The first ever photo of CM Punk in action at his new home has surfaced, thanks once again to Roufusport founder Duke Roufus, who posted the photo to Instagram earlier today. And although it's but a single photo of the former WWE champion, combined with a few comments from Roufus, it actually gives fans quite a bit of info. For starters, there's a good chance that, after some speculation about middleweight, welterweight could be Punk's home. His first sparring partner, seen in the shot, is welterweight Craig Eckelberg. Note the size difference between the two: there's not that much of one. At middleweight, and likely not carrying all the muscle mass from his wrestling days, Punk could find himself overpowered. Welterweight would seem to be a much safer option. Beyond the weight class iss, the caption also referenced this session as a fight scrimmage. For those unfamiliar with Eckelberg (and many will be), his four wins have come in smaller promotions starting just over a year ago, and all are stoppages, though mostly submissions (with one being a submission to strikes). In other words, he's not taking guy's heads off. However, though not yet UFC calibre, this is probably a solid competition level for Punk to start with in the gym. He is, after all, entering the game with zero striking experience. According to Roufus, Punk "has some things to work on but he showed a lot of #Potential." Time will tell.
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.
