CM Punk has his work cut out for him as he makes his move from professional wrestler to pro MMA fighter. It could be many months of toil before he emerges feeling prepared to meet his goal.
And if he gets there, it will be under the wing of Duke Roufus, head coach of the Milwaukee Roufusport Gym. That is the training home to UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and One FC welterweight champ Ben Askren, among others.
It’s been a fairly opaque process for us outsiders. Until today, that is, when Roufus himself graced us with a photo and a few words on how Punk (nee Phil Brooks) is coming along:
“Punk has some things to work on but he showed a lot of #potential,” read part of Roufus‘ Instagram post.
Looks like he’s concentrating on keeping his hands up and his feet in the right position. That’s good. And he’s got the headgear on there. Safety first, safety first.
Though it is anyone’s guess when Punk might debut with the UFC or to what extent he will be able to compete with other professional fighters, he will surely get that shot eventually—and under some pretty bright lights.
Marking his first apparent scrimmage, Roufus‘ post is a good step in that direction.
Punk, a multititle holder in the WWE, abruptly and mysteriously retired in 2014 from professional wrestling. A few months later, he announced he would begin training to make a run at a UFC berth. The 36-year-old has said he will fight either at middleweight or welterweight, most likely.
Roufus and Roufusport are known for a particular emphasis on kickboxing. Punk, with an amateur background in wrestling and jiu-jitsu, seemed to feel that his striking was the biggest area of need for an MMA fight.
He will certainly receive plenty of that at Roufusport.
In his wrestling days, Punk—known for using his real-life straightedge lifestyle as a gimmick both to endear himself to and rile up fans—held the WWE Championship for 434 days for the sixth-longest title reign in WWE history.
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