Now that Brock Lesnar has seemingly walked away from the sport of Mixed Martial Arts for good, the focus will be on the likes of Bobby Lashley in Bellator MMA, and, of course, none other than CM Punk as he makes his transition to fighting in the UFC. And for all that has been written on the subject of Punk and his move to the world's premiere MMA outfit, there's still a lot that has been overlooked. That might seem unbelievable given the unparallelled coverage the career change of Phil Brooks has received, but that coverage seems to approach Punk's signing as if this was a decision he made suddenly. And while it's true that he doesn't have a lot of experience in martial arts or combat sports in general, Punk has been training in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu for years, albeit on a part time basis. Under the tutelage of Rener Gracie, Punk has been training in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, taking part in instructional videos, and otherwise honing his craft. He has long been proclaimed to be a "Jiu-jitsu Master" - an embellishment, to be sure, but like many "enhancements" in the pro wrestling world, one based on a grain of truth. And he has been talking about making the jump to MMA longer than some might remember. So lets take a look at five things you (probably) didn't know about CM Punk's transition to the UFC!
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.
