CM Punk's debut interview at UFC 181 was less than impressive. He seemed nervous on the mic - and we can't blame him. It was a huge move for him, and he was away from the "script" of the WWE. He was much better at a brief post-fight press conference appearance, and that's good - because that's more of the Punk that will be necessary for a truly successful UFC run. See, due to Punk's limited window of time for an MMA career, he's not going to be able to build up a 10-0 record and then get into the title picture. No, he's going to need to go a little bit of the Chael Sonnen route, and self-promote. He doesn't need to be a heel, but he needs to sell himself to MMA fans, and continue to entertain WWE fans who follow him over to his new home. That said, he needs to walk a fine line. We should keep in mind that Punk has made no claims to title aspirations thus far. He's staying humble, which is a good start. He just needs to put in the hard work - and if he does have some base talent, the results should show.
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.
