CM Punk Fires Back At Critics Ahead Of UFC Debut

Former professional professional wrestler Philip “CM Punk” Brooks is gearing up to make his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) debut at September 10’s UFC 203 in a welterweight bout against Mickey Gall. Since signing with the UFC in December 2014, Punk has received quite a bit of criticism due to the fact that he’s never competed inside of a cage before. Leading up to the bout, the UFC has attempted to positively document his journey with a FOX Sports 1 series, but it has unfortunately been met with even more criticism.

Punk, however, said on a UFC 203 media call yesterday (September 1, 2016) that the series accurately depicted where he was a year and a half ago when he wasn’t in peak form, but that doesn’t matter to him at this point:

“It was a correct depiction of where I was at when it was shot,” Punk said. “Pre-back surgery, walking around with a herniated disc, 15 percent power in my left leg.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s unfair,” Punk said. “Life is unfair. But you can’t listen to what somebody on the Internet is saying about you, you know? You dig hard enough you’ll find negative stuff about everybody. I’m a positive guy. I know what I’m good at. I know what I’m gonna be good at. What I did a year and a half ago doesn’t matter to me.”

Continuing on, Punk claimed that he ‘wont be the same’ guy fans saw on the television show, but he also said that he expects Gall, who owns a 2-0 record, to be at his best:

“It would be like me watching one of Mickey’s fights and expecting to fight that guy,” Punk said. “Mickey trains his ass off and he trains with a good team. He’s not gonna be the same guy he was in his last fight, just like I’m not gonna be the same guy you saw on a television show.”

What are you expecting from Punk in his debut?