Following the announcement of the UFC signing CM Punk, fans, fighters, and former fighters all began giving their take on the situation.
One of the fighters against the signing is Ben Askren, who said the following:
@ufc sign a fake wrestler, but not an Olympian who is the best WW in the world. Amateur move.
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) December 7, 2014
Ben Askren trains at Roufusport frequently, and coincidentally, CM Punk will also be training there for his UFC debut, something he and Duke Roufus have already apparently discussed.
He spoke at a recent Q&A:
“That’s one of the things me and Duke [Roufus] talked about. Ben I think gets the aspect of the fight game, he wears the black hat and he does it well.”
“I don’t think he has a personal problem with me. I completely understand his point of view. I’m not an Olympic wrestler, he is. Why wouldn’t he kind of question that? I’ll talk to Ben on Monday.”