Welcome To The UFC ... CM Punk!?
At yesterday's UFC 181 event, it was announced that CM Punk would be joining the UFC. Who on earth is CM Punk and why do people care if he's joining the UFC ... especially when there were two fantastic performances in the two co-main events of UFC 181? Ah, good question.
CM Punk is a guy who will probably have to go by his government name - Phil Brooks in the UFC, he's a former WWE wrestler, wait he was not only a wrestler but a champion, a bankable star in the world of gimmicks. Interestingly, Punk was also the man who fought back against Vince McMahon and the regime of the WWE. Punk had mysteriously cut ties with the WWE in recent months and was effectively a free agent who was looking to fill his boots with well, take your pick from money, competition and/or physical activity.
This is no Sonny Bill Williams saga as WWE wrestling isn't really a sport. CM Punk has a limited back ground in any sort of Mixed Martial Arts but he's apparently been training with members of the illustrious Gracie family. While the other WWE/UFC convert Brock Lesnar is an absolute beast of a human being, who's skills can translate in to any physical sport - he competed in the UFC and tried his hand in the NFL, Punk's ability is a lot more limited.
What's even more confusing is how and why he left the WWE. He did so apparently because he was sick and tired of having to battle through injury, with unrealistic recovery times as well as being on the shit end of the stick with regards to the fabricated story lines of the WWE. So he's coming to the UFC where he's going to get hurt a fair bit and he's going to be well and truly at the bottom of the pile.
Punk is a polished performer, he's from the entertainment business so he has no problems dealing with public speaking. Unlike many other UFC fighters who are fighters first, polished-media-beings second, Punk has the gift of the gab and knows what people want and how they want it. He said all the right things in his interview with Joe Rogan and in a press conference, but that's because that's what he's good at. Sure, he'll do whatever it takes to earn the respect of fighters and fans but how will you feel if a 36 year old WWE guy came in to leap frog you in the rankings?
The UFC might get a few more views, the pay-per-view type of views that earn the cash, but I don't think CM Punk will be in the UFC long enough to make the UFC any sort of serious cash. This more strikers me as Punk doing what Vince McMahon would hate - joining a rival, and the UFC keen to add a star's name to the roster. It's probably a better option to just keep churning out high quality events around the globe and keep grinding, instead of stressing about immediate and substantial rise of a few numbers.
I'm going to adopt the 'feed him to the bulls' way of thinking - let him fight the baddest mofo and see if he's still keen.