The UFC clearly wants to get its money's worth out of their CM Punk signing. Immediately after announcing that he was joining the promotion a year ago, they brought him out for multiple Q&A sessions at numerous UFC events, plus had him do the media rounds. All that meant added exposure for the promotion, who in 2014 had a disastrous year. 2015 was a huge bounce-back for the promotion thanks to Ronda Rousey, Conor McGregor, and fresh stars like Paige VanZant and Sage Northcutt. So while Punk's presence isn't as necessary as it was in late 2014/early 2015, you can expect a ton of hype built up in the months prior to his first fight. To be fair, some of that hype will be warranted. What Punk is trying to do - jump straight into an MMA career with little to no prior experience in martial arts - is a monumental feat, if it can be done. Though many have chastised him for trying to "bump the line" due to his celebrity status, if he can succeed in the cage, it certainly will be impressive.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
