CM Punk On If He Thinks Wrestling Is A Real Sport And If He Can Take A Punch

– ESPN has a new article up with quotes from former WWE Superstar CM Punk on his upcoming UFC debut. Below are some highlights:
Brock Lesnar and if Punk can take a punch:

“I suppose the easy answer to what Brock’s shortcomings were that he probably needed to spar more. Everyone always likes to say Brock hated getting hit in the face. I don’t know who likes getting hit in the face, but I guess he did need to work on his stand-up defense. You get punched in the nose, your eyes water. When it happens, will I turn around and run? No, that’s not going to happen. I’m going to do my best to avoid that punch, but if it lands, I’ll be OK.”

If he felt like WWE was a real sport:

“That’s a fascinating question. I think it varies. Some days, I felt like, ‘Yeah, what we do makes us athletes.’ And then there were situations when I’d feel pretty silly about what I was doing — if you’ve got to dress up like Santa or you’re getting beat up by Santa. You’re watching part of the show, thinking it’s a little suspect.’ Overall, pro wrestling is no joke, though. Everybody in it is an athlete to some degree.”

“You’ll find comparisons [to the physical needs] between the two. Cardiovascular speaking, that was my shtick. I was never going to be the biggest or most chiseled, but nobody was ever going to make me tired in the ring. Endurance is something I definitely have. There are a lot of similarities in that aspect. It’s go, go, go. I think there is a friendly competition between the wrestlers to see who the best is. Who can blow the other one up cardiovascularly. That was always kind of fun.”