CM Punk: UFC debut akin to Tim Tebow signing with Mets
In a matter of days, former WWE champion CM Punk will be making his MMA debut agaisnt Mickey Gall at UFC 203. During the fight week build up for the former professional wrestler, the New York Mets happened to dabble in the cross over athlete genre by signing former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow.
Given the similarities in the story of prominent athletes trying their hand at other sports, Punk was asked if he saw any symmetry.
"He signed with the Mets? Good for him. I think that's great. That's awesome," Punk said at the UFC 203 press conference. "Symmetry? Yeah, maybe.
"The people who don't like me are going to point out that 'well Punk wasn't a professional athlete' so it's a whole different can of worms. But yeah, I think there's a lot of symmetry."
Punk also spent some time trying to debate whether or not to refer to the WWE as a sport, not necessarily because it was in question but because he was trying to avoid adding fodder to click bait headlines. Eventually he relented saying there are parrallels going from one sport to another.
Punk can relate to what Tebow is trying to accomplish, trying your hand in something were you lack experience. Tebow hasn't played baseball at any level since high school, dedicating himself to football. And like CM Punk, Tebow has faced numerous detractors as he has pursued a career in baseball. Tebow's baseball career will be subjected to ridicule and skepticism under the guise of a "publicity stunt."
But Punk has mastered blocking out the chatter from years in the WWE, and that is the key to success.
"It's like Michael Jordan went from playing basketball to playing baseball, 'oh baseball's too hard, he's not going to be able to do it'. I'm awkward and uncoordinated and I'm old and I'm fat and I'm lazy and I suck and I was a fake athlete and I'm not going to be able to do it. If you believe all that stuff, you're not going to be able to do it," Punk said.
"I'm sure Tim Tebow can hit a ball. I think that's great."
