CM Punk has been hard at work preparing for his UFC debut by training at Roufusport MMA Academy, home of many other top mixed martial arts stars like Ben Askren, Erik Koch, Alan Belcher and UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. From all reports the team really likes CM, to the point where Punk will be walking Anthony Pettis down to the cage for his title fight against Rafael Dos Anjos tonight at UFC 185. Pettis himself broke the news to Ariel Helwani:
“Yes, he will be walking with me out to the cage. He’s not going to corner me, obviously. He still has some stuff to learn. He offered to come out and I think having as many people out here as possible helps me feel comfortable, feel like I’m back at home. He’s a very cool guy. He’s so humble.”
“I started my camp when he started coming in so I started my camp for this fight, he started coming to the gym. You know what to expect. CM Punk. He’s top of the top, he has a huge name. He came to the mat talked to me one on one and said ‘I appreciate you accepting me coming in. I wanna come in here not just to 90 minutes practice but hang out with you guys. I wanna feel how it feels to be a part of the team.’ And that’s what he’s doing. He’s taking his time, he’s put his career in Duke [Roufus]’s hands, our hands. And we’re gonna take our time with him. Wanna make sure he’s ready.”
It’s still gonna be a while before CM Punk steps into the cage – latest rumors have him sitting down with the UFC in July to give them a status update. But if you’re really eager to see the WWE superstar in the UFC (and possibly in the cage after a Pettis win), then tune into UFC 185 tonight because the Punk will be in the house.