UFC's Special Treatment Of CM Punk Impacts Veteran Fighter

"Filthy" Tom Lawlor is a seven year veteran of the UFC who appeared on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter, and who crossed over from the ranks of professional wrestling - in fact, as recently as 2014, Lawlor, who hasn't fought in the UFC since 2013, was dabbling in the pro wrestling realm with ROH, coming very close to signing a full time contract with the company. However, Saturday night at UFC on FOX 16, Lawlor returns to the octagon to face Gian Villante in the featured preliminary fight portion of the Fox Prelim card (sort of the main event of the preliminary fights prior to the main card). The biggest news, aside from a vet returning to action, is what the UFC wouldn't allow him to do come Saturday night. Lawlor, thanks to his wrestling background, is known as something of an entertainer, especially when it comes to walkouts. In fact, speaking to Yahoo's CageWriter, Lawlor stated "If there's one thing I'm known for in the sport, it's" walkouts. Historically, Lawlor has paid homage to past MMA greats when walking to the cage. However, with the new Reebok uniform deal firmly in place, fighters are expected to wear their own, Reebok produced outfits on the way out - something that irked Lawlor, who suggested he might wear Conor McGregor's gear as part of his walkout. With that nixed, he also requested the use of a tune very familiar to pro wrestling fans: Cult of Personality by Living Colour, known to many as the WWE walkout music of one CM Punk - now employed by the UFC, where he's yet to have his first fight. It should be noted that unlike in the WWE, where fighters have specific songs used exclusively by them, UFC fighters choose their walkout songs on an event by event basis, and it's not uncommon for fighters to use the same songs as other fighters before them. The Rocky theme is one notable, frequent example. Even nicknames are shared: Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone isn't the only Cowboy in the company, even if he is the best known fighter to use the moniker. However, despite the long-standing tradition that songs don't "belong" to a specific fighter, the UFC quashed the idea. Said Lawlor,

I can understand why they didn't let me use that, but at the same time, I've been around for seven years in the UFC and this guy hasn't fought. And whatever they're saving that song for, I'm sure it has something to do with him. It's kind of insulting. But, whatever, it's a different UFC than it was two years ago.

Lawlor has a point. In a sport based on respect, a seven year vet generally would be given some leeway here. Phil Brooks and the UFC are wise to use the CM Punk name to boost business - no one's really about to purchase a Phil Brooks (or "Philip" Brooks) jersey from Reebok, but when CM Punk ones come available, they'll no doubt sell - but this seems to be crossing a line. It's interesting to note that for all the discontent among fans, when Brock Lesnar transitioned to the UFC, he managed to avoid similar pitfalls over minutia such as this. And while it may seem like a small thing, a lot of Lawlor's popularity comes from what he does with the time he has for his walkouts, meaning this does impact him and his ability to connect with fans at the end of the day.