As the UFC 181 preliminary card on Fox Sports 1 ended, Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg promised an announcement during the evening’s Pay-per-view. After the UFC’s last fiasco surrounding a big announcement, their words flew under the radar. That is, until the first bout of the evening was over. The camera cut to Phil Brooks, also known as CM Punk, standing next to Rogan. It was then announced that the former WWE champion had been signed by the UFC and will compete in the Octagon. In moments, the man known for being one of the most important pro wrestlers in recent memory caused a stir in the world of real professional sports.
The response to this development has been amazing to watch. Some are excited and others are upset. Searching the hashtag “#CMPUNK” on Twitter will show just how wide the spectrum of responses are and will continue to be. Regardless, his signing demonstrates yet another wrinkle of mixed martial arts as it continues to develop into a “mainstream” professional sport.
Explaining who “CM Punk” is may be difficult, but understanding it is crucial to kicking off this conversation. Like many other pro wrestlers, Brooks dreamed about becoming a professional wrestler before fulfilling that dream. He did everything in his power to reach the pinnacle of that industry, and after years of toiling, he finally did so when he captured the WWE Championship. However, his legacy as a pro wrestler goes beyond merely in-ring accolades.
Brooks’ behind the scenes relationship with WWE leadership had been tumultuous throughout his tenure with the company. His penchant for speaking his mind, even when it conflicted with the company line, made him a cult hero in one respect, but also earned him the ire of company brass. His famous “shoot promo” where he aired out grievances while mixing in real life and scripted developments, set the internet on fire.
Brooks’ character often called himself “The Best in the World,” and to his legion of rabid fans, his outspokenness was part of why that was true. And his most recent public spat with the company, the fallout of which led to him leaving, had already garnered publicity from mainstream outlets — even before he joined the UFC. With the news of the signing, that mainstream interest has only intensified.
However, MMA isn’t pro wrestling. Brooks may be stepping into a world well-traveled by the likes of Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock, Brock Lesnar, and Bobby Lashley, but he has not developed the foundation of those others. Severn, Shamrock, Lesnar, and Lashley have leapt between the two worlds, and the comparisons will come, but Brooks is not a former collegiate wrestler, nor a former boxer, nor a former wrestler for the US military. He will fall short in the eyes of those looking for the proof that he has the chops to become a professional mixed martial artist.
And yet, an interview with Ariel Helwani after UFC 181 gave us a window into Brooks as a competitor. He was driven enough to build himself into one of the greatest wrestlers of this era, if not all time. It’s that same drive to compete which makes this move so compelling.
“People who know me know how long I’ve talked about doing this…This isn’t so much about the UFC. It’s about me, and what I want to show about me. It’s something I’ve thought about for a very long time, and once the opportunity presented itself, I’d have been a fool not to take it.”
Brooks also talked about a desire to pursue MMA earlier in his life. The choice between MMA and pro wrestling was easy to make in Brooks’ youth because of the money on the table. Although the road to becoming wealthy within wrestling was a steep one, it was still much more realistic at the time than mixed martial arts was. Yet the time has come for Brooks to attempt something that had been on his heart for quite awhile.
“It was actually a really easy decision to make. Time will tell how wise a decision it was. I finally feel there’s something I can put 100 percent of myself into and I’ll get 100 percent back, not 30 percent back.”
The UFC is rumored to be planning to book him against a fighter that is also 0-0 and at a comparable level of MMA development. The UFC would be foolish to match him against an established competitor. Allowing Brooks to get smashed his first time out is not the smartest business move for the promotion to take. Yet this isn’t about the fight itself. More so than just his appearance in the Octagon, this is about the immediate business impact that Brooks will have. This isn’t about Brooks becoming a champion, this is about Brooks having the drawing power to attract fans that the UFC wants and needs at a time when it is looking to expand beyond current audiences.
Whether MMA purists want to believe it or not, there are close similarities between the controlled world of “sports entertainment” that professional wrestling occupies and the business side of mixed martial arts. The signing of Brooks is just another step in a string of moves that MMA organizations have made in order to appeal to fans of sports entertainment. This is why UFC 100, which featured Lesnar headlining over Georges St. Pierre, is still one of the biggest cards the organization has staged. This is why the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter, which featured Kimbo Slice, is the high point of that entire series. This is why Bellator continues to feed fighters to Bobby Lashley. The list goes on through Brooks, and will continue on long after he is done.
“CM Punk” will draw attention to the sport of MMA by pulling in those who are interested in him, regardless of whether he is performing in a wrestling ring or inside of a cage. Lesnar did the same during his tenure with the UFC. However, the main difference between the two in that regard is that Brooks is making this jump at a point where he is a bigger name within the wrestling, and his popularity with wrestling fans is at his height. While Lesnar has the upper hand in athletic ability and accolades, Brooks has the advantage when it comes to marketing and fan following.
The responses from MMA fighters have been interesting to watch. Some fighters, such as Michael Bipsing, are jumping at the opportunity to fight Brooks — not because they know they can defeat him, but because they know that this is going to be a huge business opportunity within the sport. During his interview with Helwani, Frankie Edgar and Khabib Nurmagomedov happened to walk past at one point, and they congratulated him for his move. Fighters with business sense are well aware of the implications that this will have moving forward.
As it prepared to close out 2014, the UFC may have already set itself up with the story to watch in 2015. Phil “CM Punk” Brooks is making a move that could be as disastrous for him as it could be exciting. This signing is going to capture a lot of attention from now until the moment he steps into the Octagon for the first time. It’s a ride that both Brooks and the UFC will enjoy from start to finish.
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UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II (formerly UFC 181: Weidman vs. Belfort) took place on December 6, 2014 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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