Issue 125
February 2015
Former WWE star Phil ‘CM Punk’ Brooks appears destined to make his MMA and AUFC debut in 2015 despite zero ‘legit’ fighting experience. But he’s not concerned, so why should you be?
Despite a stacked card and two outstanding title fights, most of the talk after UFC 181 was about a 36-year-old who’s never had a professional fight in his life. Not even Robbie Lawler’s comeback victory over Johny Hendricks and Anthony Pettis’ scintillating submission could bump the promotion’s latest high-profile signing from the headlines.
Everyone was talking about Phil Brooks. Better known as ex-WWE wrestler CM Punk. Brooks was presented to the world on the pay-per-view broadcast and revealed he’s inked a multi-fight deal.
“This is something that’s been in the back of my mind for a very, very long time,” he said. “I have a background in Kempo, I’ve done Brazilian jiu-jitsu off-and-on for a very, very long time but the idea of being able to step in the Octagon and test myself is an opportunity that I was not able to deny myself.”
Brooks has been out of the public eye for most of 2014. Injured and disillusioned, he abruptly walked out on his WWE contract in January and only broke his silence at Thanksgiving on longtime friend Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling podcast. Until then, all anyone knew about his plans for the future depended on how much they were willing to guess and speculate.
Predictably, Brooks’ UFC move prompted criticism. At UFC 181 top welterweight Ben Askren – who is never one to keep his opinions to himself – said: “UFC is the organization that claims to promote the best fights in the world. Here they signed a guy who not only has no MMA fights but also has no real combat-sports background at all.
“A lot of people are excited about this CM Punk signing because he’s got a big name and he’ll bring a lot of initial attention… Can he really stay around for three, four, five years? And can he stick around for that long while also still keeping the sport of MMA legitimate?”
While there will be something of the ‘freakshow’ to CM Punk’s fighting for real, American MMA survived the short-lived careers of a near 50-year-old Herschel Walker and Kimbo Slice. In Japan, the fondly remembered Pride FC stuffed their shows with celebrities, pro wrestlers, giants and appalling mismatches, but none of that contributed to the promotion’s 2007 demise. In fact, it arguably boosted the promotion’s stock in its homeland.
“It’s my position to not make a mockery of this sport but ultimately, it’s two people inside a cage trying to punch each other in the face and there’s nothing really artistic about that when you get down to it,” he said in his defense. He’s right. Nothing Punk does should make any difference to the wider ‘legitimacy’ of the sport.
He also responded to accusations that he was just an undeserving “fake wrestler” who had no business being in the Octagon: “It’s part of the game. I think that there needs to be fighters out there that are going to call me out and say those things. I just hope somebody’s more creative because the fake wrestler thing, it’s a little too obvious.”
Besides, the simple idea a “fake wrestler” can’t be a legit fighter is also ridiculous. Just ask Lesnar or MMA legends Kazushi Sakuraba, Masakatsu Funaki and Dan Severn.
Not every fighter has been so damning in their criticism though. Within a few days Brooks said there was “a few notable, big names in UFC” who were extremely supportive. His dedication and grappling ability at least certainly seem to be highly regarded by anyone he’s trained with so far.
Urijah Faber is one of those fighters that’s willing to give arguably the most famous MMA rookie a chance. “If this guy believes that he can get in here and fight, and he’s willing to put in some work, who’s to tell him he’s not the baddest dude in the planet?” he said. “We’ll see. Props to the guy for wanting to put his best foot forward, and we’ll see. Maybe he’s going to be the champ.”
Brooks has a huge amount to learn but his grappling coach and mentor Rener Gracie has huge confidence in his skills. “He’s remarkable,” he said. “He’s in
the top tier of students that I’ve ever worked with as far as his retention ability goes – his athleticism and his ability to train for long periods of time – because he’s very resilient and very athletic.” It’s a start, and everybody starts somewhere. Just not usually under this kind of spotlight.
Brooks is not even the first 0-0 fighter the UFC has signed. They may have come through The Ultimate Fighter, but both Matt Riddle and Matt Mitrione made their official debuts inside the Octagon. So did modern-day boxing legend James Toney, though his feeble non-performance against Randy Couture is something Brooks won’t hope to emulate. But who will he fight, and when?
Plenty have publicly asked and countless more will be pushing behind the scenes for the chance in what will be one of 2015’s most high profile fights, but Brooks won’t be rushed into the Octagon. “I won’t fight until I’m ready, and I’ve got Dana and Lorenzo’s word on that,” he said. “While I don’t want to take forever because I do feel like I’ve got a short window to get this ball rolling, I definitely don’t want to jump into something that I don’t feel I’m ready for. The goal is 2015 – at middleweight or possibly welterweight.”
UFC president Dana White added he won’t be fighting an established veteran either: “We’re not going to throw the kitchen sink at him… (Brock) Lesnar had a real good wrestling background, (Brooks) is going to fight a guy that’s 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, something like that. He wanted to do it. We’re going to give him the opportunity.
“He could be one and done, or he could have a career here. I don’t know. We’ll see. He can either fight or he can’t. But yeah, this guy can definitely sell some pay-per-views.”
Discussing another concern – his injury history – Brooks explained: “I feel amazing. Stuff that has hurt me chronically for a very long time no longer bugs me. I feel amazing.”
Not everyone is so sure though. Former WWE commentator Jim Ross hinted at lingering injury worries on his blog: “There is no lock that Punk can make it successfully through a tough, organized MMA camp,” he wrote.
Brooks even revealed the extent of his injuries in the last few years during his discussion with Cabana. He’s had elbow surgery, broken ribs and a long-undiagnosed staph infection to add to the well-documented damage he’s done to his knees. He took two months off in 2013 to heal a strained ACL, torn MCL, torn meniscus, torn PCL and a bruised patella.
Pro wrestling hurts and there are countless followers of sports entertainment who would argue that it’s far more dangerous than MMA. Former crossover stars like Ken Shamrock and Don Frye suffered significant injuries in when they crossed over to the squared circle. Bas Rutten maintains it was tougher, Frank Shamrock “wouldn’t even dream of doing it because he knew the level of damage” and Quinton Jackson quit pro wrestling training almost before he’d begun.
Brooks has also revealed how he went to “Concussion City” in his final WWE match. It was an injury that would have seen the action stopped in MMA, but Punk continued performing for another 40 minutes. It wasn’t the first time either. Cabana gave a troubling offhand estimate that it was Punk’s 12th or 13th concussion.
Should someone with an extensive history of head injuries be allowed to even train in MMA, much less be licensed to fight professionally? This is particularly worrying considering Punk seems to be looking beyond just a fight or two. “I don’t think anything’s going to stop me fighting into my 40s,” he adds.
It’s up to Brooks, the UFC, doctors and commissions to decide whether he can actually compete in the Octagon, and if he does, he seems serious about it. He wants to make a new name for himself. “I’ve gotta make everybody a believer,” he said. “I respect everybody who has stepped foot in the cage, men and women alike, and when I’m done with this I will have earned their respect. “I will settle for nothing less. So, yeah, skeptics, be skeptical. It’s my job to prove everybody wrong.”
