CM Punk Addresses Criticism of His UFC Signing, Reveals When Deal Was Signed

Ariel Helwani of Fox Sports interviewed CM Punk after UFC 181 about his UFC signing. You can check it out below. Punk told Helwani that the actual deal was signed around a week ago when Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta came to Chicago to talk about his signing. He said that he’s looking at probably fighting at middleweight but is “open to other things,” i.e. a potential welterweight cut.

He also addressed the criticism that he is a pro wrestler and doesn’t deserve a UFC spot, saying, “At the ripe old age of 36 I’m trying to be less of a hot head, and see where people are coming from. And I understand – if that’s your opinion, that’s awesome; it’s my job to change your mind, although that is not going to be one of my hang-ups. I’m not going to deal with negativity. Plus, I think it’s part of the game. There needs to be fighters that call me out and say those things, I just hope somebody is more creative because the ‘fake wrestler’ thing is a little too obvious.”