UFC Hall of Famer explains how CM Punk could have succeeded in MMA
CM Punk famously transitioned to MMA after quitting WWE in 2014 but the results did not go according to plan. UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture offered his two cents on what he believed should have been the roadmap for the AEW superstar.
While speaking to Wrestling Inc, Randy Couture spoke about the recency bias involved in UFC and how the latest fight is what fans remember you by.
“The fans can be brutal. That’s just a fact,” Couture said. “You’re only as good as your last fight, and that’s how you distinguish your real friends and true people that are in your circle. Fans want to see winners, and they’re very critical. That’s more of an American thing, honestly, than anything else. They’re not so much that way in Japan and some of the other marketplaces. He jumped right in at the highest level, and he kind of tried to pull a James Toney and jump in at the highest level.” (h/t: Rajah.com)
The three-time UFC heavyweight champion continued, crediting CM Punk for attempting to venture into MMA but felt he took a bigger jump than he should have to start off.
“And you got to give James Toney his credit for his boxing credentials but some of that does not translate to MMA, and I think CM Punk did a good job of trying to train, trying to learn as much as he could, but he jumped into fights that were that were, frankly, a little over his head. I think he could have given himself more time to technically train and get some foundation, a solid foundation, for fighting under his belt before he jumped into some of those bigger fights. He may have had a little more success.”
CM Punk went winless in UFC
CM Punk fought twice inside the octagon once against Mickey Gall and then against Mike Jackson.
His debut at UFC 203 ended in humiliating fashion for the Second City Saint as he lost in almost two minutes via submission to a rear-naked choke hold.
His second bout came almost two years later at UFC 225 when Mike Jackson won by unanimous decision. The result was later overturned to a no contest after Jackson tested positive for a banned substance.
MMA is not an easy sport to transition to after professional wrestling, and CM Punk must get full credit for giving it a go. Now back in AEW, he has a chance to further his legacy in the business he became a household name in.