Nah, that's not it at all. I think it's great he wanted to try it. My issue is that UFC is the pinnacle of MMA. People spend most of their lives training and grinding away for the chance to even get to an undercard of UFC.

With CM Punk, his celebrity status meant he didn't have to put in the work that everyone else did. That was my problem with it. That's why I think if he was genuinely serious about wanting to try MMA, he could have done it at a lower level first.

There was no requirement for him to have any form of quality to his martial arts skills and it really showed.

Let's say I want to play football professionally. I'd have to work my way up through the lower levels for years before I got a shot at playing in the Premier League. Do you think a celebrity could decide to play in the Premier League with no footballing history? I severely doubt it.

That's why it's a cash grab on behalf of the UFC. Now, I understand why they did it. I also sympathise with your argument that it's good to get people watching. However, to my detriment, I am probably an MMA purist. I love the sport and don't care about who is fighting as long as it's top level. This just didn't match up with why I watch it.

There was no chance at all that CM Punk would have become a star. The UFC is filled with the world's most elite MMA fighters. He just didn't have the required skillset as he'd never trained as an MMA fighter. Even if we give him the benefit of the doubt and say he was naturally gifted, a year of training isn't enough to compete at that level.

P.S, thanks for interacting like this. It's exactly what I'd hoped this platform could provide!