WWE/UFC News: Dana White reveals why CM Punk's coaches didn't stop him from fighting, praises former WWE Superstar
What’ the story?
Speaking to the MMA Roasted podcast, UFC President Dana White opened up on a myriad of topics.
Most prominently, White praised former WWE Superstar CM Punk for the latter’s guts to compete in the UFC. Besides, White also revealed why Punk’s coaches did not discourage him from competing in the UFC.
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In case you didn’t know…
CM Punk achieved tremendous success in the WWE with his promo skills and technical prowess and having several years worth of pro-wrestling experience in his pocket.
Nevertheless, after parting ways with the WWE in 2014, Punk has devoted his life to training and competing in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
The heart of the matter
CM Punk made his MMA debut back in 2016, facing Mickey Gall at UFC 203 and losing to the latter by way of submission in Round 1.
Punk recently competed in his second MMA fight, this time around at UFC 225 against Mike “The Truth” Jackson—losing to Jackson by way of Unanimous Decision. Dana White addressed Punk’s aforementioned matchup, and noted that Punk isn’t likely to fight in the UFC for a third time.
Additionally, White elucidated that while most people are quick to criticize Punk, the truth is that Punk—a world-renowned WWE Superstar—chose to put it all on the line not once but twice in the UFC’s famed Octagon.
Furthermore, White commended Punk for his guts, and explained why the latter’s coaches and teammates didn’t discourage him from fighting potentially dangerous opponents in the UFC—
“You can’t tell somebody ‘don’t do the thing that you want to do the most. CM Punk wanted to be a UFC fighter and he wanted to come here. He wanted it so bad that he dropped everything and focused on nothing but mixed martial arts.”
“If you talk to his team, next time you talk to Duke Roufus or Pettis, or any of those guys and talk about how this guy was driving back and forth from Chicago, how he would drive for hours and then train forever, you know. They all ended up respecting him. The guy went in there and put it all on the line.” (*Courtesy—mmanytt.com)
What’s next?
Following his loss to Mike Jackson at UFC 225, CM Punk insinuated that he indeed plans to continue competing in the sport of MMA.
Industry experts believe that if not in the UFC, Punk could compete for smaller promotions such as Bellator MMA.
What are your thoughts on Dana White’s comments regarding CM Punk? Sound off in the comments!