UFC President Dana White On When CM Punk Will Make His UFC Debut, Says Punk Will Let Him Know When He’s Ready

It’s been just a little over six months since former WWE star CM Punk signed with the UFC, and began training full-time for his eventual UFC debut, which is expected to take place at some point this year.

Punk has been training at Roufusport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on almost a daily basis, preparing to step into the octagon for the very first time. Everything that’s come out of the camp regarding Punk’s training has been good. His coaches and training partners all say that Punk is progressing nicely, and that he should be ready to go within the next six-to-eight months.

Plenty of people are eager to see Punk step into the octagon, but, when exactly will that happen?

According to UFC President Dana White — who was hosting a fan Q&A on Periscope Thursday night — there’s no pressure on CM Punk to step into the octagon before he’s ready, and that he’ll make his UFC debut whenever he and his coaches feel that he’s ready to do so.

“CM Punk is training hard, he’s getting a lot of respect from fighters and trainers in the business. He’s going to let me know when he’s ready.”

Punk is still very much a novice when it comes to MMA, and he’s well-aware of that. Punk told Fox Sports that he’s not attempting to become “the best in the world,” which is what he was known as in the world of professional wrestling. But, rather, he’s just trying to soak up as much knowledge as he can, so that he’s as prepared as possible for his first UFC fight.

“I show up everyday and I bust my a**. They have to throw me out of the gym. I’ll mop up just because it keeps me there longer.

“A couple of guys pull me aside and show me something I should have done if I rolled with them or sparred with them, so I want to be there as much as I can because I know that’s how I’m going to get better.”

Earlier this week, Punk — who is expected to debut at some point late this year, possibly in December — said that he’d be okay if his debut date was pushed back until early next year, which could very well end up happening.

Punk’s first fight is expected to do big business on pay-per-view, no matter who his opponent is. It’s also expected that Punk will be fighting at welterweight, which is 170 pounds.

[Image via MMA Fighting]