Former WWE professional wrestler “CM Punk” signs with the UFC

Huge news today for MMA and pro-wrestling fans as it was announced on the UFC 181 broadcast that former WWE champion CM Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, has signed with the UFC. He is expected to debut in 2015.

Punk has been a long-time fan of MMA but has no competitive fight experience. And although he has trained in Muay Thai and Brazilian jiu-jitsu for many years those experiences have been sporadic due to his busy WWE schedule.

Hailing from Chicago, Punk was a long-time independent wrestler before working his way up to the WWE. There he had much success winning the WWE heavyweight title, WWE championship and WWE tag-team championship. He was the longest WWE champion of the modern era, holding the belt for 434 days, but after he gave up his title the relationship with WWE brass became strained and ended earlier this year after a court battle.

Now, Punk has put the pre-ordained entertainment behind him and will compete for real inside the Octagon next year. It is thought that Punk will compete at middleweight although no decision has been made yet.