For several months after his departure from WWE, fans wondered where CM Punk would turn up next. Though he had taken on some minor writing jobs from Marvel and DC Comics, he had been very vocal about his desire to remain as far from any pro wrestling ring as he could. Perhaps, people speculated, Punk was just going to enjoy a well-earned quiet retirement. On December 6, 2014, Punk showed the world that he wasn't about to simply sit at home for the next several years - he signed a multi-fight contract with MMA giant UFC, allowing the former WWE Champion to get paid handsomely and fulfill a longtime dream in the process. Nearly a year later, Punk still has yet to debut, but he has been training hard and is expected to fight in 2016. UFC President Dana White, who brokered the deal, will be a huge winner when Punk actually does fight. Like Brock Lesnar before him, Punk will bring a lot of wrestling fans to UFC's product, and while it's unlikely he'll have the impact in the sport that Lesnar did, even one major fight and huge buyrate would make the Punk signing worthwhile. UFC doesn't have the huge money draws it did five years ago, but Punk, even temporarily, can be a difference-maker for the company.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
