Former WWE superstar CM Punk will fight in his first ever UFC fight tonight as he battles Mickey Gall at UFC 203. Before the fight, CM Punk talked to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com about UFC 203 and was asked a little about his time in the WWE and what he misses most about being a professional wrestler.
In no surprise, CM Punk had little good to say about the WWE in the UFC 203 interview. There was a point where Helwani mentioned how tonight’s UFC fight is in the exact same building where CM Punk walked out on the WWE and now he will make his UFC debut in the same building – the first time the UFC has ever worked Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
CM Punk admitted that it was strange to have UFC 203 in the same arena and town, but it was something he never even really thought about. However, CM Punk then went into an interesting off-topic thought away from the UFC discussion about how he was supposed to debut in the WWE in Cleveland, but was sent to developmental instead and that he was legitimately punched in the face by Bob Holly in this building. Despite this, CM Punk says he loves Bob Holly.
The Bob Holly statement brings up an interesting point that was touched upon. Many fans have often seen Holly as a bully, someone who beats up people he doesn’t like in a wrestling ring and often bullying people backstage as well. CM Punk made an interesting comment that the WWE needs more people like Bob Holly in the locker room.
During @WWE ‘s WrestleMania week I asked @CMPunk ‘s pro wrestling brethren about his UFC debut https://t.co/hzmLPEFIXH pic.twitter.com/oVheHFpWCi
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) September 10, 2016
“I just mean there’s nobody in that locker room that’s, in a good way, an enforcer. Nobody is gonna pick up the locker room, nobody is gonna clean up after themselves. They’re just gonna destroy stuff. It was happening when I was there. I was the guy that was picking stuff up and that’s because Eddie Guerrero always told me ‘hey pick up the locker room’, ‘can you pick up the locker room before you go’? And I’d be like, ‘yes sir’.”
It was an interesting comment by CM Punk and one that seems the opposite of what many people seem to claim to want in a society that is more concerned with hurt feelings than respect and accountability. CM Punk mentioned Bob Holly as someone who made sure that wrestlers treated the WWE, the arenas, and each other with respect.
What’s up CM Punk’s sleeve? It’s a mystery to all https://t.co/wtXaYR0YjI via @MMAFighting
— munchnews (@MUNCHmma) September 10, 2016
The CM Punk UFC 203 interview got back on track when it came to the UFC and his upcoming fight and it was clear throughout that CM Punk missed nothing about his life in the WWE, actually saying that leaving was the best thing in the world for him because he was now happy and had his life back in his own control. It has led CM Punk to a dream come true with UFC 203.
It is similar to a recent article that CM Punk wrote for The Players Tribune , where he talked about what he misses most about being a professional wrestler heading into UFC 203. What CM Punk said was that he doesn’t miss being “CM Punk” as much as he misses being himself.
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CM Punk said that his biggest dream in professional wrestling was going to Japan and competing over there, which was something people he admired before him were able to accomplish. He was then able to return home to the United States and go out for ice cream with his sisters without anyone bothering him. That all changed when CM Punk joined the WWE.
“For a long time, the demands of my schedule as a professional wrestler forced me to prioritize my job over everything else in my life. My family, my health and my own ambitions had to be placed on the backburner. I gave everything I had to the job. But my time as a professional wrestler didn’t just end — it reached a conclusion.”
Now that CM Punk is heading into UFC 203, he said that he will never look back at professional wrestling. When it comes to wrestling, CM Punk said never to say never, but he will probably never return to the WWE and has a future ahead of him with possibilities outside of the wrestling business.
[Image via WWE ]