CM Punk Might Make MMA Debut At ‘UFC 199,’ But Is The Training Of ‘The Best In The World’ Good Enough?
In December of 2014, the MMA world received quite a shock when Dana White announced they have signed on Phil Brooks as the newest “high-profile” talent for UFC. The reason why such a signing was shocking in the first place is Brooks’ expertise leading up to his stint in MMA as a professional wrestler for the WWE, going by the moniker CM Punk.
Given the fact that professional wrestling is technically a choreographed stunt show with elements of drama, many in the MMA community have expressed disdain towards CM Punk. Said disdain amplified over the last six months when chatter of Punk’s MMA debut started to circulate. It finally hit a boiling point this month when Punk’s overall fighter ranking in the upcoming EA Sports UFC 2 was quite high followed by news of a venue Punk will officially make his debut at.
To be fair though, it has been over a year since CM Punk was announced as the newest fighter on the UFC roster. Within that time, Punk has trained relentlessly to be “fight ready” for his MMA debut. The question is if his training will be enough?
Related Inquisitr Articles
CM Punk Trolls Haters Over UFC Debut, But Is He Actually Doomed? [Video]
UFC President Dana White Reveals When CM Punk Will Make His UFC Debut
CM Punk Loses Potential First UFC Challenger As Cathal Pendred Officially Retires From MMA
CM Punk knows that most in the MMA community are following him just so they can lash out whenever he opens his mouth to say something. However, those who don’t treat the sport like they own it (either they be devoted fans to Punk or not) are viewing the situation with an open perspective. Most within that group have said through the MMA community that Punk is putting in his dues to be decent in the cage. They do state he is nowhere near the likes of the upper brass in UFC, but he is not green either.
One such person who has spoken for CM Punk is UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. “DC” has gone on record with Fight Network, back in May of 2015, saying that Punk isn’t just going day in and day out training. He is also very honest with himself and his friends on his MMA level. When Punk says he is doing well or needs work, it is because it is the feedback he received from those training him.
Daniel Cormier then followed up later on in the year with another interview in which he spoke about CM Punk. Cormier actually expressed favoritism on how CM Punk’s coaches and crew are training Punk in the first place. From what was revealed, Punk is not just training but actually doing amateur MMA fights all within levels. What that means is Punk started out at a beginner’s level, learning basics and such. However, he would also fight others on his level in amateur fights. Once Punk’s training crew see he is a-okay at said level, they have Punk train and do amateur fights at the next level. The process just keeps repeating but it is also a progression as training becomes more intense and opponents become harder.
We will all possibly get the chance to find out if CM Punk’s training is as good as Daniel Cormier makes it out to be when Mickey Gall possibly fights Punk at UFC 199 (possibly UFC 200), as reported by MMA Fighting. As for Punk shocking everyone during his debut, Cormier probably said it best saying Punk’s debut may not be the most technically sound or entertaining fight, but if one were to compare Punk’s debut to that of Jon Jones, Cain Velazquez, or even Cormier himself, there probably won’t be much difference.
[Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for SiriusXM]
