7 Things We Learned From CM Punk's Pre-Fight Interview With Ariel Helwani
Struggles to cut weight, AJ not watching from the crowd and how his opponent has "already lost"...
As we are now less than 48 hours away from CM Punk's long-awaited UFC debut, the media has kicked into high gear promoting Saturday, September 10th's UFC 203 pay-per-view.
While the show is headlined by what should be a slugfest of a heavyweight title fight between champion Stipe Miocic - defending in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio - against top challenger and elite striker Alistair Overeem, the debut of the former WWE superstar is the biggest talking point of the event.
MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani (essentially the Dave Meltzer of mixed martial arts) is also a passionate pro wrestling fan and the ideal person to interview the UFC rookie. The two have spoken on multiple prior occasions, and Helwani was able to sit down with Punk one last time just a few hours before the official UFC pre-fight festivities kicked off.
The two discussed everything from Punk's choice of walkout music, his wife AJ's thoughts on his fight and where she'll be while he's in the cage, and what he's seen from opponent Mickey Gall that leads him to believe that he's already defeated the younger yet more experienced fighter.
Read along to fight out what we learned from what will be CM Punk's final media interview before finally getting it on in the UFC.
7. He's Having Trouble Cutting Weight
Looking noticeably gaunt and arguably unhealthy, Punk talks with Helwani about the difficulties he's experiencing cutting weight to make the 170 pound limit. Just a few days away from stepping on the scale for the official weigh-ins, while refusing to disclose his current weight, the UFC rookie had this to say:
"It's a thing. It's a thing I gotta do. It's not going so well, I guess. I mean, it's not fun. Nope (I've never done a weight cut). Nope (I didn't do a practice weight cut)".
However, he insists he isn't worried about it. The following day at the pre-fight press conference he again addressed the issue, stating:
"My weight cut is, you know, it's not a fun thing to do. If anybody's done it they know. I'm not going to tell you it's been super awesome or disastrous either way, that's for you to figure out. I'm sitting pretty right now. I feel good. I'm here. I've got a little colour in my cheeks. I don't look bad, do I? Alright".
To be honest, he doesn't look great. He admits that if he hits 171 pounds it will be the least he's weighed since high school, but claims he doesn't regret the decision to fight at welterweight, which is currently the most stacked division in the UFC.
Should Punk not be able to make weight, he will automatically forfeit a percentage of his pay to his opponent Mickey Gall, and Gall would have to agree to go ahead with the fight at a catchweight. Hopefully the former pro wrestling star is able to overcome the challenge of cutting weight for the first time and get down to the required number in time for the weigh-ins.
We'll know soon enough.