CM Punk is now a UFC fighter. The former WWE superstar was signed to a deal in late October, following months of on-and-off informal talks with UFC President Dana White and UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta. At UFC 181, the announcement was made official - CM Punk will fight for UFC in 2015. Punk's real name is Phil Brooks and he's 36 years old. He's got some basic jiu jitsu experience, but that's it. In that respect, he's a gamble for the UFC, as he has no real athletic background. He's old for an MMA fighter and has a record of 0-0, which is in stark contrast to UFC's usual requirement of three pro fights before signing fighters. The reason this deal got done, is because Brooks is a passionate MMA fan. He's friends with Dana White and essentially got fast tracked. As for the reason why White was willing to fast track Brooks, it all comes down to UFC's loss of the casual audience in 2014. The Ultimate Fighter tv ratings are dismal and UFC pay per view is in decline. The hope is that Brooks will remedy that, by pulling in some casual interest from people who watched him in the WWE. In essence, Brooks is going to be a gimmick fighter. He's there to pull eyes on to the product, much in the same way that WWE's Brock Lesnar did in 2008. The big difference was that Lesnar had a genuine background in college wrestling. So, how will CM Punk fare in the WWE? Let's take a look at the future of Phil "CM Punk" Brooks in the world of MMA.
