Phil "CM Punk" Brooks claims to be ready to take on anyone in his first fight in the UFC, even if that opponent is Anderson Silva or Nate Diaz.
The former professional wrestler said that while he knows he doesn't have a say in who his opponent will be, he is prepared to take on Diaz and Silva, two verterans who are among the top fighters in the promotion's history, according to the Latin Post. He added that he will take on Diaz if he has enough time to train and Silva if the price is right, while acknowledging the difficulty in beating either of these two competitors.
"Would I fight Nate Diaz? This is where he takes it out of context. Yeah, I would fight anybody given the proper time to prepare for it," CM Punk said. "Would that be a wise decision at this juncture in my career? Probably not. But I would also fight Anderson Silva tomorrow if you paid me the correct amount of money to do so."
Diaz has expressed his displeasure with the UFC signing Brooks, whom he referred to as an "amateur," saying the decision "downgrades all the fighters" because while Brooks may be a draw, he "got no rights," the Latin Post reported.
Punk is going through intense training for his first fight and plans on silencing those who believe he doesn't have a shot in the Octagon.
Brooks also has the chance to become a huge pay-per-view draw like Brock Lesnar did when he left the WWE and became a UFC heavyweight champion, Florida Today reported.
"I have bitten off a chunk of greatness that a lot of people perceive is too much for me to handle," he said. "Those people don't know me. They don't even know what I can handle. I do."
Fighting isn't the only thing Punk has going for him. He recently wrote "Thor Annual No.1" for Marvel Comics and will write a story for DC Comics imprint Vertigo's "Strange Sports Stories" next year. The Thor comic will be available in stores in February.
"Part of the reason I'm doing this is just to maybe inspire one kid, one kid who's told he can't do something," Brooks said. "If I try and fail, at least I've tried. And a true failure is not trying."
