Throughout the UFC 181 preliminary card, the UFC teased a huge announcement during the pay-per-view portion of the show.
CM Punk joined Joe Rogan during the broadcast and announced that he had signed a contract with UFC.
“I have a limited window like all fighters do, and I’m here for a fight,” Punk said. “This is my new career, 100%,” Punk told Rogan in the interview. He mentioned that he’d signed a multi-fight deal.
“I have respect for everyone who fights in the UFC, and by the time I’m done, they’ll respect me,” Punk said. He said that he’ll likely be competing at middleweight or welterweight, but light heavyweight is completely out of the question.
Punk recently spoke out on his exit from WWE and noted that the company wanted him to sign a no-compete clause which included the UFC.
UFC President Dana White said this week that he hoped to talk to CM Punk. White said that if Punk were to join the UFC, he’d face someone with a record comparable to his, which is 0-0.
Punk was also seen training today with Rener Gracie, Roy Nelson and “King” Mo Lawal.