Tag: cm punk

Commissioners Express Concern over UFC’s CM Punk Signing

While the members of the UFC’s boardroom are all still exchanging high-fives over securing the services of Phil Brooks, also known as former WWE superstar CM Punk, members of major sanctioning bodies are not nearly as enthusiastic.
Speaking with Fox Sp…

While the members of the UFC’s boardroom are all still exchanging high-fives over securing the services of Phil Brooks, also known as former WWE superstar CM Punk, members of major sanctioning bodies are not nearly as enthusiastic.

Speaking with Fox Sports’ Elias Cepeda, members of the Nevada State Athletic Commission and the New Jersey Athletic Commission both expressed concerns over Brooks and cast some doubt on his ability to get a license.

“The matchup would matter a great deal,” said Bob Bennett of the NSAC. “We are not going to put someone with no fight experience in the cage against a specialized MMA fighter…if he’s had no prior fights, that’s obviously something that would concern us.”

Larry Hazzard of the NJAC echoed the same sentiment.

“We would have to take a close look at it,” Hazzard said. “Normally, we require some type of background as either an amateur or a professional. This would certainly raise a red flag.”

Many, many professional wrestlers own legitimate combat sports backgrounds. While crossover stars like Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley found success in mixed martial arts with their amateur wrestling skills, even full-time pro wrestlers like Jack Swagger (a Division I All-American out of University of Oklahoma) and Dolph Ziggler (who wrestled alongside Gray Maynard at St. Edward High School and went on to break the Kent State University career wins record) have true competitive wrestling experience. That, however, isn’t the case with Brooks.

Brooks’ combat sports experience is limited to karate in his teenage years and a recent Brazilian jiu-jitsu hobby. While he is likely in strong physical shape, given his years with the WWE, his credentials simply don’t match even those of UFC freshmen.

In order for any given fight to be legal, a bout must be approved by the region’s athletic commission. While the UFC rarely has issues in getting fights approved, troubles do occasionally arise (the most recent example being a bout between Dennis Siver and Taylor Lapilus being denied by the Swedish Mixed Martial Arts Federation).

That said, if UFC President Dana White‘s early statements that Brooks would face a comparably inexperienced fighter prove true, there is little reason to believe that the fight wouldn’t happen.

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CM Punk’s First Opponent? Welterweight Cathal Pendred Suggests He’s First Up

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 fig…

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:

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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CM Punk’s UFC Career as Active Fighter Will Be Short-Lived

At 36 years old and with limited mixed martial arts experience, former WWE champion CM Punk’s run as an active competitor in the UFC will be short-lived.
Punk announced Saturday during the UFC 181 pay-per-view that he will be joining the UFC and …

At 36 years old and with limited mixed martial arts experience, former WWE champion CM Punk’s run as an active competitor in the UFC will be short-lived.

Punk announced Saturday during the UFC 181 pay-per-view that he will be joining the UFC and will make his Octagon debut in 2015:

Many hardcore UFC fans are concerned that Punk will be out of his element in the company, and one of the main reasons is a lack of formal training. Punk has worked with jiu-jitsu coach Rener Gracie over the past several years on a limited schedule, but even Gracie will admit he is still very new to the sport.

When asked about Punk’s transition to MMA, Gracie told Chuck Mindenhall of MMA Fighting:

CM Punk is a very unique individual in that he obsesses with things very easily and when he commits and he obsesses with something he goes for it 100 percent. Like we’ve seen over the years with his success in the WWE, when he applies himself he finds a way to make it work.

In MMA? I don’t know—I’ve only been working jiu-jitsu with him, and he’s still very new to jiu-jitsu.

There is no doubting the physical skill and toughness needed to be a professional wrestler, but fighting in the UFC requires an entirely different set of skills and knowledge.

Punk has the tenacity and natural ability to be a force when he steps into the Octagon, but at 36 years old, he is just beginning a journey that takes many top fighters several years to complete.

Despite Punk telling Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting that he wouldn’t mind fighting into his 40s, it’s easy to question the viability of this statement. While a fighter like Randy Couture was able to fight into his 40s, he had years of in-ring experience and was a seasoned veteran at that time.

Before Punk can ever get in the Octagon, he must go through several months of serious training leading up to a fight with another relative novice.

While UFC will love the draw of having Punk under contract, it takes a long time to develop a style and skill set in the sport, and the process could be difficult.

If he fights once in 2015 and twice each year until he is 40 yards old, he will have just seven fights under his belt and would just be breaking into title contention if his record remains unblemished.

Punk will make mistakes and learn the hard way what a fighter can and can’t do in the Octagon, and the setbacks he is likely to face along the way will be costly for a fighter with a very limited shelf life.

This isn’t Brock Lesnar. Lesnar was a national champion in wrestling and a former football player with innate skills. Punk has athletic abilities, but he has been a professional wrestler for most of his life. Getting into the Octagon is an entirely different ballgame.

Another major issue is the injuries Punk has suffered over the years. As he revealed in his interview with Colt Cabana on the Art of Wrestling, he has dealt with everything from knee injuries to broken ribs to multiple concussions during his wrestling career.

In a sport as violent as MMA, Punk is starting at a disadvantage due to his injury history as well.

With Punk’s history of concussions, Dana White and the UFC also have to be careful.

There is no discounting the ability of Punk to dedicate himself to something and become the best in the world at the feat. As we saw during his wrestling career, Punk was one of the top performers in the WWE and one of the best athletes in the ring.

On the other hand, he has never ventured into the Octagon.

With limited training, a history of injuries and the disadvantage of starting his career at 36 years old, it’s likely Punk’s in-ring career in the UFC won’t last very long.

 

For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player below (some language NSFW).

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CM Punk Will Bring More Professional Wrestling Fans to UFC

CM Punk has been in the media more since his departure from WWE than he ever was while still with the company, and his newest venture is breaking the Internet more than Kim Kardashian’s greased-up backside.
At UFC 181, CM Punk announced that he had sig…

CM Punk has been in the media more since his departure from WWE than he ever was while still with the company, and his newest venture is breaking the Internet more than Kim Kardashian’s greased-up backside.

At UFC 181, CM Punk announced that he had signed a multifight deal with the top MMA promotion in the world that would see him enter the Octagon with a 0-0 record.

Some may criticize Dana White for signing a fighter with virtually no experience, but White is a businessman. He knows CM Punk will draw eyes to the product, and he would be stupid to pass up the opportunity to work with someone who is so passionate about everything he does.

Punk is a polarizing individual. You either love him or you hate him, and that is exactly why he is going to bring many WWE fans with him to UFC.

The constant CM Punk chants during his wife’s matches show that the crowd still misses him, and those people will likely be interested in his MMA career.

The fans who think CM Punk is a cocky jerk who whines too much will want to see him fail, so they will probably watch his fights, too. It’s a win-win for White.

Wrestling and MMA have always shared a cross section of fans, but they both also have their devoted followers who only like one or the other.

Getting those wrestling fans who do not watch UFC to convert has always been one of White’s goals, and bringing in guys like Brock Lesnar and CM Punk is a great way to do that.

Punk is not the first person to transition from one sport to the other. Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn famously made the switch to pro wrestling after dominating the early years of UFC, and plenty of wrestlers like Bobby Lashley (who is currently fighting for Bellator) and Alberto Del Rio have competed in MMA.

Athletes of either sport will automatically have some of the skills needed to succeed in the other, but nobody can just walk out of the ring and into an Octagon. It takes a lot of training and determination to make the switch.

It also takes exposure. Lashley has a professional record of 12-2, but he isn’t signed to a UFC deal yet because he is not going to generate the kind of buzz Punk can.

Punk’s move to MMA may have surprised a lot of people, but anyone who follows him on Twitter knows he has been a fan of the sport for a long time and has spent time training with the famed Rener Gracie.

You can say or think what you want about CM Punk, but one thing you have to admit is that the guy usually accomplishes what he sets his mind to.

Nobody thought this skinny kid with tattoos all over his body would ever make it to a WWE ring, but he busted his butt in Ring of Honor and got himself noticed.

Once he got there, nobody thought he would ever make it past developmental, but Paul Heyman saw something in him and brought him into the new ECW.

Punk was on the main roster, but there was still people who doubted that he could ever be a main event star, let alone the top champion in the company for over a year.

Punk has been proving people wrong every step of the way. Perhaps he works even harder when there is someone doubting him, which is why he probably loves the fact that some people think he won’t accomplish anything in MMA.

However, there are more people who wish for Punk to succeed, and many of them might not have thought about purchasing a UFC PPV before Punk signed with them.

He might not be dropping pipe bombs in MMA, but he will definitely be entertaining because he’s not afraid to say what he’s thinking. His pre-fight press conferences will not be promos, but they will be fun to watch.

One thing is for sure: He won’t be short on challengers. He already has a Power Ranger trying to fight him, and there are several names in UFC who would love to hand Punk a loss in his first fight. If anything, he will be a hot commodity.

His recent appearance on Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling podcast definitely shows that he is not going to hold back his opinions, so when he finally gets his first fight, you can expect some trash talk from both sides.

UFC is supposed to be about the best fighters in the world competing to see who is the top dog, but it’s also an entertainment company that has to worry about ratings and sponsors.

Bringing in CM Punk is going to bring a whole new set of fans to the sport, and some of them might even like it enough to watch the fights Punk isn’t involved in.

WWE even posted a message on its website wishing him luck, although the wording of the message could indicate some sarcasm behind those wishes. They phrased it the same way they do when someone is released from their contract: “WWE wishes Phil Brooks (aka CM Punk) the best of luck in his newest endeavor.”

Punk may never return to WWE. We have to accept that, but at least his fans and detractors have some place to go watch him try to climb a new mountain (or in the case of the haters, take a fatal tumble down the cliff).

What do you think? Will CM Punk thrive in the UFC or will he fall flat on his face? Will you be watching his fights?

 

Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter @BR_Doctor.

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Daniel Cormier, Robbie Lawler Reaching out to Train with CM Punk

The UFC’s signing of WWE star Phil Brooks, better known as CM Punk, easily ranks among the biggest stories of the year in mixed martial arts. However, there is still a lot up in the air regarding his MMA debut, including what gym will bring aboard “The…

The UFC’s signing of WWE star Phil Brooks, better known as CM Punk, easily ranks among the biggest stories of the year in mixed martial arts. However, there is still a lot up in the air regarding his MMA debut, including what gym will bring aboard “The Best in the World.”

Well, if Twitter is any indication, the race is on.

Numerous fighters and coaches reached out to the professional wrestler, angling to have him join their gym’s fight team. That list includes light heavyweight title contender Daniel Cormier, new UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler, Tyron Woodley and more.

It isn’t just fighters from American Top Team and the American Kickboxing Academy who are angling for the straight-edge superstar. Speaking with MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, he discussed Team Curran (which is based out of his hometown of Chicago) and Roufusport (which is located in Milwaukee, near his current residence). He also revealed that, regardless of where he winds up training, he will want to have his current Brazilian jiu-jitsu trainer, Rener Gracie, available and able to accompany him on fight night.

When it comes to MMA, Brooks is essentially a clean slate. While many professional wrestlers, from Brock Lesnar to Bobby Lashley on down to Jack Swagger, all own legitimate amateur wrestling experience, Brooks has never actually competed in combat sports. That has many questioning what, if anything, can be expected of the 36-year-old.

Where he trains is not the only unknown when it comes to Brooks. There is currently no timetable for his UFC debut, and it is unknown who his opponent may be. Stick with Bleacher Report for more details as they become available.

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UFC’s Signing of CM Punk Is a Good Thing, as Long as It’s Honest About It

Saturday’s news that Phil “CM Punk” Brooks signed a multifight contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship sent the mixed martial arts world into a frenzy.
It is understandable. Brooks has zero athletic experience outside of his tenure as a profes…

Saturday’s news that Phil “CM Punk” Brooks signed a multifight contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship sent the mixed martial arts world into a frenzy.

It is understandable. Brooks has zero athletic experience outside of his tenure as a professional wrestler. Wrestling is a very tough business, and you need plenty of athleticism to do what professional wrestlers do on a daily basis.

You’ll never hear me disparage wrestlers for being “fake.” I am a longtime professional wrestling fan. Yes, wrestling is scripted entertainment. But movies and television shows are scripted, yet they receive none of the derision wrestling faces.

And wrestling hurts. There is a long list of wrestlers who took copious steroids and pain pills to try and get noticed and to cover up the pain they felt from throwing their bodies on a hard canvas hundreds of times each day. The steroids enlarged their hearts, the narcotics damaged their immune systems and they ended up dying far too young. Until recently, wrestling deaths were an epidemic. 

It was in this world that Brooks succeeded. He went through the same abuse as every other wrestler. His daily grind was the same. The only difference is that he refused to mask his pain with narcotics or alcohol, and he never took steroids to get ahead. As a devout follower of the straight edge movement, Brooks has been drug- and alcohol-free his entire life. He is a rarity in the world of professional wrestling.

He also never had the right look for professional wrestling. Wrestling historian Dave Meltzer recalls the first time he saw Punk wrestle:

He had long hair, bleached blond. He was thin by standards of a major league wrestling star. He wore baggy shorts and a jersey, so you couldn’t see his physique. He neither had the look, nor was he any kind of a freak super athlete, the kind of guy you see do things in the ring that blow your mind. He also wasn’t the kind of smooth technical wrestling whiz that stood out. There have been plenty of guys I’ve seen on those type of stages for the first time and thought, the sky is the limit for this guy. He hardly fit into that category.

Brooks was a square peg in the round hole of pro wrestling. But despite his look and despite the fact that he wouldn’t use drugs to help him get ahead, he still made it to the top of the professional wrestling business.

He achieved his status because he is obsessively driven with being the best. His obsession with being the best professional wrestler in the world—and of reaching his dream of being in the main event of WrestleMania—drove him to heights few imagined he would ever reach.

His signing with the UFC created a backlash among mixed martial arts fans who would like to see the UFC retain some sort of sporting dignity.

How can the UFC call itself one of the best sports organizations in the world when they make decisions like this?

How can Ben Askren—one of the best welterweights in the world and a fighter who would compete with the best the UFC has to offer—be on the outs while a man who has zero professional fights gets a contract?

From a pure sports perspective, it makes no sense. But here’s what you must remember: The UFC is not a sports organization. It is a sports entertainment organization.

It makes the same kind of decisions Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment make on a daily basis. Who can entertain fans? Who will draw the most eyeballs? Who will make us the most money? The UFC’s decision-making process is far more heavily influenced by those three questions than it is by sporting concerns.

The only difference between the UFC and WWE is that WWE has scripted outcomes, while the UFC has real fights. Everything else, as Mike Goldberg says, is virtually identical.

And that’s fine.

UFC pay-per-view buyrates are plummeting. Television ratings are low. Who can blame Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta for looking at the state of things and deciding the promotion needed a shot in the arm? Signing a man with zero professional fighting experience makes no sense for a sports organization.

But for an organization based on entertainment and drawing the biggest amount of viewers possible, it makes absolute sense.

I have no issue with the UFC signing Brooks. It is a good thing. He’ll be featured on a main card and will fight someone with a similar experience level. From all accounts, he is quite good at jiu-jitsu, and his obsessive nature will drive him to train every day, to improve his fighting game. He’ll never be a UFC champion, but I do believe he’ll surprise people with how quickly he picks up the sport.

He’ll probably even win a fight or two, so long as he’s matched up with people on his same experience level.

The only issue I have with all of this relates to how the UFC presents itself. Officials can never again tell us, with a straight face, that the UFC is reserved for the best of the best. They can’t tell us that Askren needs to face better competition before he deserves a shot in the UFC.

Neither of those things are true.

What is true is this: The UFC is a business. Businesses need to make money in order to thrive. And the best way for the UFC to make money is to put on fights that draw interest from casual fans. It doesn’t care about the hardcore mixed martial arts fans, and rightly so. It knows hardcore fans will order the pay-per-views every month and tune in for Fox Sports 1 events.

But hardcore fans don’t pay the bills.

The people the UFC wants to attract are the ones who only tune in when something big is happening. It wants the fans who see news reports about Brooks signing on ESPN and decide they want to see him fight. It wants the hundreds of thousands of fans who used to tune in to see Brock Lesnar fight.

And it wants to keep guys like Askren—an excellent fighter who doesn’t have the most visually pleasing style—away from the Octagon at all costs.

Mixed martial arts, as a sport, will never draw massive attention. It is too violent and too aggressive for your average soccer mom. Hardcore fans love the technical side of the fight game, but the fans the UFC is trying to reach don’t care about that. Not one iota. They care about seeing big names fight, even if those big names aren’t even close to being the best in the world.

Brooks will either fail miserably or have more success than folks are expecting. But his signing does not damage the sport in any way, because the UFC is not presenting sport. It’s presenting entertainment in a sports environment.

Like everyone else in the world, it’s chasing dollars.

I’d just like it if UFC officials were a little more upfront about it.

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