UFC News: CM Punk On His UFC Debut, Says His Fight Will ‘Sell Itself’
While in WWE, CM Punk was a master on the microphone, and was one of the company’s best at selling big matches. Now that Punk is in the UFC, there are plenty of people who are expecting him to go into pro wrestler mode and start cutting promos on his opponents, even if he doesn’t have a personal issue with them.
Punk always added a grain of truth in his WWE promos, which is why he was one of the best mic guys that the company had. But, every wrestling match has a storyline behind it, so Punk could draw from the fictional aspect of his current wrestling storyline, and fake his hatred towards his opponent at that time. However, he doesn’t plan on going back to his wrestling roots on the microphone to hype his UFC debut, unless he truly doesn’t like his opponent.
MMA Junkie recently caught up with CM Punk, and asked him about how he’ll promote his UFC debut, to which Punk responded by saying, “I feel like my fight already sells itself.”
“I feel my fight already sells itself. There’s a curiosity factor, but I don’t think I’ll be that guy that manufactures some kind of phony beef to try to sell a fight. On the other hand If I fight somebody I generally dislike, then it’s on.”
So, if you’re expecting CM Punk to cut promos similar to his famous “Pipe Bomb” promo that he cut back in 2011, then, well, you better hope that he’s fighting someone that he isn’t fond of.
While everybody knows CM Punk’s skills on the microphone are second-to-none, many are wondering what facet of MMA he’s best at. Is it jiu-jitsu? Striking? Wrestling? Well, CM Punk’s coach, Duke Roufus, recently told Punk what he’s best at in the gym.
“Duke [Roufus] says that my best area right now is striking, believe it or not. Which is mind-boggling to me. Striking is the one thing that I never did. I’ve hit mitts before. I’ve done boxing and stuff like that. But just all the little nuances, with like everything you need to do with your feet, your head, just movement, correct movement. That’s been the most challenging thing aside from wrestling.”
CM Punk has been a semi-active jiu-jitsu practitioner for several years now, so many would think that his strength would be grappling. So, to hear that, as of right now, Punk’s striking is the best part of his game is a bit surprising.
When will we see that striking in action? Well, probably not until next year, as UFC President Dana White is thinking about holding off CM Punk’s debut until January of next year. There has been a rumor going around that CM Punk will debut at UFC 200 next July, which is expected to be the biggest UFC event of all-time.
[Image via Esther Lin / MMA Fighting]
