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What’s the story?
During a recent appearance on the X-Pac 12360 podcast, former UFC fighter Matt Riddle opened up on a myriad of topics.
Riddle, who presently performs as an independent professional wrestler, provided a rather intriguing explanation as to why CM Punk has achieved less than desirable results in his MMA career thus far.
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In case you didn’t know…
Phil “CM Punk” Brooks gained worldwide notoriety owing to his time in the WWE—a promotion where he captured one of professional wrestling’s most prestigious titles, the WWE Championship.
Regardless, Punk parted ways with the WWE back in 2014 and retired from the sport of professional wrestling as a whole.
Punk eventually commenced training for the sport of MMA and made his UFC debut in 2016—losing by way of first-round submission to Mickey Gall.
The heart of the matter
After a long layoff following his aforementioned loss to Gall, CM Punk competed in his second MMA bout—this time around against Mike Jackson at UFC 225 last month.—a fight which he lost by way of Unanimous Decision.
Matt Riddle, a former MMA fighter who achieved decent success in the UFC, expounded upon the mistakes Punk made while approaching his MMA career. Riddle stated—
"CM Punk, for example, he started training MMA.”
"Did he start at like a local Jiu-Jitsu gym? No. He went to Duke Roufus, he went to one of the biggest camps in the world with some of the toughest people and I'll tell you this that's probably the worst thing he could've done; because there are a bunch of killers there that want to beat you up."
Additionally, Riddle elucidated that Punk would’ve been better off if he went step-by-step and hired a personal BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) instructor, a personal Muay Thai trainer—and gradually educated his hands, feet, as well as his entire being before signing up at a world-class MMA gym such as Roufusport.
Furthermore, Riddle explained that Punk ought to have developed his skills with training partners who’re at his skill level, before gradually making his way to a world-class gym—adding that Punk jumping right into the mix with elite training partners is what hurt the former WWE Superstar.
What’s next?
The vast majority of professional wrestling experts believe that Matt Riddle is likely headed to the WWE very soon.
On the other hand, CM Punk recently asserted that he plans on continuing his MMA career.
However, fans can expect Punk to fight in organizations other than the UFC since the UFC President Dana White has confirmed that Punk will not be booked for another fight in the UFC.
What are your thoughts on Matt Riddle’s assessment of CM Punk and the latter’s MMA career? Sound off in the comments!
