UFC News: Ex-WWE Superstar CM Punk Enters the Octagon; Will He Be the Next Brock Lesnar?

Phil Brooks, also known as CM Punk in WWE, has moved to the UFC as a professional mixed martial arts fighter.

In a report by Yahoo! Sports, Brooks will be making his debut in the Octagon in 2015. Brooks has been training with Brazilian jiu-jitsu master Rener Gracie for many years. He will most likely compete in welterweight or middleweight.

Although there is still a lot to prove to determine the 36-year-old's future in the UFC, other UFC fighters were supportive of the former WWE champion.

Uriah Faber said in the same report by Yahoo! Sports, "A lot of this fight game, and the fighters up here understand this, is so much mental. If this guy believes he can get in here and fight, and he's willing to put in some work, who's to tell him he's not the baddest man on the planet?

He added, "I've had a lot of younger fighters who are on my team go out and gotten losses and have felt embarrassed. This is the most exposed you'll ever be in any sport. If you're willing to fight a one-on-one fight in front of millions of people, props to the guy for wanting to put his best foot forward."

In a report by Fox Sports, undefeated women's champion Ronda Rousey tweeted, "WHA?!?!?! @CMPunk!!?!!!!?!! #cantwait"

Brooks shared that he has nothing but respect for all UFC fighters and that he is excited to start training.

In the same Yahoo! Sports report, a lot of fans are still doubtful about how well Brooks can handle himself in the Octagon. Many opined that CM Punk's entry is a way to boost pay-per-view sales, in the same way that former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar made history in terms of increasing sales.

UFC President Dana White said in an article by ESPN, "He wanted to fight here. He wanted to give it a shot, so we gave him an opportunity. It's not like Brock Lesnar. We're not going to throw the kitchen sink at him. Lesnar had a wrestling background. [CM Punk] is going to fight a guy who is 1-0, 1-1, 2-1 -- something like that."

White added, "He's been coming to fights for a long time and after his WWE contract was up, he called me and said he wanted to give it a shot. I said, 'All right. We'll give you a shot'."

There is no set date yet as to Brooks' first official fight but it is estimated to be in six to seven months.