CM Punk is following in Brock Lesnar’s footsteps and will be transitioning from professional wrestling to the UFC.
The UFC announced during Saturday’s UFC 181 pay-per-view event that it has signed Punk, real name Phil Brooks, who previously was a WWE Superstar.
“My professional wrestling days are over, it’s awesome to be here,” Punk said in an interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan. “This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I have a background in kempo (karate) and I’ve been doing Brazilian jiu-jitsu for a long time.
“The idea of being able to step inside the octagon was an opportunity I could not deny myself. I’m here to get my ass kicked or kick somebody’s ass. When it’s all said and done, everyone is going to have to respect me,” Punk said.
Punk said he will likely compete in the middleweight division, though he is also considering fighting as a welterweight. He plans to announce soon what team he will join for training.
Punk is 36 and has experience training in mixed martial arts, though he has never competed in the sport professionally.
Punk’s name has been in the news lately. The wrestler left the WWE earlier in the year and recently explained in a podcast why he left the company. WWE boss Vince McMahon went on Stone Cold’s podcast and apologized to Punk for terminating him on his wedding day.
Punk filmed this video to promote his new career move:
According to his video announcement, Punk plans to begin competing in 2015.
