3. CM Punk Will Fight Inside The Octagon
UFC 181 produced a stellar night of fights but the biggest news coming out of the event was the announcement that CM Punk has signed on the dotted line to fight in the octagon sometime in 2015. A steady decline in pay-per-view buys and television ratings is a clear indicator that MMA no longer has the mass appeal it had a few years ago. UFC has realized that simply scheduling a plethora of events isnt going to do the trick. No matter what your view on professional wrestling is, CM Punk will unquestionably move the needle. If the UFC didnt sign the aspiring fighter to a contract, Bellator certainly would have. Punk will be the highest profile rookie to ever debut in the UFC. Unlike Brock Lesnar, he is going in with no professional fighting experience, which brings into question the sport-versus-spectacle debate. So, why sign a 00 fighter to the premier mixed martial arts company on the planet? While UFC could have had him cut his teeth on a smaller show, there is something to be said from a marketing standpoint to promote the first professional fight of CM Punk.