Chael Sonnen Claims To Know CM Punk's Possible First Opponent

Chael Sonnen, former UFC title challenger, former UFC Tonight host, recent Metamoris competitor, and current ESPN personality, had a lot to say to MMA Mania on the topic of CM Punk's signing with the UFC - and as usual, with Sonnen, it's very, very insightful. Even more so in this case because Sonnen is a friend of Punk's (Punk was once tapped to accompany Sonnen to the octagon, until Vince McMahon vetoed the idea), and because he had the hype machine turned off. Yes, Sonnen broke kayfabe, so to speak (not that he's an actual pro wrestler), turning off his "character" and speaking frankly about the Punk singing. The full piece is linked above, but some key comments include who Punk might face - and while Sonnen claims he has a good idea, he's keeping it quiet for now. He did, however, challenge the idea put forward by Dana White that Punk would be fighting an unheralded fighter. Said Sonnen,

For the money that you got to pay him and the attention that is going to bring, he is likely to lose. It does not make sense to do the build up and have him lose to a guy that cannot gain momentum in his own career. If you are going to give a guy a push and put him on a main card or co-main spot, which is where I think they are going to end up. You have to give it to a guy that if he wins and he is expected to win, than he can go on and do something. You can't pay Punk the numbers you are paying him and then try and let it coast.

He went on to add

"I have a pretty good idea who his opponent is."

"I'm going to keep that close to the vest," he said. "It would not make sense to give him a bottom-tier guy."

"You will know who he is and he will be a pretty-heavy favorite to win. Punk is not going to come in as the favorite."

Interesting. Since the announcement Saturday, most have assumed that Phil Brook's first opponent would be, as Dana White claimed, a guy who was 1-1, 2-1, just getting started out - but Sonnen has a point. Punk has to be earning solid money, so do you waste that in a fight with an unknown?

Sonnen also expects a debut fight somewhere around April or May, which is on the early side of most expectations, but only slightly so (Summer 2015 sounds about right, but it depends on a number of factors). He also feels it's possible that Punk headlines or co-headlines an event. While the headliner claim seems a bit far-fetched, again, it comes down to star power, something the UFC has lacked in the past year thanks to the absence of GSP, Anderson Silva, and Nick Diaz (two of the three are set to return in early 2015, as Diaz squares off against Silva). CM Punk has star power in droves and comes with a built-in audience - so why not? Though a co-headlining slot makes a lot more sense than a headliner, and MMA fans will cry foul about the legitimacy of Punk spring-boarding to the top either way.

Time will tell if Sonnen's predictions pan out, and if there's a lesson to be learned from Sonnen's comments, above all else, it's this, in his own words:

"The more attention it will bring in, the better."