CM Punk responds to his critics: "I won't be the same guy from the show"

In a little over a week, former WWE superstar CM Punk will make his long awaited UFC debut against Mickey Gall. There has been a great deal of speculation as to whether Punk – who has no MMA, collegiate wrestling or kickboxing experience – will be able to acclimate and be competitive in the top MMA promotion in the world.

As part of the build to his upcoming fight, a Fox Sports 1 documentary titled “Evolution of Punk” that captures Punk’s journey to his first professional MMA fight was released. However, the documentary has drawn much criticism of Punk’s progress in becoming an MMA fighter. Fighters have condemned Punk’s overall technique and there are skeptics that don’t believe he stands a chance against Gall on September 10. According to Sportsbook Review, Punk is as much as a +275 underdog. And some think that even that is being generous.

Punk addressed his critics during a recent conference call ahead of his fight and the footage that has been a part of the documentary.

“I wouldn’t say it’s unfair,” Punk said regarding whether the opinions formulated on video from his early training days should have drawn the criticism that they have. “Life is unfair. But you can’t listen to what somebody on the Internet is saying about you, you know? You dig hard enough you’ll find negative stuff about everybody. I’m a positive guy. I know what I’m good at. I know what I’m gonna be good at. What I did a year and a half ago doesn’t matter to me.”

Punk was confident that his evolution would lead to a victory against Gall. But as far as whether the video was an accurate depiction of his ability is concerned, the 37-year-old has no qualms with what was aired.

“It was a correct depiction of where I was at when it was shot,” Punk said. “Pre-back surgery, walking around with a herniated disc, 15 percent power in my left leg.”

The documentary follows Punk, real name Phil Brooks, from his signing in December of 2014 to this summer when he was in full preparation for Gall. He’s trained exclusively with Roufusport, where former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and current ONEFC welterweight champion Ben Askren call home. His team has said that Punk has come a long way but the real test will come when he finally steps into the Octagon. The only thing that CM Punk would promise is that the guy that is in the reality series won’t be the one that gets in the cage at UFC 203.

“It would be like me watching one of Mickey’s fights and expecting to fight that guy,” Punk said. “Mickey trains his ass off and he trains with a good team. He’s not gonna be the same guy he was in his last fight, just like I’m not gonna be the same guy you saw on a television show.”