“This thing isn’t a joke. You don’t just decide “I’m a professional wrestler I think I’m going to fight.” It takes a lot of time, dedication and hard work — just like wrestling does. I’m sure these guys have to train hard and have to get in great shape to professional wrestle. You can’t just jump up one day and say, “I’m going to be a pro fighter and I think I’ll fight next month.” It doesn’t work that way. It doesn’t even come close to working that way.” – Dana White 2007
CM Punk will be returning to action…but not in a WWE ring. The former WWE world champ is stepping into the UFC octagon in a move that has a lot of WWE fans excited and a lot of MMA fans asking questions.
“It (fighting MMA) was always in the back of my mind since then. There was a fork in the road, I chose one direction. I’m fortunate to be able to revfisit things and take another fork in the road.”
[adinserter block=”1″]Punk has signed a multi-fight deal to join the UFC. The announcement comes less than two weeks after Punk returned to the spotlight after a series of podcast interviews in which he blasted the WWE and gave his side of the story on his exit. Ironically the things said in those interviews make very little sense in light of his latest announcement.
Punk talked extensively about the injuries he has suffered over the last several years in the WWE. He talked about concussions, bad knees, and MRSA infection, and broken ribs to name a few. Punk talked about burnout and went on a lengthy rant about Ryback in particular injuring Punk during their program. For a guy who has been so badly beaten up in a pro wrestling ring the last several years, the move to an actual combat sport doesn’t seem very logical does it?
My first reaction to hearing the news is that this may be the height of hypocrisy for CM Punk. Especially when you look back on all of the harsh statements Punk made against The Rock coming back to the WWE.
“I have no personal problems against Dwayne. It’s very frustrating being here and watch a guy come in and get credit for a WrestleMania buyrate when he didn’t do anything on the show. He certainly didn’t do anything entertaining.”
Let’s fast-forward to 2014 and compare the situations. You now have a guy (Punk) who is getting a UFC fight without any professional or amateur athletic background simply due to his star-power. This is a guy who is taking a spot away from an MMA fighter who has made the sacrifices and trained hard to get a coveted UFC spot. It would be one thing if Punk had to earn it on The Ultimate Fighter but he has never even had an MMA fight. His spot on the UFC card is undeserving no matter how you look at it and he is now that guy walking into the UFC locker room, without even an amateur fight or background, and taking someone’s spot. It doesn’t get any more hypocritical than that.
And then there is Dana White. The same Dana White who blasted competitors in the past for signing fighters with no MMA experience for their celebrity.
“Which athletic commission is going to let this guy fight?” White asked. “Who the f**k are they going to find to fight Herschel Walker? A guy in a wheelchair?”
Great question! Which athletic commission is going to let CM Punk? At least Herschel Walker had a professional sports background and the same can be said for James Toney who got a fight in the UFC. They also did not have a history of concussions. Keep in mind that a couple of years ago when Kurt Angle expressed interest in joining the UFC that Dana White was going to make Angle go through TUF to get a UFC spot and Angle is an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling! CM Punk is getting a contract and a fight simply for being a professional wrestling superstar.
[adinserter block=”2″]I don’t have any doubt in my mind that Bellator was the key factor in getting this deal done. There was no Bellator aggressively signing fighters back when Angle wanted in. Bellator is aggressively going after the UFC and there is no doubt that they would have given Punk a fight on network TV if the UFC didn’t jump first. I also don’t care what anyone from the UFC says, this move is about a company that is struggling mightily on pay-per-view and looking for a Hail Mary. Even with Anderson Silva coming back, the UFC will be lucky if they get two fights out of him in 2015. The UFC has been unable to create new stars and the numbers don’t lie. They need something and signing a popular WWE star is about as good as it is going to get.
Signing with the UFC is one thing. Getting into a UFC fight is another. Punk had a problem staying healthy in a worked pro wrestling sport for the last several years. Granted he wrestles a more physical style than most but it is pro wrestling. Will his body hold up through a full training camp? Has he even put in a full training camp to see if it would? That is a big question.
Regardless, it will be a must-see event the day Punk steps foot inside of the octagon. My suspicion is that a guy without one MMA fight, one camp, and no amateur wrestling or boxing background is not going to fare well.
But we’ll all be watching and as far as Dana is concerned, that’s more important that credibility in 2014/15.
WWE: CM Punk – Best in the World
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Move over Jon Jones, the UFC has a new hypocrite, MMA
upstart CM Punk
Just because we are fans of certain people that does not
mean that we have to agree with everything they say or do. Accordingly, it is high time CM Punk is exposed as the ultimate hypocrite. He has thrown so stones at so many men over time and now he is doing the same thing that has criticized them about doing to him. However, instead of accepting his hypocrisy he is
trying to shuck the scrutiny by drowning out his misdeeds with technicalities and underplay about how he is doing this to somehow help lower card fighters.
“My first reaction to hearing the news is that this may be the height of hypocrisy for CM Punk. Especially when you look back on all of the harsh statements Punk made against The Rock coming back to the WWE:
“I have no personal problems against Dwayne. It’s very frustrating being here and watch a guy come in and get credit for a WrestleMania buyrate when he didn’t do anything on the show. He certainly didn’t do anything entertaining.”
“Let’s fast-forward to 2014 and compare the situations. You now have a guy (Punk) who is getting a UFC fight without any professional or amateur athletic background simply due to his star-power. This is a guy who is taking a spot away from an MMA fighter who has made the sacrifices and trained hard to get a coveted UFC spot. It would be one thing if Punk had to earn it on The Ultimate Fighter but he has never even had an MMA fight. His spot on the UFC card is undeserving no matter how you look at it and he is now that guy walking into the UFC locker room, without even an amateur fight or background, and taking someone’s spot. It doesn’t get any more hypocritical than that.”
Look former WWE star Bobby Lashley, who is currently 12-2 in MMA, is it not fair to presume that he would like to get a to get UFC contract? Think about it, he has the amateur athletic background, the professional experience and he is only 2 years older than CM Punk. Yet, he is not afforded this opportunity despite his impressive credentials.
If you can recall back in 2009 on an episode of Monday night Raw, CM Punk, as World Champion chastised an injured Randy Orton for being ushered into the WWE by his father and grandfather. However, he now finds himself as a man being
ushered into the UFC by Dana White. Interestingly enough, Randy Orton, although this has nothing to do with his professional wrestling career, was a top-level amateur wrestler in high school. Also, his father and grandfather actually did something for the professional wrestling business and Randy did work his way up through OVW (his in-ring gifts has allowed him to have success with the WWE). This equally applies to the Rock (a third-generation wrestler) and other men that CM Punk has publicly attacked.
But unlike these men, CM Punk has done nothing to build the UFC into what it is today. The Rock and Brock Lesnar were actually huge PPV draws in their heyday. During the time that they were active professional wrestlers, they actually PAID THEIR DUES and earned their respective positions in the company. Day by day, they embraced the grind, sacrifice and toll that came with being a pro-wrestler for years. They worked tirelessly to make a name for themselves in that business. However, CM Punk cannot say he has done the same thing in the
world of MMA.
In addition to this, he has also positioned himself to be some sort of anti-establishment personality. However, it seems that now that the powers-that-be are working to meet and serve his interest he doesn’t seem to have a problem working hand-in-hand with them (essentially aligning himself with what he once claimed was his enemy). He has howled about how unfair the WWE brass was to him and how they served the interest of the more underserving. But now he is the embodiment of what he has criticized in his past job, as his as his unmerited move to chase this dream is inconveniencing those more deserving than he. Unquestionably, this serves as yet another reminder that in spite of what some people say they do not really have a problem with injustice or “the system” they just hate being personally inconvenienced by it. If they are benefiting from the decisions of those in charge they have no complaints (notice how CM Punk has said not one critical word about Dana White).
In any interview with Ariel Helwani, he talked about MMA representing a kind of new beginning: the chance for him to finally put 100% into something and get 100% in return. However, he has not put in 100%, he has actually put in 0% but yet he finds himself is getting 100% from the UFC. CM Punk is a man getting the press, the opportunities and the spotlight that other, more polished fighters are not getting. Essentially, these are the fighters who have actually put in 100% and helped build the UFC from the ground up over the years, but they do not find themselves getting 100% in return (think about what Nate
Diaz had to say).
In his infamous 2011 promo, CM Punk grieved about passed over and he resurfaced as this underground “voice of the voiceless.” But what about the silent voices of those who have worked their way to the UFC but are now having to take a backseat to an enthusiast. Is he representing or speaking for them? CM Punk has never been shy about his expressing his opinions and has gone on and on about being slighted by the WWE. However, he has learned nothing from his own experiences with injustice and is now subjecting others to the very horrors that he so vehemently denounced in the past.
Perhaps worse than all else is that CM Punk is a millionaire with a myriad of options available to him. He can go just about anywhere in professional wrestling or the MMA world. He does not have to be in the UFC. In addition, his wife works with the WWE, and he
is himself still being paid royalties by the McMahon family. So, as it stands he is doing just fine financially.
Again, unlike him, these other fighters actually need money. For them fighting is more than a dream, this is their way to earn a decent living for themselves. Each day they are training,
scrimping, saving and trying to make ends meet in hopes of one day being able to fight in the octagon. Even while understanding this, Punk selfishly undervalues the plight of these sacrifices, undermines the virtues of what it means to them to be considered an elite level MMA fighter and tramples on everything MMA fans have ever held good and holy (much like what he accused part-time wrestlers of doing to full-time wrestlers).
Surely, no other sport would even consider signing a celebrity to compete at the highest level or try to pass one off as being on par with to their hardworking professionals. Even Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest athlete of all time, was forced to give baseball a try in the minor leagues, instead of getting a spot with the Chicago White Sox. Therefore, by allowing an amateur to
compete against the pros you subsequently relegate them all into amateurs and send this message to the world of pure sport that you can walk off the street and become an ultimate fighter overnight.
This notwithstanding, CM Punk is not an ultimate fighter; he is just the ultimate hypocrite. Technically, he is not even drug-free, as he partakes in the consumption of caffeine, which is by the way a “drug.”
codeine: C18H21NO3
caffeine: C8H10N4O2
morphine: C17H19NO3
cocaine: C17H21NO4
Personally, I wish him nothing but success in his “new career,” but he has certainly failed as a man of integrity. Jon Jones has absolutely nothing on this hypocrite!
In spite of all of this being written, I will support his upcoming fight. I love CM Punk as a professional, but he needs to drop his
holier than thou act.
Punk keeps saying its not about the money…then says the pay in wwe wasnt worth it hes the ultimate hyprocite and he jsut wants to whine so stupid fans will take his side lol
Comparing Punk’s situation with the Rock coming back to WWE is apples and oranges.
#1 Punk isn’t going to UFC for a big payout and then leaving right after. He’s planning on making this his new career. Contrast that with The Rock showing up for ‘Mania season and then leaving when it’s over.
#2 saying Punk is “taking a spot away” from someone more deserving really isn’t valid at all. UFC fighters don’t work every PPV. Not even close. WWE wrestlers on the other hand have to work every major show, and when The Rock or Taker gets a prime spot on a ‘Mania card and then isn’t around the rest of the year, the full-timers are then stuck trying to sell the rest of the PPVs despite being marketed as lesser attractions.
Also, if Punk can’t produce in the Octagon, he won’t have that spot anymore, unlike when a big WWE star comes back and stinks up the joint but still gets to headline ‘Mania due to his star power. Star power in the UFC means nothing unless you can win fights.
There’s also a huge difference between having 3-4 fights a year and having to travel and wrestle 250 days a year. Punk was physically beat up from the daily grind and desperately needed time off to recover. His physical state is likely to be much healthier when he’s only fighting a handful of times.
Of course hes takin a spot lmao you know how many guys kill themselves to get a contract in tuf?????then a guy with no credentials walks in and gets signed lol…idiot
Except that WWE has about 50 contracted wrestlers and UFC has literally hundreds of contracted fighters. The difference (besides the sheer roster size) is that UFC isn’t really limited to a particular number of “spots” like in a wrestling company. If a fighter is good enough to get a spot on the roster, he’ll get one. If not, someone else will get his spot. Same thing with Punk – if it turns out he can’t fight, he’ll get cut and someone more deserving will replace him.
Punk said that this is a bucket list type of thing. To me, that says that he is going to try it and see how it goes. It doesn’t tell me he is committed to making this his new career. He may, but I wouldn’t assume that.
Punk has also said “this is my new career,” when asked by Joe Rogan if this would be a one-time thing or a long-term career move.
Eric, they are looking for the “Next Big Thing”, they are looking to have actually the next two big things. They will have signed Punk and will be looking to resign Lesnar next year. As good as a columnist as I believe you are, were you this cynical of Brock when he signed to join UFC first time? And I know what you are going to say “that he was in the Olympics and his wrestling background helped get him where he needed to be physically”, but did it, that first fight he looked tired and he got beat.
But maybe this whole thing is just something put on paper between White and McMahan and its setting the ground work for a future return for Punk to the WWE. Look at how it worked out for Lesnar once he came back and the WWE at first. Now both men have learned and UFC would have both Punk and Lesnar at the same time and possibly on the same card. That amount of potential revenue could be worth the risk for UFC and the WWE. Releasing Punk with this amount of controversy is great “free” marketing for both companies.
Hey Max,
Thanks for the response. My criticism of Punk has nothing to do with his desire to fight. My criticism is that he has been very vocal for three years about guys coming in to the WWE and doing almost the exact same thing as he is doing in the UFC. He made the statements, not me.
As for the UFC being hypocrites, Brock was a different animal. He was a highly decorated amateur champion and he had already fought once in an MMA fight. Punk has no MMA pedigree other than training while being a FT WWE wrestler, he has over a dozen concussions (Brock did not), and he has never even had 1 fight. The only similarity is that they were both WWE stars, but it ends there as far as I am concerned.
I agree, it is very sad that he is showing signs of being a true hypocrite and that just proves your point about what he said about the Rock. That’s too bad, guess you shouldn’t criticize someone unless you can walk down the road they have traveled. But that’s what everyone does to make them selves feel relevant and current. You have to find a way to express some type of outrage in order to get attention and have people side with you in some way.
Thanks for the information on Brock, I didn’t realize he fought once in a MMA fight before. Personally I can’t wait to see how this turns out, just like a lot of people I would be happy seeing Punk win or seeing him lose because either way it will be entertaining.
Thanks again for such a good article and insight.
Thank you for exposing this man as a the ultimate hypocrite. He has thrown stones at so many men over time and now he is doing the same thing that has criticized them about.
If you can recall back in 2009, on an episode of Monday night Raw, he chastised an injured Randy Orton for being ushered into the WWE by his father and grandfather. However, he now finds himself as a man being ushered into the UFC by Dana White. Although this has nothing to do with his professional wrestling career, Randy Orton was a top-level amateur wrestler in high school.
Unlike the Rock and other men that CM Punk has attacked, he has done nothing to build the UFC into what it is today.The Rock and Brock were actually huge PPV draws. At one point in time, they were active professional wrestlers that earned their respective positions in the WWE. They embraced the grind and sacrifice that came with being a pro-wrestler for years and made a name for themselves in that business. CM Punk cannot say the same in the world of MMA.
In addition to this, he has also positioned himself to be some sort of anti-establishment personality. However, now that the powers that be are working to meet and serve his interest he doesn’t seem to have a problem with them, even though his interests are inconveniencing those more deserving than he. This is a reminder that people do not really have a problem with injustice they just hate being personally inconvenienced
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