CM Punk stirred the MMA world after he announced that he was competing in the UFC. However, he recently said that it was more dangerous being a WWE wrestler than a professional MMA fighter.
During an interview with Rolling Stone, the 36-year-old was asked if he was worried about getting hurt in the Octagon.
CM Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, answered, "No. I've been getting beat up for most of my adult life. Pro wrestling is a lot different than MMA. Most recently, I had a conversation with King Mo, and he's been training to be a pro wrestler, and he was like, 'Pro wrestling is harder.' Now, that doesn't make my decision to do MMA like, 'Oh, this is easy,' because I know it's not. I just know I've put in work in pro wrestling, and the work ethic you learn from doing that will translate for me. It will put me in a good position."
Rolling Stone followed by asking which he believes is riskier between the choreographed violence of wrestling and the specialized fighting of MMA. Brooks responded, "I definitely think pro wrestling's more risky. The pro wrestler's mentality, and it's ingrained in them from the start, is you have to work hurt. And I know guys in MMA are banged up and will "work hurt," but if you tear your knee up, you're gonna get surgery. Pro wrestlers will not, because they're afraid about losing their jobs. They will work through torn ligaments and everything, and I've done it and it's not smart, and it's not the healthiest work environment."
He continued, "If I step in the Octagon and I get knocked out, I don't gotta keep fighting. If that was pro wrestling, and I slipped and I fell and something happened to me and I got knocked out and I woke up three seconds later, guess what: I gotta finish this match. That's just the pro wrestler's mentality, and I'm glad I don't really have to be subjected to that anymore. He added, "Obviously, there's big differences between a real fight and a fake one, but it's a lot more wear and tear on your body, the travel is brutal. So I won't be doing that."
In a report by What Culture, CM Punk's statements are actually more hostile towards the health policy and management of WWE. His entry into the UFC has garnered mixed reactions from both fans and fighters. According to the International Business Times, Brooks is training with Rener Gracie and remains confident that he can cope with the demands of the UFC.
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