5 Things You Didn't Know About CM Punk's MMA Transition

3. Metamoris Doesn't Seem Interested In Him

CM Punk's lone base skill, prior to making the jump to the UFC and Roufusport, where he trains, is jiu-jitsu. He has trained with Rener Gracie part time for years, and it was Rener who fanned the flames of Punk making the transition to mixed martial arts back in early December. With such a high profile name, and ties to the legendary Gracie family, who are pretty much the driving force in jiu-jitsu, you might expect Metamoris, one of the biggest tournaments in the sport, to take interest - especially since it's run by another Gracie family member, Ralek. That, however, is not the case. To borrow from Georges St. Pierre, Ralek is simply not impressed with CM Punk. Speaking to Bloody Elbow late last year, Ralek stated that;

CM has a huge fan base but I'm not aware of any top level grappling creds that he has. I'd be open to talking about it but he would have to show us that he would be able to hang with our guys. To be honest I don't see him lasting more than a couple minutes against any of them.

Take that for what you will, but it seems the Gracie family is a bit divided on Punk's potential. In contrast, Ralek was very interested in securing Brock Lesnar for the competition. Previously, the likes of Josh Barnett and Chael Sonnen have squared off there against more traditional jiu-jitsu practitioners.