CM Punk smiles at the cameras while posing with his WWE championship belt. (Photo : Getty Images/Jason Merritt)
Many mixed martial arts and wrestling fans are still waiting for the UFC debut of Phil Brooks, more famously known as CM Punk. He was rumored to be fighting at UFC 202 on August 20 but it has now been confirmed that Punk will be making his MMA debut at UFC 203 in Cleveland.
The former WWE champion walked out of the biggest wrestling company in the world in January 2014 and went on to sign with the UFC later that December. It was one of the most shocking signings in UFC history since Punk did not have any athletic background besides professional wrestling.
Brock Lesnar, who is a current WWE superstar, was a standout amateur wrestler in college at the University of Minnesota. It was very helpful in his MMA career as he went on to become a UFC heavyweight champion by defeating Hall of Famer Randy Couture.
Nonetheless, the UFC signed Punk for the potential of being a great draw since MMA fans would want to see him get knocked out while wrestling fans are eager to see what he can do in an unscripted environment. However, his Octagon debut has been delayed several times until he made it official in an episode of Unfiltered.
According to MMA Fighting, Punk appeared with The Rock on the new UFC Unfiltered podcast with Matt Serra and Jim Norton. The 36-year-old went on to announce that he will be making his UFC debut on September 10 at UFC 203 in Cleveland.
Punk will be facing Mickey Gall, who is undefeated in his MMA career, and a very dangerous first opponent for someone making his debut. He has been training with Duke Roufus at the Roufousport MMA Academy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The former wrestler was also seen training at the new gym of the New Jersey Devils with Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin. UFC 203 will be an exciting event since it is the first UFC event in the city of Cleveland that just won their first sports championship in 52 years, thanks to the Cavaliers.
According to the official website of the UFC, Stipe Miocic vs. Alistair Overeem for the heavyweight championship is the main event of UFC 203. Other confirmed fights include Fabricio Werdum vs. Ben Rothwell, Nik Lentz vs. Mairbek Taisumov and Damir Hadzovic vs. Yusuke Kasuya.
Check out the video below to see Punk's MMA training with Griffin in New Jersey.
