Tag Archives: UFC

From WWE to UFC: Phil “CM Punk” Brooks makes the transition

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By Kaleb Page

In the MMA world there are always opportunities for new talent to come along and add new life to the scene. This past weekend saw a very big name join MMA and the UFC organization from another big organization. This move sent waves throughout the entire MMA universe and made buzz around the UFC on Saturday night explode.

For years Phil Brooks was a member of WWE and quite the success. Known as CM Punk, Brooks was a superstar under one of the biggest entertainment entities in the world. Headlining pay-per-view events, having global advertising and even action figures made Brooks a household name as his character CM Punk. Even though there was all the fame and things that come with being a professional wrestler; Brooks had a falling out with management. This falling out saw Brooks out of the WWE and wondering what would come next.

For Brooks he found himself at as he said “a fork in the road,” either go back to the WWE or make a new path. This is where the UFC stepped in.

After going through the legal aspects of a contract and finding the logistics of moving Brooks into the UFC; the deal was made. The rumors had been swirling for weeks about CM Punk making a decision on what he would do, and yet people had no idea when he would make an announcement. At Saturday’s UFC 181 pay-per-view event, which was filled with great match-ups and story lines, there was one moment that added an unexpected jolt. During the broadcast Brooks stepped in front of the camera and made his announcement to join the UFC.

This announcement gained a mix of reactions to what took place. There were fighters stepping out to welcome Brooks to this new world and wish him the best, and then there were those calling him out to fight since he was a “fake wrestler.” Many media outlets looked to this move in amazement since this is a WWE star who never had any experience in fighting or even wrestling for that matter.

However I think it is only fair to be level-headed in what goes on in this case. Yes it is a guy who is high-profile and was a WWE wrestler, but what makes it any different from a new guy entering in the UFC for their first fight? There has to be time to actually watch him fight and prove himself in this organization just as anyone else would have to do. That is why I think it is unfair to judge this move before Brooks even fights. If the 36-year-old Phil “CM Punk” Brooks is as dedicated to this as he says, then it will be interesting to see what happens. As a fan of the UFC and MMA this is exciting to add him to the roster and see what he does with this opportunity.

Brooks is scheduled to fight sometime in 2015 to give him time to hit the training hard and get to his projected weight class of middle weight (185 lbs). Also his opponent will be another new fighter or a fighter that is only 0-1, 1-0, 1-1, 2-1 or 1-2 in order to make it a fair fight. In the time until his debut it will be hard to wait and see who the opponent is.

For now enjoy the new jolt of excitement added to an already anticipated 2015 year for the UFC.

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Ronda Rousey and the Quest for an Undefeated Lifetime Record

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By Kaleb Page

In a sport world like MMA where men dominate the scene, the baddest person on the planet, no matter the division, is actually a woman.

Ronda Rousey has earned her nickname “Rowdy” convincingly throughout her fighting career that began in 2011. Another nickname I think is fitting and should be considered is “the arm collector” due to this statistic: 8 of the 10 victories Ronda has, come by way of submission due to armbar. Even though people know what is coming it seems like she has her way with them, which unanimously led to her becoming the number one pound-for-pound female fighter in the world.

It can be said that the fire behind what Ronda is doing in the women’s bantamweight division in the UFC, is fueled by her competition in Judo as a representative of the United States. Her success of winning three gold’s, two silver, and two bronze medals over various competitions came with their fair share of losses as well. Ronda had a thought during Judo that ultimately led to her crossover into the MMA scene. In an interview with Jim Rome this week Ronda said, “I did all my losing in Judo, which is a lot of the reason why I wanted to do MMA so much because no one ever beat me in Judo that I couldn’t beat in a fight.” This quote so far has been proven time and time again, with Ronda convincingly winning every fight she has been in on her way to a 10-0 record.

Another thing that separates Ronda from any other fighter in her division is her win or die attitude. In the same interview she recalled a fight against Liz Carmouche and feeling like she could die in that fight. Liz put Ronda in a tight neck crank and dislocated Ronda’s jaw in the process. However, unlike some fighters who by that point would be tapping out, Ronda’s mindset was, “I would rather break my neck than lose this fight.” She did live up to her word and defeated Liz Carmouche with her trademark armbar later in the first round.

Ronda is a female icon in the world of sports that needs more attention than she is already receiving. Her ultimate goal of course it to end her UFC career in a fashion nobody at the highest level on the women’s side has done: retire undefeated. Her next opponent is rumored to be Cat Zingano, which is in the works to take place early 2015. Another stout test for Ronda with this opponent being undefeated as well.

If I had to put money on any athlete in a competitive sport like this to go undefeated, it would be “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey. Just by the way she carries herself alone, puts her on a whole different level than any of her counterparts. Her relentless attitude and training are world-class in part to her time training as an Olympian. Even though in the world of MMA it only takes one punch, kick, or submission to end this dominating run; I just don’t see it happening. Especially when you have such a driven fighter who has only seen the second round once in her entire career; an insane number in MMA, and in the best fight league worldwide the UFC.

As to anyone else who has doubts as to why I am on the Rousey Bandwagon or as to why she could end up retiring undefeated, Ronda has a message for you: “All the ones (opponents) they bring are legitimate; I work and prepare so hard that there’s nothing they can do about it.” So if you got a challenge to bring Ronda’s way suit yourself, but don’t say I didn’t warn you already about what you are going up against.

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