So C.M. Punk's First Opponent WILL Be Joe Blow...

[ABMorales787]

Ah yes, because UFC was never some crazy sideshow that had a bunch of fight obsessed men thrown into a competition with mix-matched rules from other sports with minor direction or hidsight in a chicken coup and totally not created as a harebrained scheme to promote the mispronounced fighting style of an arrogant Brazilian family.

It's always been a legitimate sport.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Perhaps no one is as cynical about CM Punk in a UFC ring as I am. And I agree with Sally, I wouldn't be shocked to see CM Punk never actually compete in the octagon. I can see lots of hype about his training to debut for his debut. Some more hype about this search for his opponent on YouTube. All kinds of anticipation for what is going to happen and when. Punk absorbs all of the attention and hoopla and gets all of this nonsense out of his system. White languishes in all of the attention for UFC. And at the end of the day, an injury, a contract issue, whatever, something prevents the match from ever occurring. Keeping CM Punk undefeated in MMA.

I would bet anything that Punk eventually returns to WWE. Once this folly is out of his system, he and probably his wife (if she isn't pregnant or hasn't had a kid by then) will be back to Vince McMahon and all of the attention, fame, and fortune that comes with it. He will likely get a huge payday and lots of attention which he clearly craves. Plenty of new opponents (and I would have him lose to every single one of them until his inevitable match with Bray Wyatt, which would virtually guarantee the end of any losing streak as that guy doesn't beat anybody). He probably even returns and has a MMA-style match with someone. And at the end of the day, everyone wins. Except, of course, for the UFC fans that were hoping to see him get his ass handed to him in the octagon.

If by some chance Sally and I are wrong (which I doubt, we all know Sally is never wrong), I see the whole YouTube opponent search as a way to guarantee Punk a debut victory in possibly his one and only MMA match prior to his WWE return. Give him an opponent with no track record and no career to screw up per se. The dude gets lots of attention, a decent payday, and doesn't screw up any aspiring MMA career. Some dude who wouldn't mind tanking the match and making Punk look good in the process, without killing his MMA dream. Oh wait, that could never happen as we all know UFC is totally legit and would never engage in theatrics just to turn a quick buck

 

[OYDK]

Ah yes, because UFC was never some crazy sideshow that had a bunch of fight obsessed men thrown into a competition with mix-matched rules from other sports with minor direction or hidsight in a chicken coup and totally not created as a harebrained scheme to promote the mispronounced fighting style of an arrogant Brazilian family.

It's always been a legitimate sport.

What? Just because the UFC and MMA in general was barbaric and lawless when it first became an organized sport or just because in your opinion it's origins are shady, doesn't change anything that I said. Those guys were still legitimate fighters. Those guys still fought to find out who the toughest and greatest fighters in the world were. You didn't have two amateurs thrown together in an effort to create the biggest payday possible. You didn't have the president of the company going out to handpick a less skilled fighter for somebody because they couldn't compete with the other guys in the company. It was about fighting and proving yourself, not having a one off fight because you have a big name and "want to try it out".

In the past ten years, UFC has become one of the biggest sports companies in the world. It has been known for putting legitimately trained fighters in the ring together and letting them fight it out to see who's the best. I don't know how much clearer I can explain MY reasoning.

 

[nightmare]

Thing is that Dana isnt going to pick someone who isnt legitimately trained. Not like he is going to pick some random guy from the Walmart parking lot or anything. A rookie, newcomer or what have you will still be able to take and deliver punishment. He is clearly going to pit Punk against someone more his skill level instead of rolling the dice & possibly embarrassing Punk against a legit big name.. which is smart considering he has shelled out some cash for him in the hopes of gaining tons more.

Hell, Lesnar had one match against a meh opponent with a shit record before Dana came knocking & Lesnar was fresh out of camp before that as well. At least with Punk he gets the chance to prove the hype & if it fails, the guy who beats him gets a nice notch in his belt & more cash in his pocket for the next fight. Either way, as in the Lesnar situation, it will be about the big name trying to prove himself & not just about a one off fight for lulz or a temporary jump in ppv buys.

Half the folks want to see him win, half want to see him lose... just like with Brock. Will it end the same with Punk? Certainly not, but he has earned his stripes and deserves a shot at this. Dana pits new fighters against new fighters & it isnt a new thing. When they prove their worth, they move up the card. With this situation it seems he wants to find a new name that is hungry & willing to make a name for themselves By taking out 'a wrestling guy'.

Why would it go any different just because it is Punk? White stands to gain more money by giving him a fair shot & more matches if he wins, instead of a one off bloodbath against a seasoned veteran.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I'll give credit where credit is due. I'm not really a fan of his, but kudo's to him for trying it.

That's presuming he is really trying it. The training, I mean. With all the talk about finding a patsy for Punk to beat.....or even fixing a fight in his favor....how do we know he's actually taking his lumps in preparation for a career in MMA?

Perhaps Brooks' original intention was to go through with this, but once he got hit for real a couple times, he decided it wasn't to his liking? At that point, maybe Punk and the opportunistic Mr. White decided to milk the publicity without actually having to suffer any indignities to his body & ego, announcing to the public how hard the guy is training.....and even knowing in advance when the crippling injury is to occur that scotches the whole thing.

Not saying it's so. Just saying it's possible. Would the fantasy aspect be any different than what Phil Brooks did in his previous career?

 

[OYDK]

Hell, Lesnar had one match against a meh opponent with a shit record before Dana came knocking & Lesnar was fresh out of camp before that as well.

Yeah, but Lesnar destroyed his first MMA opponent within nearly a minute and than fought a good fight against a former Heavyweight Champion upon his UFC debut. Punk hasn't even fought yet. Lesnar actually talks about how White was hesitant to sign him and it took him like, 3 tries to get a shot. It wasn't necessarily a cake walk for Lesnar to break into MMA.

Either way, as in the Lesnar situation, it will be about the big name trying to prove himself & not just about a one off fight for lulz or a temporary jump in ppv buys.

I completely disagree. You think C.M. Punk will ever fight another UFC match again, if he even fights this one? This is something that Punk wants to get off his bucket list. He's 38 years old with very limited MMA training, and White looks to benefit off of some big PPV buys. I would bet a lot that Punk is a one and done in the UFC, win or lose.

Dana pits new fighters against new fighters & it isnt a new thing. When they prove their worth, they move up the card.

Eh, not really. Most of the big names today have debuted against some pretty good UFC fighters. Anderson Silva debuted against an undefeated Chris Leben, Lesnar fought Mir, Jon Jones fought an undefeated Andre Gusmao, Junor Dos Santos fought Fabricio Werdum, etc. I don't remember White ever going on the road and scouting somebody new for a specific fighter.

Why would it go any different just because it is Punk?

The way I see it, things are going differently FOR C.M. Punk.

 

[Navi]

The fact that Dana White gave big money to a complete amateur, and is now actually going out and hand-picking his amateur opponent because he knows that Punk would get destroyed against a pro, is downright ludicrous. For all the bashing we do of WWE, at least they rarely insult the integrity of their company.

But I will agree with you about Punk. If he has been going through those training camps all year, he's earned a bit of my respect.

You said it yourself, if he puts Punk in that ring against a trained UFC fighter, Punk is going to get killed. I guess this is Dana White's way of evening the odds up a little.

Although in saying that, I think Punk is going to get the crap beat out of him anyway, and this is just a one time deal. It will make lots of money for White, and Punk can go back home and write comic books.

Thing is that Dana isnt going to pick someone who isnt legitimately trained. Not like he is going to pick some random guy from the Walmart parking lot or anything.

I've seen some fights in the Walmart parking lot that would rival anything in UFC. You take a woman's parking spot when she's been waiting for awhile, and I don't care how big you are, you're a dead man.

That's presuming he is really trying it. The training, I mean. With all the talk about finding a patsy for Punk to beat.....or even fixing a fight in his favor....how do we know he's actually taking his lumps in preparation for a career in MMA?

Perhaps Brooks' original intention was to go through with this, but once he got hit for real a couple times, he decided it wasn't to his liking? At that point, maybe Punk and the opportunistic Mr. White decided to milk the publicity without actually having to suffer any indignities to his body & ego, announcing to the public how hard the guy is training.....and even knowing in advance when the crippling injury is to occur that scotches the whole thing.

Not saying it's so. Just saying it's possible. Would the fantasy aspect be any different than what Phil Brooks did in his previous career?

Well we don't know everything, except what is being reported by credible trainers for the sport. They have said that Punk is serious about this, and is training hard for it.

Punk is not an idiot. He is old enough to know what he's getting himself into before he even started training. All this crap coming from accredited UFC fighters saying they want a piece of him is bull. There is no way Dana White is going to put him in the ring with one of them.

If he does go through with it, I can see him only lasting one fight like I said in my other post. I don't think at his age, he meant this to be a second career, more like he wants to see if he can do it or not. None of us know what is going to happen, but I would be willing to bet that he will have his time in the Octagon, get busted up, and that will be the last we see of him. This will sell one of their PPV's and that's about the extent of it.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

It's funny how MMA has so little respect for pro wrestling, but the biggest draw they ever had was a pro wrestler and now they're creating a fucking reality show to determine the opponent for their newest former pro wrestling star. Hmm.....

 

[Nate DaMac]

If by some chance Sally and I are wrong (which I doubt, we all know Sally is never wrong)

Which presents quite the conundrum as you're always wrong when it comes to predictions.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

I like how this is in the wrestling spam zone. Keep dreaming people. Though if he gets his ass kicked, he might come running back.

Also, this isn't the first time MMA has brought in someone on minimal name value alone. Anyone remember Kimbo Slice?

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Well it is Punk's first fight, so you can't expect someone who's very good or has a lot of experience.

It's making the PPV because Punk is a draw and will get them more buys.

 

[#tamale]

Well it is Punk's first fight, so you can't expect someone who's very good or has a lot of experience.

It's making the PPV because Punk is a draw and will get them more buys.

Is he though? The novelty has worn off, and Punk doesn't seem fully dedicated or focused on his first fight, whenever that will be.

Lesnar's and Punk's situations are different as well. Lesnar kept himself physically active with NJPW, NFL, and K-1. Lesnar was also pitted against Frank Mir, a former Heavyweight Champion.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Is he though? The novelty has worn off.

This. Putting together a YouTube show is further proof of the above. Dana White isn't sure Punk will deliver the numbers he originally expected and now White is creating a further side show to try and get people to buy.

 

[Slash-LN]

Dana White wanted Brock Lesnar in the UFC before Brock signed his first WWE contract. And Brock wasn't even an mma fighter then. He was just a successful NCAA wrestler.

Vince and Dana both pursued Brock. Brock picked Vince. Dana told him "to go to the shit show and get it out of his system" and then give him a call. I remember Dana saying this in an interview.

Things are really a case by case basis.

Dana wouldn't give Kimbo Slice an outright contract because even though he had a name, Dana didn't think he had the talent. So he offered him a slot on TUF. Look how that worked out for Kimbo.

If Punk is to fight I'd like to see it just out of curiosity. I don't really care who he fights. Not like I'm particularly expecting him to fight a GSP, Anderson Silva quality type fighter.

 

[BaconBits]

Dana White wanted Brock Lesnar in the UFC before Brock signed his first WWE contract. And Brock wasn't even an mma fighter then. He was just a successful NCAA wrestler.

Vince and Dana both pursued Brock. Brock picked Vince. Dana told him "to go to the shit show and get it out of his system" and then give him a call. I remember Dana saying this in an interview.

Things are really a case by case basis.

Dana wouldn't give Kimbo Slice an outright contract because even though he had a name, Dana didn't think he had the talent. So he offered him a slot on TUF. Look how that worked out for Kimbo.

If Punk is to fight I'd like to see it just out of curiosity. I don't really care who he fights. Not like I'm particularly expecting him to fight a GSP, Anderson Silva quality type fighter.

Dana is bullshitting, like usual. Brock was signed to the WWE and in OVW before Zuffa even owned the UFC.

 

[Slash-LN]

Dana is bullshitting, like usual. Brock was signed to the WWE and in OVW before Zuffa even owned the UFC.

Might not have been UFC. He may have just wanted him in mma. Since Dana managed mma fighters prior to Zuffa buying UFC.

I just remember Dana wanted to sign Brock for something mma related and that would have been in 2000.

Zuffa bought UFC in January of 2001 so if Dana and the Fertittas were thinking about forming a company they may have been scouting talent.

That's also not to say it wasn't a media thing. I think it was on Sherdog back when Brock signed with UFC.

 

[BaconBits]

Might not have been UFC. He may have just wanted him in mma. Since Dana managed mma fighters prior to Zuffa buying UFC.

I just remember Dana wanted to sign Brock for something mma related and that would have been in 2000.

Zuffa bought UFC in January of 2001 so if Dana and the Fertittas were thinking about forming a company they may have been scouting talent.

That's also not to say it wasn't a media thing. I think it was on Sherdog back when Brock signed with UFC.

It's still Dana bullshitting, making himself sound like a badass. He may have approached Brock about managing him or some shit, but there was no way Brock was gonna pick MMA and the UFC at that point. There wasn't any real money in mixed martial arts yet and there was absolutely no way he was going to come close to what Vince could offer at the time.

 

[JoeMallard]

Is he though? The novelty has worn off, and Punk doesn't seem fully dedicated or focused on his first fight, whenever that will be.

Lesnar's and Punk's situations are different as well. Lesnar kept himself physically active with NJPW, NFL, and K-1. Lesnar was also pitted against Frank Mir, a former Heavyweight Champion.

You seriously think Punk isn't focused or dedicated to his first fight? The guy gave his life to professional wrestling, until he was getting nothing back. He moved away from Chicago to be closer to his training camp, he trains twice a day and works in one of the best mma camps. If you have ever seen his dvd, you would know he is focused on being the best he can be. He wants to prove his worth and he will not stop until he earns what he was given. I don't know him personally, but I know he is training his ass off. Win or lose, it doesn't matter.

 

[OYDK]

Dana White wanted Brock Lesnar in the UFC before Brock signed his first WWE contract. And Brock wasn't even an mma fighter then.

If you listen to Brock tell the story, he talks about how Dana actually blew him off a few times when he was trying to break into the UFC because he didn't take him seriously. Finally told him to win a fight and they'll talk. Even after he won his first fight White was hesitant of signing him and it took Brock basically forcing a meeting out of him for Dana to give him a chance. And even then he was only given a one fight contract with the stipulation that if he lost, he would be done. It was only after White realized that Lesnar drew huge money that he actually ran with him.

So yeah as Bacon said, sounds like the king of BS is BSing again.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Dana White wanted Brock Lesnar in the UFC before Brock signed his first WWE contract. And Brock wasn't even an mma fighter then. He was just a successful NCAA wrestler.

Vince and Dana both pursued Brock. Brock picked Vince. Dana told him "to go to the shit show and get it out of his system" and then give him a call. I remember Dana saying this in an interview.

Things are really a case by case basis.

Dana wouldn't give Kimbo Slice an outright contract because even though he had a name, Dana didn't think he had the talent. So he offered him a slot on TUF. Look how that worked out for Kimbo.

If Punk is to fight I'd like to see it just out of curiosity. I don't really care who he fights. Not like I'm particularly expecting him to fight a GSP, Anderson Silva quality type fighter.

I'm sure it's just a typo but I just want for people to make sure they know that you meant GSB.

 

[Slash-LN]

I'm sure it's just a typo but I just want for people to make sure they know that you meant GSB.

I think people know a GSB is like three GSPs rolled into one.

There's elite and then there's GSB elite.

 

[nightmare]

Fuck it, GSB vs Punk. We can get you ready in time bro. Just remember, sidestep his springboard clothesline, call him Phil and then hit him in the lump in his back. Easy win.

 

[FlexAmerican Dynamite]

We'll start a training camp right here in Chicago GSB.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I can't wait to cut promos about the junkies in his family.

 

[Hyorinmaru]

I would buy that PPV