It’s not just for Power Rangers any more.
Real, honest-to-goodness UFC fighters are now positioning themselves as the first opponent for CM Punk, the former WWE wrestler who announced last Saturday he will try pro MMA in the UFC Octagon.
That fighter? One Cathal Pendred, the welterweight/middleweight of The Ultimate Fighter 19 fame, who sent a tweet Wednesday morning strongly suggesting he has been selected as Punk’s first UFC opponent:
This punk is going to be ‘one & done’ in the UFC. It looks like I will be that one. #JustWonTheLottery pic.twitter.com/KVvwe2WXqE
— Cathal Pendred (@PendredMMA) December 10, 2014
Is Pendred just trolling his fans and followers? Is he just telling a funny joke to lighten the mood on a Wednesday morning? Is he using the power of suggestion to create a buzz for himself? Or is there something really going on here?
Surely there are plenty of reasons—money, notoriety, pride in defending your profession from untested tourists—why a fighter would want to take on someone like CM Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks. As such, Pendred‘s claim should be taken with a grain or seven of salt. Still, the strong words are interesting, and the fight makes at least a little bit of sense given Pendred‘s popularity, especially in his native Ireland, and the fact that he, despite his record, is a relatively beatable opponent.
The UFC hasn’t said much about Punk’s first fight. It has slated the fight for some time in 2015. Punk said Saturday he will try a test weight cut soon and then determine whether he will fight at middleweight or welterweight.
Though mainly a welterweight, Pendred fought at 185 pounds on TUF, so he is no stranger to either division.
Additionally, UFC honcho Dana White has said the promotion would match Punk with “a guy who is 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, something like that.”
Pendred (15-2) would not appear to fit that bill. As such, the UFC may have a hard time convincing a self-respecting athletic commission that a fight between Pendred and the 0-0 Punk would be a safe thing to do.
There is also the small matter of fact that Pendred currently has an opponent lined up: Sean Spencer, who Pendred will fight in January.
Pendred also knows a thing or two about self-promotion, training at SBG Ireland alongside featherweight phenom and reigning UFC hype king, Conor McGregor.
Either way, Pendred‘s challenge is a step up from that of guys like Jason David Frank, the actor who played the green power ranger on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and offered to face Punk early this week.
So is it likely to happen? Who knows. Stranger things have happened, and such concrete claims usually don’t materialize—on social media or anywhere else—unless there’s a clear line of thinking behind them.
Scott Harris covers the serious and less-serious aspects of MMA for Bleacher Report. For more of both, you are hereby invited to follow Scott on Twitter.
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