CM Punk updates on status with the UFC

Former pro wrestler CM Punk has now fought twice in the UFC’s Octagon, but neither fight has worked out the way he planned. While he showed immeasurable heart in both contests, it was clear that his ability was not quite up to snuff, as he was first stopped by Mickey Gall, and then thumped to a decision by Mike Jackson.

All the same, CM Punk says he is still under contract with the UFC, and that he is still undergoing testing through the promotion’s anti-doping partner the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

“I still have to pee in cups,” Punk told MMA Fighting.

That being said, he believes he could also be released by the promotion at any moment.

“[UFC President Dana White] could also call me tomorrow and be like, ‘Hey you’re cut.'”

Whatever the case, CM Punk will continue to work in the MMA bubble, as he recently signed on as a commentator for rising regional promotion Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC). He’ll make his commentary debut with the promotion on December 14 at an event that will air on UFC Fight Pass.

The former pro wrestler is taking this new role very seriously.

“I’m gonna try to get out there as early as I can, so I can talk to as many people as I can,” CM Punk said. “I want to talk to fighters, their corners, their trainers, their managers, if they have them. Wives, girlfriends, fiancés, moms, dads — whatever. I really want to talk to the fighters and get to know them, so I’m not just talking about, Here’s another woman or another man punching each other. Of course, they want to be in the UFC. There’s stories behind the stories and I kind of want to get to it.”

“If you look at it on the level of the UFC, you’re always getting Countdown shows and more often than not, it’s frequently the same guy,” he added. “I’ll use Anthony Pettis as an example, because he’s a good friend and he’s a good teammate of mine, so nobody can say that I’m trying to trash talk Anthony Pettis. But there’s only so many Countdown shows you can do about Anthony Pettis. You know everything about the guy already.

“I think one part of my job will be to try to deliver that Countdown feel, when just speaking about this fighter. I may have 15 minutes to talk about him, I may have 30 seconds to talk about him, depending on how short or long the fight goes. But I think my motivation is to try and get across that these are human beings. We can argue whether it’s a sport or a business and I can give their perspective. I can talk for them.”

Do you think we’ll ever see CM Punk fight again?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/21/2018.