CM Punk UFC fight news: Will former WWE superstar ever fight in the Octagon?
Some fighters in the current mixed martial arts scene have shared their thoughts on CM Punk's much-awatied UFC debut.
Punk, whose name is Phil Brooks in real life, was officially signed by the UFC in December 2014, but as of press time, has not announced when his debut would be. In an October report by ESPN.com, Punk suffered an injury during training, forcing head coach Duke Roufus to postpone his first UFC fight.
Punk himself says he was initially looking at the end of this year to make his much-anticipated debut. Because of the uncertainty of the CM Punk's UFC debut, some of his fellow fighters have begun to come out and share their thoughts on the situation.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
For teammate Ben Askren, it is highly unlikely for the entire thing to be a mere publicity stunt; given the work ethic Punk had been showing.
"He's in the gym all the time and he's training all the time, so that would sure be a lot of effort to put into a publicity stunt," Askren said in a report by MMA Fighting. "You'd think if it was a publicity stunt he'd maybe show up once a week or once a month. For a while before he was injured, he was in there twice a day, every day."
Fellow WWE superstar-turned mixed martial arts fighter Bobby Lashley also weighed-in on the situation. For him, Punk will be ready for whoever the UFC puts in front of him, as he is training with one of the best teams in the game today.
"He likes to be that underdog. He's a hard worker and he's a hard fighter. He's put himself into a good position," Lashley said in another report by Bloody Elbow. "He went up to Duke Roufus' camp and some of the guys that train with him up there say that he's busting his ass. I wish all the best for him."
Lashley, who has already racked up a professional mixed martial arts record of 13-2 (with ten victories by knockout), was even kind enough to give some unsolicited advice
"Just train your ass off and go out there and just don't get yourself put into something that you're not ready for. But I think he'll be ready for the match that they do set him up with, whoever that may be."
