As the world awaits CM Punk's UFC debut in late 2015 following his announcement at UFC 181 earlier this month that he joined the company, the "Best in the World" discussed the comparison between the WWE and UFC while fighter Cole Miller supported his efforts.
Bellator MMA Reaches Out To WWE Champ Brock Lesnar
Punk was asked as he transitions from the scripted world of the WWE to the unscripted realm of the UFC if he thought that wrestling was a "real sport."
"That's a fascinating question," Punk told ESPN. "I think it varies. Some days, I felt like, 'Yeah, what we do makes us athletes.' And then there were situations when I'd feel pretty silly about what I was doing -- if you've got to dress up like Santa or you're getting beat up by Santa. You're watching part of the show, thinking it's a little suspect.' Overall, pro wrestling is no joke, though. Everybody in it is an athlete to some degree."
Major Backstage Heat On WWE Diva AJ Lee
He continued: "You'll find comparisons [to the physical needs] between the two. Cardiovascular speaking, that was my shtick. I was never going to be the biggest or most chiseled, but nobody was ever going to make me tired in the ring. Endurance is something I definitely have. There are a lot of similarities in that aspect. It's go, go, go. I think there is a friendly competition between the wrestlers to see who the best is. Who can blow the other one up cardiovascularly. That was always kind of fun."
Punk also touched on Brock Lesnar, who also came from the WWE to UFC and then back again, and talked about being able to take a punch.
"I suppose the easy answer to what Brock's shortcomings were that he probably needed to spar more," Punk said. "Everyone always likes to say Brock hated getting hit in the face. I don't know who likes getting hit in the face, but I guess he did need to work on his stand-up defense. You get punched in the nose, your eyes water. When it happens, will I turn around and run? No, that's not going to happen. I'm going to do my best to avoid that punch, but if it lands, I'll be OK."
Punk walked out of the WWE last January and recently opened up about his reasons for leaving the company on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast. Punk said there will never be a working relationship between him and the WWE and he then dropped a bombshell by signing with UFC.
Miller, a current UFC star, trains with Punk and he told MMAFighting.com that he believes the "Best in the World" will do very well in the Octagon.
"This guy doesn't just have a chance, he's gonna kick somebody's a--," Miller told the site. "I think he'll do very well. I don't think he's trying to make a 10-year career out of this. But he's going to shake things up, whoop some a-- and prove a lot of people wrong. I expect him to do very well against whoever they put up against him."
He added: "I think most MMA fighters don't have any kind of ground. Most of them aren't good at all. Even in the UFC. There are plenty of exceptions, but when I say most, I mean more than 50 percent are nothing more than OK blue belts on the ground. I would rate CM Punk definitely above that."
It's unknown when Punk will make his UFC debut, but most believe it will happen sometime in late 2015 as he continues to train and prep for his leap from the squared circle into the Octagon.
For more coverage, follow us on Twitter @SportsWN and Like Us on Facebook
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
