UFC 225 News: Company President Dana White Offers Rationale for Having CM Punk Bout on Main Card
UFC president Dana White is not a man who shies away from sharing his thoughts, so when he was asked to clarify a matter regarding the UFC 225 main card, he provided a clear response.
To be more specific, White was recently asked during the "UFC Liverpool" post-fight press conference about why an inexperienced fighter like Phil Brooks, a man better known to many as CM Punk, is competing on the aforementioned pay-per-view's main card, while a veteran mixed martial artist like Alistair Overeem will have his bout broadcast on free television, MMA Fighting reported.
In response, White offered a pretty simple explanation.
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White's explanation: "Listen, when Alistair Overeem sells as many pay-per-views as CM Punk does, we can argue."
Despite going up against another inexperienced fighter in Mike "The Truth" Jackson, CM Punk is still managing to generate plenty of buzz for his upcoming bout because he is a well-known personality.
CM Punk shot to stardom as a fiery anti-hero type back when he was still performing with the WWE. Using his words and unorthodox moves, CM Punk became an atypical star for a company that mainly focused on featuring clean-cut superstars.
It is worth noting that CM Punk has not wrestled for the WWE since 2014, but apparently, that has done little to diminish his star power.
CM Punk's first fight in the UFC back in 2016 managed to generate a lot of buzz despite the fact that he appeared overmatched right from the start and didn't even make it out of the first round against opponent Mickey Gall.
Apparently, even that first Octagon setback has not led fans to become disinterested in CM Punk the mixed martial artist and that is why he will be fighting on UFC 225's main card.
For what it's worth, Overeem, the fighter who was cited as someone who may be more deserving of a spot on the upcoming PPV's main card does not seem to be too worked up about the decision.
Speaking recently to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, Overeem said that he understands where the UFC is coming from, and he even sees fighting on free TV as an opportunity of sorts because more people may be tuning in then.