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Seth Rollins and CM Punk appear to be about the only people to have gotten the memo about how to properly promote WWE WrestleMania 41 this week. Rollins, who faces Punk and Roman Reigns this weekend, made it very clear how much he dislikes Punk, even going so far as to say he wants to fight him for real in the UFC.
CM Punk, real name Frank Brooks, infamously fought twice in the UFC, once in 2016 and once in 2018. He lost both of his fights (one was overturned because his opponent tested positive for marijuana) after “retiring” from wrestling.
He burned a lot of bridges with the WWE and many thought there was no chance he would ever return. But after a nine-year absence, he did, and now Seth Rollins wants his pound of flesh.
Among the many negative comments Rollins made about Punk on Not Just Football with Cam Heyward, he said, “If Dana White wanted to book CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins, you know, first, I guess, on one of his cards, I’d put on the gloves and give it a go. … Dana, you want to make some money? Book it, brother. Just give us a few months, you know, give me a few months.”
Seth Rollins also called CM Punk a thief, a scavenger, a fake martyr, snake-oil salesman, and a con artist. Them’s fightin’ words.
So what does CM Punk think about possibly getting into the octagon with Rollins? He answered that question, kind of, during an appearance on The Ringer Wrestling Show.
“I’m glad you brought up MMA because right before I came in here your one of your WrestleMania opponents, Seth Rollins, was on the podcast with Robert Griffin the third and they asked them if Dana White wanted to set up a mixed martial arts UFC type of fight with you, he would absolutely do it,” one of the show’s hosts said to Punk.
“I did not know this,” Punk replied. “I really appreciate my time in MMA and I really appreciate that everyone can look at that and underestimate me. I think it’s the most fantastic thing in the world, you know? … Would I? Look, I’m going to I’m going to punch this mother f—— in the face on Saturday.
“So I don’t know, you know, like he’s talking about like wanting to do an MMA fight. All right, I’ll see you Saturday. Yeah, welcome to hell.”
Of course, as previously mentioned, unlike Triple H, Roman Reigns and John Cena this week, CM Punk and Seth Rollins are doing their best to draw eyeballs to WrestleMania. So take any talk of them fighting for real in the UFC with a boulder-sized grain of salt.