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| Edited By: DNA Web Team |Source: DNA webdesk |Updated: Sep 29, 2017, 06:28 PM IST
Former WWE superstar CM Punk, who fell out with the company and quit in January before his contract was up, has joined Ultimate Fighting Championship, the premier Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) promotion company in the world.
The UFC announced the signing of Punk during its UFC 181 pay-per-view broadcast on Saturday night. CM Punk has never fought professional mixed martial arts before, but is excited at the opportunity.
"This is my new career, 100%," CM Punk said in a statement to ESPN. "I'm going to go full steam ahead, all systems go after today, and it's going to be fun. I have a background in kempo and I’ve been doing Brazilian jiu-jitsu for a long time."
According to reports, Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, will be fighting in the Middleweight or Welterweight category.
The UFC has announced that Punk will make his debut in the octagon in 2015.
Interestingly, CM Punk had a no-compete clause while leaving WWE, which means he could be in direct violation of the clause. As of now the legal stand on this issue is unclear. But it is also rumoured that part-time WWE superstar and current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, who is a former UFC champion, is set to return to the MMA-based promotion in mid-2015.
Having CM Punk and Brock Lesnar in UFC would certainly ruffle a few feathers in the WWE. Both indviduals have been major draws for the company and WWE chairman Vince McMahon, who recently claimed UFC was not competition to the WWE, may have to change his stand and revitalise his company.
Unlike WWE, UFC involves legitimate, non-scripted contests between opponents using MMA technique of striking and grappling, either while standing or on the ground.
CM Punk has thus transitioned from the world of scripted wrestling to real combat sports, and will bring in a legion of dedicated fans with him. CM Punk's significant fan base, which blames WWE for his exit from the company, might abandon the WWE ship and move over to the UFC, a move that should worry Vince McMahon.
