Jim Ross spoke with MMAjunkie about Brock Lesnar re-signing with WWE, CM Punk’s UFC signing and more. Check out the highlights:
On Brock Lesnar re-signing with WWE: “I was not shocked. I thought all along that the best option for Brock, at his age, with young children was to not chance the four ounce glove CTE issues that may occur with some MMA fighters in time. We don’t know what the results may be there. We have found out what it is for the National Football League, unfortunately. So, if you don’t know and you know that the potential is there, it’s better for him to stay in showbiz, so to speak and use his amazing gifts and his physique and his look and do better. So I’m not shocked and I’m very happy that he made that choice.”
On who lost out with Lesnar staying with WWE: “I don’t know if there are really any losers. Brock has great respect for the UFC. When you see him, you’re going to think of his success in the UFC. Going from an unknown with no experience to winning the UFC heavyweight title. You’re always going to think that of Brock Lesnar. So, I think, as far as the UFC is concerned, Brock Lesnar is a part of their culture, a part of their story, a part of their backstory, a part of their past, their present, their future in that regard. I don’t know if there’s any losers. I think probably when he went on ESPN that ESPN, I believe, they probably thought he was going to stay with MMA because there’s no way that ESPN would put Brock on SportsCenter to do essentially what was an infomercial for WrestleMania 31. I don’t know if there was any losers. Certainly, the WWE and their fans were the big winners.”
On CM Punk fighting in the UFC: “I think that the fans certainly had apprehensions of him leaving simply because of separation anxiety. CM Punk is an amazing in-ring performer in the WWE world. In the sports entertainment entities he was just terrific. He had great psychology, the fans loved him, he was very skilled. So, I think they were upset that he was no longer going to be available. I think that the first pay-per-view with UFC that he’s on will do terrific business because of the curiosity factor. The WWE fans are going to want to see how well CM Punk does. And, I think, much like Brock Lesnar, when he debuted, they’re going to be cheering for him. I think the MMA loyalists that used to be pro wrestling fans that are no longer – they’re disconnected fans – they’re going to want to see CM Punk lose. In any event, most of them are going to have to buy that experience on pay-per-view. Which means that everybody that’s getting some backend money on the first pay-per-view that CM Punk is on is going to be very happy with the bottom line. And, if you’re a fighter knowing you’ve got a short shelf life, it’s always about the bottom line.”
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