CM Punk is set to transition from the squared circle to the Octagon and he is training heavily with Roufusport in Milwaukee to prepare him for the transition.
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Punk's trainer, Duke Roufus, spoke to MMA Hour about how things are going for Punk and when he can be expected to have his first fight.
"He's putting his work in, he shows up every day," Roufus said per MMAFighting.com. "He has a great attitude. He didn't become successful in the WWE by accident. It's because he was a worker and he was a value to the organization, not only in the front as a face, but in who he is. People get behind people that are easy to work with, and he's so easy to work with. It's awesome. That being said, he came in with Gracie jiu-jitsu. The natural thing he's good at, which makes me happy, is striking. He's a natural striker. When he did a scrimmage last week, he was pretty comfortable in the fire. He didn't freak out, he didn't panic. That's what I'm looking for in new fighters. It's not necessarily skill. You can teach skill, but you can't teach will. Are they going to run and break during a fight, or are they going to get in there and survive the fire? And that's what I was impressed with. I think in time, all his skills are going to advance, but if he has the mindset and the will, he's going to do great."
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Roufus also said he won't send Punk into the Octagon too soon because he doesn't want to make a mockery of him or the sport.
"Part of fighting is marquee value," Roufus said. "Unfortunately, other sports are about being the best. The neat thing about fighting, it's about how many butts can you put in the seats and marquee value. That being said, I will not let Punk go out and make a mockery of himself or our sport. I love this sport. He's putting serious work in, he's putting serious training in, and what I love about him is the attitude. He's so hungry, and you know what, he doesn't expect to be treated like a prima donna. He's running towards the fire instead of running away from it."
Punk left the WWE in January 2014 and signed with the UFC this past December, but Roufus said he believes Punk should wait a year to make his debut.
"I would like a year [until his debut], honestly," he said. "Because I want him to be the best product for himself, for the organization, and for the industry. I mean, I want him to go out there and put on a great fight and do great things. Again, the value...his fans are amazing. I just think that his fans...his fans are just going to elevate out sport to a whole new level. MMA is big, but we can always get bigger, and I'm a firm believer that high tide raises all ships. What I like about the high tide is it's helping a lot of people chase their dreams. I'm a firm believer that the big names can help all names in our industry, which I believe doesn't help in boxing."
It remains to be seen when Punk will set foot in the cage, but the "Best in the World" is taking this new endeavor seriously and is expected to debut sometime in late 2015 -- though if Roufus has his way, it could be later.
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