Dana White Says Those Who Can’t Respect CM Punk’s UFC 225 Performance Are Idiots

In an interview with the MMA Roasted podcast (via MMANYTT, UFC President Dana White said those people who can’t respect CM Punk’s performance at UFC 225 are “fucking idiots.” Here are highlights:

On if CM Punk will fight a third time in the UFC: “No. I don’t think he really wants a third chance. After this last fight, the guy has got balls man, he’s got guts. He went on the world stage and he gave it two shots man. A lot of people talk s*** about CM, well get in there. Come on over. Have a fight and fight one of these guys. It’s easy to sit in your living room and talk s***. This guy was a huge star in WWE and he came over here and put it all on the line twice man in front of the whole world. If people can’t respect that, then they’re a f***ing idiot.”

On why none of Punk’s trainers or coaches said he shouldn’t be fighting: “You can’t tell somebody ‘don’t do the thing that you want to do the most. CM Punk wanted to be a UFC fighter and he wanted to come here. He wanted it so bad that he dropped everything and focused on nothing but mixed martial arts. If you talk to his team, next time you talk to Dick Roufus or Pettis, or any of those guys and talk about how this guy was driving back and forth from Chicago, how he would drive for hours and then train forever, you know. They all ended up respecting him. The guy went in there and put it all on the line.”