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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
"I thought the sport, the UFC, itself, was beyond that now. Bellator doing this, I could understand. I could see other organizations doing it. The UFC, I just didn't expect it... I don't have a problem with the UFC doing it. What I have a problem with is CM Punk being dumb enough to think he can do it. If he wants to come fight a real man I'll be standing there. I'll fight Tarec Saffiedine on [Feb. 14] and I'm the main event, everyone will be gone. I'll fight him right after Tarec if he wants... Hopefully what happens here is that all these keyboard warriors that are like, 'Oh I could go in there and fight' see that a legit athlete - CM Punk is an athlete - and they see him go in a get demolished by a prelim fighter or someone that also shouldn't be in there and they'll see this s*** is a little more than what you think."
Penick's Analysis: The freak show nature of the signing certainly seems like something the UFC had moved past, which is one of the reasons it came as a surprise. At the same time, there have been numerous things the UFC has done over the years that have undermined the supposed "sport" aspect they've wanted to present. That said, it's entirely possible Punk's eventual appearance does serve as a "don't try this at home" moment, because it could showcase the difficulty inherent in being a professional fighter. We'll find out if he ever actually steps foot in the cage, which again is not a guarantee.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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