Mixed martial arts (MMA) and professional wrestling have been synonymous with each other, to an extent, throughout each’s existence.
There have been countless crossovers between athletes in either career over the years. One of the most infamous came from former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion, Phil “CM Punk” Brooks, who debuted in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2016.
Despite his lack of success, Brooks wouldn’t change a thing about how his two fights in the Octagon went (0-1, 1 no contest). Ultimately, the “Chick Magnet” believes the sport of fighting and sports entertainment, along with the participants, need each other.
“MMA as we currently know it wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for professional wrestling,” Brooks said on an ESPN UFC 300 preview show. “Conversely, a fun flip side of the coin is I know so many people that if MMA was a viable option like it is today, to make a living, get paid, never would have gotten into professional wrestling.
“A guy like Ken Shamrock was a pro wrestler, maybe before he was a fighter, right?” he continued. “Ken went where the money was at the time. Look at him now. A guy like Kurt Angle, I look at. Kurt never would have been a professional wrestler. Kurt would have been scouted and almost drafted into MMA. A super gym would have found him.”
Coincidentally, UFC and WWE are now under the same roof in 2024 thanks to TKO Group Holdings, Inc. Cross-promotional efforts haven’t come too abundantly since the merger, but we’ve seen some glimpses of collaboration as recently as UFC Lightweight contender, Michael Chandler, cutting a promo on Monday Night Raw.
As Punk watches today’s MMA stars from his spot back in WWE, he believes there’d be several who’d be working alongside him had they no other option.
“Go back to Bo Nickal, if MMA didn’t exist today, look at all these guys that would be pro wrestlers,” Brooks said. “I’m dead serious. As human beings, it’s in our DNA. Fighting is in our DNA. To me, mixed martial arts is the ultimate test that you can put yourself through.”