Why UFC Signed CM Punk & When The Deal Was Reached

UPDATE x 8: Dana White spoke with ESPN about CM Punk signing with UFC.

“He wanted to fight here,” White said. “He wanted to give it a shot, so we gave him an opportunity. It’s not like Brock Lesnar. We’re not going to throw the kitchen sink at him. Lesnar had a wrestling background. (CM Punk) going to fight a guy who is 1-0, 1-1, 2-1 — something like that.”

White noted that it will take time for Punk to make his debut, perhaps six to seven months.

“He’s been coming to fights for a long time and after his WWE contract was up, he called me and said he wanted to give it a shot. I said, ‘All right. We’ll give you a shot.’ “

CM Punk also appeared on FOX Sports 1 and discussed his new UFC deal. Punk said the deal was finalized on October 22nd, which is when he was completely free from WWE. Punk said the deal has been in the works for awhile now and was supposed to the “major announcement” for last month’s big press conference but it wasn’t completed in time.

Punk noted that he’s staying off social media for now as he doesn’t want to hear all the negative comments from fans.

Punk noted that he doesn’t want to “cherry pick” his upcoming fights or training partners …. aka he doesn’t want to be fed “jobbers”.

UPDATE x 7: As you know by now, UFC announced the signing of Phil “CM Punk” Brooks to a multi-fight deal Saturday at UFC 181. Punk, 36, is expected to debut in 2015.

“This is something that’s been in the back of my mind for a very, very long time,” Punk told UFC’s Joe Rogan. He noted he had trained in both Kenpo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

“The idea of being able to step inside the Octagon and find out what’s inside myself and test myself is an opportunity that I was not able to deny myself,” he continued. “I don’t think I would be able to live with myself if I didn’t give this a shot.”

Punk has yet to decide whether he will compete at middleweight or welterweight. In order to keep his signing a secret, he neglected to find a training camp to align with.

Punk became a free agent following an October settlement with WWE, where he was a multi-time world champion, and garnered interest from both UFC and Bellator MMA. UFC has a long history of pro wrestlers competing in its cage, including Brock Lesnar, Ken Shamrock, and Dan Severn. Among those, Punk is notable for his lack of background in athletic competition prior to joining the UFC.

UPDATE x 7: Paul Heyman, Gabe “Tyler Reks” Tuft, Jim Ross and others tweeted the following regarding CM Punk signing a multi-fight deal with the UFC:

How Un-Ironic that the best in the world @CMPunk & the BEAST @BrockLesnar -2 crossover STARS!-have been under the tutelage of @HeymanHustle

— Brandon Stewart (@bigbrando25) December 7, 2014

So Punk whined when @Ryback22 was too stiff in the ring…can't wait to see him in UFC. #FuelingTheFire

— Gabe Tuft (@GabeTuft) December 7, 2014

Congrats on @CMPunk signing apparently w/ @ufc is he going to fight? What weight? Will sell PPV's w/o question. Smart biz by @danawhite

— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) December 7, 2014

Rey Mysterio also wrote the following on his Instagram account:

“Awesome to see my homie Punk at UFC 181 announcing his new career as a UFC fighter! Congrats & wish him the best… Kick some ASS homie! #ItWasAPleasureBeingInTheRingWithU#LifeChanger#CantWaite2SeeUKickAss”

UPDATE x 6: Here is a video of CM Punk’s signing announcement at the UFC 181 pay-per-view event:

UPDATE x 5: UFC middleweight fighter Michael Bisping has already called out CM Punk, as he tweeted the following:

I see @cmpunk wants to kick ass, well he can kiss my ass! Welcome to the Ufc, let's do this! @ufc @danawhite

— michael (@bisping) December 7, 2014

UPDATE x 4: Dana White White and CM Punk have been talking for several months now despite Dana White saying he’d be meeting with Punk over the weekend. The deal has been in the works for awhile now and was officially signed prior to UFC 181. The two met backstage at the show and everything was finalized.

UPDATE x 3: UFC posted a video on Vine featuring CM Punk telling the fans at UFC 181 that he’ll be “seeing them in the Octagon at some point in 2015”.

Welcome to the UFC @CMPunk! See you in 2015! https://t.co/X07ezdbmZl

— #UFC181 (@ufc) December 7, 2014

UPDATE x 2: UFC President Dana White tweeted the following regarding former WWE Superstar CM Punk signing a multi-fight deal with the UFC:

Welcome to the UFC @CMPunk! #UFC #WWE http://t.co/OEvu1fvJcD

— Dana White (@danawhite) December 7, 2014

UPDATE: As noted earlier, CM Punk told UFC announcer Joe Rogan at the UFC 181 pay-per-view that he had signed a multi-year deal with the UFC. Punk said:

“I have a limited window like all fighters do, and I’m here for a fight. This is my new career 100%.”

As noted earlier, Punk noted that he’d most likely be fighting at middleweight or welterweight but will NOT fight at light heavyweight.

ORIGINAL: Throughout the entire first fight on the UFC 181 pay-per-view, UFC play-by-play announcer Mike Goldberg teased a “major announcement from Joe Rogan that you do NOT want to miss.”

When the first fight was over, we shot live to cage-side where Rogan was with — “The Best in the World.”

That’s right, folks. CM Punk was with Rogan and the announcement was that Punk has signed with the UFC. He has signed a multi-fight contract and will be debuting in the near future. CM Punk said his debut would be at some point in 2015 and it was “all systems go” after it had been officially announced tonight.

It was mentioned that Punk might be fighting in the UFC’s Middleweight (185 pounds) division.

BREAKING UPDATE: How Much Is The UFC Paying CM Punk?, THE SHOCKING $$$$$ #’s REVEALED (>>)!!! !