#PunkWeek is in full swing, kicking off Tuesday with amateur MMA fighter Dan Velten’s game plan on how he’d advise CM Punk to win in his debut…which is this Saturday at UFC 203 in case you hadn’t heard.
But that wasn’t the biggest Punk associated story of the day as how he got his fight license from Ohio became a point of contention, first raised by Combat Sports Law. Why? Because according to their administrative code, any fighter seeking a license must have at least five amateur fights and a winning record in those fights.
Punk, of course, has none.
However, there is a process in which a fighter can appeal to “the executive director or the Ohio Athletic Commission to have this waived.”
MMA Fighting’s Luke Thomas conversed with OAC executive director Bernie Profato about the issue and got the following quote:
“CM Punk has a wrestling background similar to Brock Lesnar being permitted to fight in the past,” Profato said.
Thomas said that Profato mentioned his trust in UFC matchmaker Joe Silva’s efforts in past Ohio fight cards as also playing into the consideration for the license.
Brought up by the CSL blog was the intriguing Subsection F which establishes a “Master’s Division” for fighters 35 and older. The requirement here is three fights with a winning record which can then lead to an application for a license. This is supposed to be non-waivable. (Thanks to Brendan for bringing that clause to my attention.)
If anyone truly thought Punk’s fight license was ever in danger, you just don’t understand the fight game.
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In case you missed the first two episodes of UFC Embedded, both are here for your viewing pleasure.
Episode 1 features Punk doing some final wrestling prep and some running. We then get to see some of the other fighters on the card (there are other fights?) like Fabricio Werdum, Travis Browne, Alistair Overeem (interestingly evaluating the Arlovski/Barnett fight), and UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic getting a kick out of hanging up on people.
We also get a look at Punk’s basement gym and sauna. Sadly, Mickey Gall is nowhere to be found in this episode.
Episode 2 is more of the same. We get to see Punk’s sauna and ice bath. And no, he doesn’t look anywhere near 200 pounds. Also, Miocic pulls a weird trick on a little girl, and Overeem’s sunglasses take center stage.
And yes, Gall is still nowhere to be seen.
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In case you were wondering, Punk has arrived in Cleveland and signed some posters Tuesday. He also did his pre-fight interview and had his photo shoot. Here’s what he looks like in his gear.