The Honky Tonk Man has never been one to hold his tongue when he has an opinion, and the former WWE Intercontinental Champion recently opened up on his feelings about CM Punk joining UFC.
Punk walked out on the WWE in January 2014 and signed with the MMA promotion that December. The former WWE Champion is set to debut in the Octagon either in late 2015 or early 2016, but Honky Tonk Man doesn't believe he'll succeed.
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"Why in the world would this guy on the top of the mountain making more money than he's ever made anywhere -- came up the hard way through the independents, through Ring of Honor or wherever else he was -- to then just walk away, or however it happened, and now think he's gonna be an MMA UFC fighter?" Honky Tonk Man told The Hannibal TV. "Where did that come from? I do not know."
HTM then said he doesn't believe Punk would make it in UFC, though he drew an incorrect parallel to Brock Lesnar.
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"Will he make it in UFC?" HTM asked. "I don't know. Listen, Brock Lesnar didn't make it in the UFC, where does CM Punk fit in? I don't see it. I really don't see it."
It was a curious decision for the wrestling legend to bring Lesnar into the fold as it exposed his lack of knowledge toward UFC. Lesnar won the UFC heavyweight championship in 2008 before eventually retiring due to a bout with diverticulitis.
HTM also said he believes the buzz behind Punk has faded now that he's been out of the WWE for over a year.
"The thing is this, and maybe he doesn't realize it, out of sight, out of mind," HTM said. "Off of WWE TV for, and we're taping now in August of 2015, it's been almost a year. Will that fan base from WWE watch him? Maybe he will get a little bit of interest, but as far as tens of thousands of people tuning in to see CM Punk's first fight, I just don't see it happening. I just don't see it.
"Out of sight, out of mind. If he would have went straight from WWE while he was still hot after walking out and leaving the company and then go straight into UFC and start fighting right there a month later, sure he would have had an impact. I don't see the impact now."
HTM is once again a bit off point here as Punk couldn't just jump into the UFC without the training he needs in order to prepare for his first fight. Punk has been working out of Roufusport in Milwaukee as he gets ready for his debut.
HTM also said he was fine with Punk getting out of the WWE and sticking to his guns.
"Listen, working in WWE is extremely difficult," he said. "You have to be a special person and I read something where Punk had gone on record saying he didn't like the backstage politics, he didn't how they treated people, how they did things. But listen, this is professional wrestling. It is not a cakewalk. It's not easy. And if you can't take the heat brother, you gotta pack your bag and leave and that's what he did. So I commend him for that. He packed his bag and left. He took his toys and went home."
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