CM Punk spoke with the Huffington Post recently. Here are some highlights:
* Punk says he thinks that people are expecting him to yell and scream in response to some fighters not wanting him in the UFC. He says if the shoe was the other foot, he would probably share their feelings.
* He said John Cena and The Rock kissed Vince McMahon’s ass, but doesn’t know if it contributed to their success. He always looked like Vince as a boss, and wasn’t a buddy with him like they were.
* Regarding the “pipe bomb” promo, he just said it was another promo. He didn’t think it would become a huge promo.
* He said that wrestling is live theater, but you do it five nights a week and it takes a toll. He thinks he can adapt to the MMA schedule.
* A fan asked if he would ever come back to wrestle an indy guy, and Punk said that he didn’t want to give wrestling fans false hope. He singled out the Young Bucks as potential opponents if he did, however.
* He said that he didn’t lose respect for wrestling, but lost his passion.
* When asked if he left WWE for UFC, Punk said it was always in the back of his mind. He didn’t leave just to pursue a UFC career, but it became a viable option.
* Punk said that he doesn’t know who he’s fighting, but that Dana White said it will be someone close to his experience level. He said that he didn’t spar or practice a lot in WWE, but instead of heavy weight lifting that he did during his wrestling days, he’ll be sparring and grappling to prepare.
* Punk said his goal right now is training and getting his first fight under his belt. He doesn’t want to sound disrespectful and wants to attain a better understanding of himself. He doesn’t want any doubts or questions.
* Punk said he’s not worried about his previous injuries being exploited because he’s healed up and rehabbed everything to the fullest extent. He said that if he had a really serious go of things, he’d be worried about head injuries.
* Punk said that UFC fights are sold and built a lot like WWE matches now. He doesn’t have to worry about being a character now, he’s just chasing his dream. He said that once he has an opponent, that might come out of him. He said it wasn’t necessarily about winning or losing, it was about conquering.
* The host pulled up a tweet from Jose Canseco challenging him, and Punk made fun of his grammar and said he’s not surprised about the challenge.
* Punk hopes to fight in the Fall of 2015.
