UFC's Ultimate Insider (which airs on Fox Sports 1 stateside) has aired a video clip of CM Punk alongside Luke Rockhold, Rashad Evans, and Forrest Griffin training at EXOS Athlete Performance Institute in Phoenix, AZ. The clip has brought comments from many in the press and MMA community stating that Punk looks "ripped" and "bigger than ever before," but in reality, it simply appears he has cut a lot of excess weight and is probably walking around closer to his fight weight. He's certainly shed a lot of body fat, and looks much leaner than he did in his wrestling days. The training session is part of the UFC's new combat training initiative, which focuses on proper training methods combined with proper nutrition, as well as supporting activities like muscle therapy/acupuncture and so forth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6HdrWC5AxY Meanwhile, Punk has been announced as taking part in the UFC Ulti-Man 5K race this coming Saturday prior to UFC 189, which is part of the promotion's fight week activities. http://twitter.com/CMPunk/status/617383521498304512/photo/1 The race is being held to raise funds for the largest food bank in Southern Nevada, Three Square. So, while Punk isn't fighting in the UFC any time soon (with 2016 looking more and more as if it will be the year of his professional MMA debut), the UFC is certainly getting their money's worth out of him on the promotion side of things, utilizing him as much as possible in the media and ancillary events.
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.
