In spite of months of silence, the upcoming MMA debut of Phil Brooks, better known by his professional wrestling moniker CM Punk, remains one of the biggest stories of 2015. Still, many questions remain surrounding Punk’s exit from the WWE and subsequent signing with the UFC. Ladies and gentlemen, if you’re looking for a bit of insight, give your attention to Paul Heyman.
The advocate for former UFC and WWE champion Brock Lesnar appeared on Stone Cold Steve Austin’s podcast and discussed Punk’s motivation for signing with the UFC.
“I don’t think money is the motivating factor in CM Punk’s life whatsoever. I think it’s the challenge to do this,” he said (h/t FoxSports.com’s Damon Martin for the transcription). “This is something he’s been eyeballing since he was a kid…this was the time to pull the trigger on it.”
On camera, Heyman was Punk’s manager in 2012 during his 434-day reign as WWE champion before the two split apart and became rivals in 2013. Off camera, the two have been close both personally and professionally for over 10 years, dating back to Punk’s run in Ohio Valley Wrestling, one of WWE‘s developmental promotions at the time.
Heyman was one of the top inside sources for news following Punk’s surprise departure from the WWE in 2014.
After an early media blitz surrounding his signing with the UFC, Punk has been quietly training under the tutelage of Duke Roufus, coach to the likes of One FC welterweight champion Ben Askren and former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. While occasional images of Punk’s training have popped up on social media, it is unknown when his first fight will happen, where it will take place or whom he will face.
Regardless, Heyman believes Punk is prepared for all potential outcomes: “I think he firmly believes he is either going to step in that Octagon and shock everybody by beating somebody’s ass, or he’s going to get punched in the face and knocked out or tapped out and beat up. I think that he’s very accepting of the fact that that’s a possibility.”
The Wrestling Observer (h/t Wrestle Zone) reported this past December that Punk’s debut in the Octagon would probably take place October 2015. More recently, Roufus stated in March during an interview with MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani that he wanted Punk to have a full year to develop before stepping into the cage.
Keep an eye on Bleacher Report for more updates on Punk as they come.
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