Alberto Del Rio Vs CM Punk In UFC?

Confirms offers from multiple promotions to make it happen.

By Jay Anderson /

Alberto Del Rio spoke to Wrestling Inc this week in the build up to his debut for Hispanic MMA promotion Combate Americas, and was asked if he would consider fighting CM Punk in the former WWE champion's UFC debut. While an ex-WWE champ vs. ex-WWE champ superfight is unlikely - it would interest wrestling fans, but likely alienate a large chunk of the MMA fanbase, and murky the waters for the UFC in regards to legitimacy. Del Rio had some interesting things to say about it;
I'll do it, but they need to offer the right money. The offers I received from all of the organizations are so ridiculous that I didn't even think about it. It's really good money for the fighters, because I know what fighters do every time they fight, but I do so well in pro wrestling, why would I do something like that if I'm making the same money for pro wrestling appearances?
This appears to confirm that multiple MMA promotions have in fact offered the former WWE star deals to fight for them, something that had been rumoured earlier this year, and confirmed in at least one case (Bellator, as CEO Scott Coker spoke openly about the matter). Of course, while El Patron/Del Rio might be willing, there are other issues here - for one, weight classes. He last fought, as Dos Caras Jr,, in the heavyweight realm, including a classic loss to MMA superstar Mirko Cro-Cop. CM Punk is likely to fight at welterweight or middleweight. Had CM Punk signed with Bellator, this fight might have seen the light of day at a catchweight, but it's unlikely to ever take place in the UFC, even if they do offer the right money for the Mexican star.Del Rio also spoke to Bleacher Report about how he got involved with Combate Americas (run by Campbell McLaren), and spoke more about the UFC. On his new announcing gig:
We met through a mutual friend and Campbell wanted me to come to his organization and fight. But we couldn't arrange a good deal with the money, you know? I decided not to fight. It was the same for every other MMA organization. Pretty much every MMA promotion has called to see if I was interested in jumping into the ring or the cage again. In Mexico, there are a lot of new fans and viewers. The MMA market is starting to grow and there's more people than ever interested in watching. I think that's where I come in as a know quantity in Latin America. But, unfortunately, nobody came with a really good offer to make me consider it.
And so he hopped into the announcer's booth. Again, it all seems to go back to money for Del Rio. He's willing to get in the cage and fight for real, but you're probably looking in the hundreds of thousands for his services, something few promotions are willing to give. Even the UFC and Bellator give that to surprisingly few stars. In regards to the UFC, he stated;
I'm still in touch with some people from UFC. While I'm in Vegas they want me to do some stuff with them for UFC in Espanol. We're thinking about it. We'll see.
Could that open the door for a future fight? Time will tell, but don't expect it to be CM Punk, even if he is willing. Weight classes exist for a reason.