hasn't Punk been training with the Gracies for years?
He always wore a Royce Gracie hoody to the ring,so this comes as no surprise.
I've never heard any tales about him being legitimately tough.
If he wants to do a Batista and just try it once then good luck to him.

However I'd want him to get paid far less than the guys that have been doing it all their life,just so he doesn't seem a hypocrite

Dana White is a smart guy, trying to repeat the trick - get a few thousand WWE fans to watch the PPV and convert to UFC.

Doing a bit of BJJ isn't quite on the level of being a national wrestling champion, also punk will be the same size as his opponents.

Good PR, but punk is mental for doing this imo.

Can't see this ending well at all. Lesnar was eventually shown up big time for his lack of MMA background. His athleticism, freakishness and world class amateur wrestling got him as far as it did. Its all well an good when your the one throwing the punches and taking the other guy down, but its how you react when you get hurt. As we saw with lesnar, he couldn't take the pain, and backed up and retreated rather than fight back. Its a massive risk for Punk. He is fearless and it may play to his advantage, but its a massive risk and if I was to predict what's gonna happen, I think he'll fight a couple of awful awful fighters, scrape through and then get beat down badly against anyone remotely decent. MMA isn't something you can just walk into. These guys are serious fighters and mixed martial art specialists who've done this stuff all their lives.

It's a publicity stunt like the James Toney fight, he'll get beaten but he won't be getting put in with someone who will seriously hurt him (I'd imagine).

Brock was heavyweight champion, couldn't avoid the elite fighters.

I thought Brock took a punch reasonably well (Carwin landed one on his chin and he had knocked out every opponent he had faced before), he just didn't have the instincts to recover or get himself through - like you said backed up and cowered as he hadn't been punched in his face his whole life whilst training. No shame in it, he did very well for himself (cuts of 2x $100 million pay per views)

So he starts to cry about being in pain and joins the UFC? I've heard it all now. Recon he will get destroyed in UFC

Sounds like something he has always wanted to do good on him. Also there is a difference between working with a staph infection that was not being dealt with in an entertainment industry and going in to a fight where the objective of the opponent is to hurt you. I think this should be approached with a sense of perspective

Guy works through pain and gets criticised. Guy gets paid good money and is criticised because he says his career isn't all about the money. Internet and maturity at its peak

Fair play to Punk for chasing his dream, but I can understand why MMA fighters and fans aren't best pleased with this.

I've seen people compare him to Batista, but Batista fought at a very low level, whereas Punk has been given a golden ticket to fight against the best Mixed martial artists in the world without paying his dues.

Some of the other posters have mentioned Lesnar, who indeed is a freak. But Lesnar did have an excellent pedigree, being a division one wrestler. Whilst Punk may have trained with the Gracie's, he's got no such pedigree.

The Middleweight division is stacked, and if Punk can't make the weight at that division he'll be in for a world of hurt in the Light-heavyweight division. I don't think he'll do any better than Del Rio in the MMA world.

He's supposed to be fighting at middleweight,but is open to 170 pounds,which is 15 pounds lighter,so he won't go up to light heavy.

Dana White has also said he'll be starting against a 1-0/1-1/2-1 etc fighter,so it won't be a golden ticket to a seasoned fighter.

That also indicates he wants to build a career on this,I'd imagine he has a good few fights in this deal.

I don't know how good he is as I haven't seen him in action,so I think its a bit harsh to write him off before weve seen him,but I do know he's been doing jiu jitsu and MMA training for a long time,so I doubt he'll be dogpoopie.

I'm not Punk's biggest fan, in fact I'm not a Punk fan. I've just gone off him since the 434 run. That said, though, I wish him the best. That said, the irony of a guy who left his industry in part because of part timers taking the slot of harder working pros then debuting straight into UFC ostensibly in place of a harder working kid whose possible big break will be pushed back is not lost on me.

Brilliant_yep wrote:He's supposed to be fighting at middleweight,but is open to 170 pounds,which is 15 pounds lighter,so he won't go up to light heavy.

Dana White has also said he'll be starting against a 1-0/1-1/2-1 etc fighter,so it won't be a golden ticket to a seasoned fighter.

That also indicates he wants to build a career on this,I'd imagine he has a good few fights in this deal.

I don't know how good he is as I haven't seen him in action,so I think its a bit harsh to write him off before weve seen him,but I do know he's been doing jiu jitsu and MMA training for a long time,so I doubt he'll be dogpoopie.

I don't think I was particularly harsh about him. Just realistic. I see some parallels with Andrew Flintoff. Both guys excelled at their chosen fields, and had quality trainers when entering combat sports (I believe Barry McGuigan was involved in Flintoff's camp)

The golden ticket point relates to Punk likely being placed on Pay per view cards. Like a few of the other guys have mentioned, Dana White's a savvy businessman, and Punk will draw so it's almost certain that he'll be placed on cards his rookie status doesn't merit.

I wasn't saying you were being harsh Nak,some others have written him off already though.

I get the golden ticket point,I misunderstood and thought you meant he'd go straight in for a seasoned pro,rather than a high spot on the card... Which I fully agree with you on.

I think there's far more overlap in skills with Punk going to MMA than Flintoff going to boxing.
I think he'll be a tough cookie,but clearly he won't be an elite level fighter,but I'm seriously interested in watching.

Brilliant_yep wrote:I wasn't saying you were being harsh Nak,some others have written him off already though.

I get the golden ticket point,I misunderstood and thought you meant he'd go straight in for a seasoned pro,rather than a high spot on the card... Which I fully agree with you on.

I think there's far more overlap in skills with Punk going to MMA than Flintoff going to boxing.
I think he'll be a tough cookie,but clearly he won't be an elite level fighter,but I'm seriously interested in watching.

That's a fair point. I agree with your last sentence completely. Punk's a marmite figure, but things a never dull with him. One things for certain, he won't have any problems selling events with his promos!

If he's on a Rousey card... I'll watch. I always have time for Rousey. I can only hope that one day she'll have time for me
;(

Gets a couple of easy-ish fights, wins them. Comes back to Wrestling, with a far lighter schedules, and goes against Lesnar and wins, using his time in MMA as a way of making him appear a more "legitimate" threat than the last time. Could happen?

Brilliant_yep wrote:He's supposed to be fighting at middleweight,but is open to 170 pounds,which is 15 pounds lighter,so he won't go up to light heavy.

Dana White has also said he'll be starting against a 1-0/1-1/2-1 etc fighter,so it won't be a golden ticket to a seasoned fighter.

That also indicates he wants to build a career on this,I'd imagine he has a good few fights in this deal.

I don't know how good he is as I haven't seen him in action,so I think its a bit harsh to write him off before weve seen him,but I do know he's been doing jiu jitsu and MMA training for a long time,so I doubt he'll be dogpoopie.

He might be better off in with a seasoned pro (a la Toney) who will beat him but not seriously hurt him, than someone really looking to make their mark - even if they are a bit useless (relatively speaking).

With WWE's schedule how much actual BJJ/MMA training can he have done, especially considering his injury complaints?

The aim of the game is to get people talking and to watch, which I guess it has and will.

Punk is also gonna come up against a lot of fighters on drugs too, and unlike the wrestlers these guys are using them for athletic reasons. Wonder what he will think about that...

I think Dana White means he'll fight a bum with very little experience, rather than an up and coming star with very little experience

Ché Guerrero wrote:Punk is also gonna come up against a lot of fighters on drugs too, and unlike the wrestlers these guys are using them for athletic reasons. Wonder what he will think about that...

kingraf wrote:I think Dana White means he'll fight a bum with very little experience, rather than an up and coming star with very little experience

Depends if it is a 1-0 fighter or a 1-0 UFC fighter.

Not really Ent the place he got it isnt really a common injection site

No talk of this please, can get the site and you into a lot of trouble! Seems unlikely but it has happened.

In what regard, libel?

Yes

Fair enough, have you always disliked Punk btw Hero or is it just the his comments recently you think are out of line?

The character I love, the person less so. I feel a large number of fans would lap up anything he said nowadays because he's stuck it to the man so to speak. He may have felt aggrieved at the Mania spot but he broke the glass ceiling far more than a lot of guys. Sure a lot of the guys from the Indys would have loved to have kept their name and have the longest WWE title run in the modern era.

You have to understand, Che, that the hipsters must oppose what people are going with in the mainstream. Hero, head of the IWC on this site (mainly because his hardware makes his internet access of such ease) cannot be seen to support something the "marks" are agreeing with. Just look how he defends his downtrodden poor indy friends who are crushed in the eyes of WWE. That poor Ambrose, Rollins, Bryan. Poor guys who have worked for years and can't make it into the big leagues like Zayn, Cesaro, Owens. I could use their real names, or their ROH names, but I dont think Hero would accept me doing so.

Might go and watch that Undertaker streak loss again in a bit, happy times.

Its alright, give it a few more months of Lesnar not defending it and you'll soon say it was a really good idea for Brock to have it, just to go against the grain

Hero wrote:The character I love, the person less so. I feel a large number of fans would lap up anything he said nowadays because he's stuck it to the man so to speak. He may have felt aggrieved at the Mania spot but he broke the glass ceiling far more than a lot of guys. Sure a lot of the guys from the Indys would have loved to have kept their name and have the longest WWE title run in the modern era.

I've seen this argument quite a bit, my response to it would be that the difference is is that CM Punk is a hell of a lot better than almost all of those "guys". I can count the number of people better than Punk on one hand currently in wrestling.

Will he start being called Phil Brooks now?

He owns the rights to 'CM Punk' and as he says it's that name that sells so he's stuck with it.

kingraf wrote:If he's on a Rousey card... I'll watch. I always have time for Rousey. I can only hope that one day she'll have time for me
;(

She is hot, but comes off as a bit of a bitch, as was seen when she was a coach on TUF. Miesha Tate on the other hand, yes please:)

Onto CM Punk, 36 aint young going into MMA.

Good luck to the bloke, dont know anything about him really(never watched WWE when he was in it).

Will be tough for him to make thre transfer over, but good luck to him.
How much MMA training has he had I wonder, long hours in the gym, getting to know the craft etc.

On another note Lesner was a bit of a muppet when he was a coach on TUF.

kingraf wrote:If he's on a Rousey card... I'll watch. I always have time for Rousey. I can only hope that one day she'll have time for me
;(

She is hot, but comes off as a bit of a bitch, as was seen when she was a coach on TUF. Miesha Tate on the other hand, yes please:)

Onto CM Punk, 36 aint young going into MMA.

Good luck to the bloke, dont know anything about him really(never watched WWE when he was in it).

Will be tough for him to make thre transfer over, but good luck to him.
How much MMA training has he had I wonder, long hours in the gym, getting to know the craft etc.

On another note Lesner was a bit of a muppet when he was a coach on TUF.

It’s a smart move by Dana White as it will generate crazy interest in his debut and he’ll sell PPVs. It’s a smart move by Punk as he’ll get paid silly money, enhance his profile even further and walk into a Wrestlemania main event if and when he wants it. And even cranky Vince won’t mind the publicity of the whole thing either.

Sure it’s a risk but let’s face it he’s not going to debut against a seasoned UFC pro. I’ve seen Michael Bisping has called him out, but that isn’t going to happen. Bisping will have Punk for breakfast. He’ll likely fight someone who also has an 0-0 record or worse to make him look good and it’ll be a shoddy fight. The suspense will be greater than the spectacle.

Looking at the Banner behind, I would have thought the King might have had some internet buzz about this too!

This doesn't work for me. I've no problem with Punk taking on a new challenge. But I think Dana White has got too excited by the buzz surrounding Punk's recent podcasts and I can't think many wrestling fans who were going to buy a PPV have not dipped into UFC already.

I don't think that White has made a smart move, it feels like a short term move and I think that UFC should concentrate more on building the profile of their fighters and widening the recognition and appeal of their current champions and roster.

Even if this was a move to stop Punk going to Bellator, I'm not so sure of its validity. I wish Punk luck, but I think its too late to make such a career change, and what I'd hate most is for Punk to be shepherded through his first 2 or 3 fights, meeting guys who are told to try to stretch the fight and give him chance to learn, not because I necessarily believe that's not a valid tactic for UFC, but I think this is the wrong person to use it on.

I think it'll bring new eyes in, and there's no risk in that. Hes not gonna be top of the card, main event, but there's definitely a crossover appeal so why not? I always mean to watch UFC so will probably have an eye on it. If it drags in a few more idiots like me then there's money to be made

http://www.wwe.com/inside/wwe-wishes-phil-brooks-aka-cm-punk-the-best-of-luck-in-his-newest-endeavor-26892375

Makes sense to reference it. WWE getting mentioned on UFC PPV so why not endorse it.

Good luck to him, will be interesting to see his transition and who he's put up against. Can see it been a case of damned if he does and damned if he doesnt.

Wins against someone with a low record and people will be saying that it means nothing, but if he loses people will say he doesnt belong.

Think it's more interesting that he challenged and won his appeal against the no complete clause they issued him with. Does this mean that when people leave or get future endeavored that we can expect to see them on TV within a matter of days rather than whats become the customary 90 days?

K-PX0110 wrote:

Think it's more interesting that he challenged and won his appeal against the no complete clause they issued him with. Does this mean that when people leave or get future endeavored that we can expect to see them on TV within a matter of days rather than whats become the customary 90 days?

What seemed to come across in the interview with Punk was that WWE didn't want him going to TNA. And of course he was being upfront when he said he wasn't considering this. So maybe, in this case, that is one factor in why WWE rolled over on this.

To most people it makes no sense that WWE can have wrestlers as independent contractors and at the same time tie them up in non-compete clauses. But I'm not a legal mind, nor do I know the ins and outs of this case.

Also, why would WWE worry any more? There is no Nitro for a competitor to walk into the next week with the belt. In wrestling maybe the biggest thing that could happen to them would be Rey walking out and appearing on Lucha Underground and I don't think that is going to concern Vince in the least.

Thats why Vince is a genius. He puts the belt on a guy who only works 5 days a year, the only way to guarantee it wont turn up on Impact!

Here is a question for everyone.

If we took the person out of the title picture (ie lets say Lesnar and Cena), would it turning up on Impact make people turn over?

For example, if they put the belt on Big Show and he defected. Would anyone care?

Surely its the person not the belt that would make the difference?

I think WWE will continue to put in the no compete clauses, knowing that not many people who they release or fire have the money to challenge WWE, no wrestler is going to want to get into a complicated legal battle over having to wait the 30 days it usually is. 

I do think CM Punk basically proved that it was illegal though, so we might see WWE avoiding using them in the future.

Adam D wrote:
For example, if they put the belt on Big Show and he defected. Would anyone care?

Surely its the person not the belt that would make the difference?

If Big Show was not on WWE TV any more some people might see that as a plus, whether he had the belt or not

You are right.  But the two also go fairly hand-in-glove, i.e. you have to be a major name to have the belt.  So to take your question to the extreme, Fandango gets a chance for the title, wins and then appears on Impact.  No one is going to care who watches WWE.  The belt becomes up for grabs and no one is following Fandango to another promotion.  But Fandango is not going to win the belt.  It is going to be a Cena, Orton, Lesnar, etc.  

If one of these jumped to Impact with or without a belt, then it would be news.  I still don't think it would move the needle much for either promotion, but it would be a big talking point.

Even Vince says the belt doesn't matter, when he buried it in his podcast.  We all know his point, that characters and stories are what draws you in.  But I think he made a real mistake by saying what he did as he did.

EDIT: If Big Show did go to Impact would he turn back to Raw the next week