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Phil Brooks, more commonly known by his larger-than-life moniker CM Punk, is someone who is known for following his passions. If he puts his heart and soul into something, he ensures that he goes the distance with it; whether it's pro-wrestling, color commentary or writing comic books.
But when Punk decided to enter the dreaded 8-sided structure, known as the "Octagon", it did raise a few eyebrows.
Despite not having the framework for a mixed martial arts fighter, Punk trained hard enough to finally land a debut against Mickey Gall (which he lost, in a typically humiliating fashion). He was derided and ridiculed by the entire MMA fraternity for being too pompous.
Personally speaking, Punk deserves every bit of respect for not just "expressing a desire" to fight in the Octagon but to actually go out there and perform, irrespective of the final result. Here are 5 reasons why Punk commands admiration:
#5 He dared to make the transition
After amassing both fortune and fame, when people like to take it a wee bit easy in life, this man decided to up the ante and he did it in a typically alpha-esque way. The thought of pushing the boundaries itself should elicit respect for anyone, let alone the straight-edge warrior.
After years of pro-wrestling and “fake fighting” (obviously a bloody misnomer that is an instant pet-peeve), CM Punk decided to give mixed martial arts a shot and attuned his body and mind to the MMA lifestyle and grind.
Far-fetched from professional wrestling is the domain of “real fighting” and it takes more than just a whimsical decision to even show up at the grandest stage of MMA, i.e. Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Punk made the change and gave it his all while preparing for the framework to be laid. Not having any background in fighting, Punk began training for the road ahead in January 2015. While he was supposed to make his octagon debut later that year, a shoulder injury sidelined him for another year and a half. While a “casual” enthusiast would have given up, Punk decided to assiduously dedicate himself to staying focused.
#4… at the age of 38
Yes, to start anew at the age of 38, when your body isn’t keeping up with you quite as well as it did in your 20s, commands nothing but appreciation. Punk, at the age where most men of his stature are looking at real estate, podcasts, television appearances and the likes; is roughing it out in mixed martial arts gyms, trying to perfect combination punches and roundhouse kicks. Conor McGregor, who is in his prime, is 29 years old!
Let’s not take away the fact that the UFC is a ‘cash-cow’, but someone with the credentials of Punk doesn’t need to necessarily commit himself to getting kicked and punched for “a few dollars more”!
When people are slowing down in life, the sharp-tongue iconoclast is going in exactly the opposite way and taking up something alien as a challenge. The odds were stacked massively against Punk in competing in the oeuvre of mixed martial arts and he didn’t get everything served on a silver platter.
He didn’t have the repertoire and the talent for UFC, but he definitely worked hard to hear “Cult of personality” escorting him to his first appearance inside the octagon.
#3 Despite his loss he never gave up
CM Punk was “humbled” (humiliated, rather) in his first fight against Mickey Gall in late 2016. The internet fraternity took to this humiliating loss of his and Punk turned from “the best in the world” to an overnight “butt of internet jokes/memes”. While humbly accepting his defeat and lauding Gall for his stellar efforts inside the octagon, Punk, in his post-match interview said:
"In life you go big or you go home, I just like to take challenges. This was a hell of a mountain to try to climb and I didn't get to the summit today, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up.
I will be back, believe it or not, this was the most fun I've ever had I know there's a lot of doubters, but life's about falling down and getting up.”
Dana White, insisted that Punk drop any future plans of fighting inside the octagon, but a little over a year and a half, Punk has decided to step into the dreaded 8-sided structure again. Following the defeat to Gall, Punk didn’t cease training at the Roufusport in Milwaukee, in the hopes of landing another opportunity.
The one who responded to his desire to fight was Mike Jackson, who surprisingly tapped out to Gall in the first round as well. Hopefully, the ongoing talks would come to fruition and fans would be able to see the former pro-wrestler go sophomore.
#2 Never stopped perfecting skills
Everything, in the end, boils down to the “age factor”. When you’re doing well in life, everything’s hunky dory, would you spend days and days trying to master a gogoplata?
Personal investments get harder with age and even more so when that very investment requires physical activity in a highly competitive ecosystem. Not for “Chick Magnet” Punk, though!
Punk recently upgraded himself to a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue-belt distinction after training hard for months. Say what you want to say about this guy, but dedication is something that scores a perfect-ten on his meter. Brazilian jiu-jitsu isn’t easy.
It takes more than just courage to execute the art form. It takes toil and discipline and is akin to studying a difficult subject. This man isn’t doing MMA just for the sake of it, his commitment to this intricate art-form conveys that he means business!
PS: Congrats on the blue-belt, Punk.
#1 He got a whole generation of WWE fans turn to MMA
Popular as he’s always been, both inside and outside the ring, Punk’s ingress into the world of Ultimate Fighting Championship meant only one thing: more popularity for the sport!
Punk’s change in direction in life has got a whole new breed of pro-wrestling fans appreciate the sport of mixed martial arts. While Brock Lesnar was instrumental in getting many pro-wrestling aficionados aboard the UFC train, Punk’s usually charismatic style gave more of an upthrust to the equation. Contrary to his comments, Dana White would make more money by allowing Punk to fight inside the octagon for one more time. More fans = more revenue!
Irrespective of whether he wins or loses his next fight (if it happens), the world owes much more to the pro-wrestling superstar who quit the WWE at his peak to turn to a pasture which wasn’t as green.
